Is the Andrew Kittredge signing, once it’s official, the last big Orioles move before the season?
Hello, friends.
There are now two months and 15 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. In just slightly over a month (date still not officially announced) pitchers and catchers will report and the spring training path to the regular season will be under way.
After each of the last three moves that the Orioles made, I’ve been wondering if this was it for them in the offseason. That’s what I thought after they signed Tomoyuki Sugano, and then they went and added Charlie Morton. That’s what I thought after they signed Morton, and now lately they’ve added – also still pending official announcement – reliever Andrew Kittredge.
Is there another move out there? People in both the media and fan spheres can’t stop themselves from trying to connect the Orioles to a starting pitching trade. At this point, with 60% of the projected Opening Day rotation set to be free agents after this coming season, it would surprise me to see the O’s go for a rental like Dylan Cease. Changing four of the five guys year over year just doesn’t seem like it’s sustainable for success.
Maybe there’s someone else out there with multiple years of control who they think would be an upgrade over Dean Kremer, enough to pay a price of prospects or major league players. If I’ve learned one thing in six years, it’s that Mike Elias can always surprise me. Just when you think you know his pattern, he comes out and adds $63 million worth of free agents for the 2025 payroll. Though even that stays within a bigger pattern: He hasn’t given multiple guaranteed years to any pitcher yet.
Around the blogO’sphere
Andrew Kittredge adds further depth and late-inning options for Orioles bullpen (Steve Melewski)
Steve takes a crack at the Orioles bullpen with the recent (not yet official) signing of Kittredge and the waiver claim of Roansy Contreras… though I think Contreras might be back on waivers as soon as Kittredge is signed.
Questions about Orioles pitching roles in 2025 (Baltimore Baseball)
Rich Dubroff breaks down who is in the picture for which role and who can be freely optioned to try to guess at building a 2025 pitching staff with what’s there right now.
Who made the Orioles all-quarter century team? (Orioles.com)
Jake Rill makes his choice at each position for the 21st century so far. What do you think about his list?
Anthony Santander, Jack Flaherty reportedly open to short-term offers (MLB Trade Rumors)
MLBTR breaks down a recent rumor that Anthony Santander might be open to a shorter-term contract. That would be another blow to Orioles fans who’ve been counting draft picks since the summer.
Roki Sasaki chaos has already begun in advance of international signing day (Baseball America)
(Subscription required.) Teams that think they might be able to sign Roki Sasaki are going to hold off on announcing all of their pre-arranged international deals on Wednesday. Could or would the Orioles slide in and add something in that chaos?
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
There are a number of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2016-17 outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, 2005-09 pitcher Chris Ray, 2012-13 pitcher Luis Ayala, 1989-94 infielder Tim Hulett, 1986 infielder Juan Bonilla, and 1967 pitcher Paul Gilliford. Today is Gilliford’s 80th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: fairy tale pioneer Charles Perrault (1628), author Jack London (1876), hockey player and donut magnate Tim Horton (1930), author Haruki Murakami (1949), radio personality Howard Stern (1954), and actress Issa Rae (1985).
On this day in history…
In 1962, US Army forces carried out Operation Chopper in what was then South Vietnam, recognized as the first major combat operation for American forces in the Vietnam War.
In 1969, the Baltimore Colts lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.
In 1991, Congress authorized military force in order to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, with Operation Desert Storm beginning five days later.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on January 12. Have a safe Sunday.