Has Mike Elias done anything to facilitate this? Of course he hasn’t.
Hello, friends.
The Orioles won a game last night! It can be done. For their next challenge, they will attempt to win a second consecutive game tonight. It hasn’t happened yet this year, which is kind of pathetic. But let’s not linger on that thought for long and just enjoy last night’s win, where the O’s stomped on the Guardians for a 9-1 victory. Jackson Holliday hit a grand slam to deal the most damage. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.
I want to talk about Cedric Mullins. Before the season began and anxiety about the team’s early performance took over as the immediate primary concern, there was a lot of angst from Orioles fans (including me) about the team not having given a contract extension to any of its key players.
On a baseball level, it’s tough to imagine a successful medium-term future for the team if it’s constantly just “six or seven years and then you’re a free agent” for any star or even solid regular player. On an emotional level, it sucks to think that as long as this pattern continues from Mike Elias, that there will not be another great career-long (or nearly-career-long) Oriole to enjoy for a decade-plus.
Mullins is the current focal point for this angst because he is set to become a free agent after this season. Mullins also happens to be the best Oriole to date this season, possibly the only good/healthy Oriole to date. And he also, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who spoke to Mullins’s agent, has not gotten any contract offer from the Orioles:
(Mullins’s agent) Robin Cope says the Orioles have not initiated talks about an extension, adding, “I wish they would. He wishes they would.”
With this out in the air, Orioles beat writers talked to Mullins on this topic yesterday afternoon. The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka with the answer from Mullins himself on whether he’d like to stay with the Orioles:
“100%. Just being drafted by Baltimore and just knowing what Baltimore and the city offered me and my family over the course of my career has been nothing short of amazing. So, to have those negotiations take place, it’s all in timing.”
Kostka notes in his reporting that there were similar comments made by Austin Hays and his agent early last year. Hays was dealt to the Phillies in July after losing his starting role with the Orioles to Colton Cowser. The Phillies declined to offer Hays a 2025 contract, so he signed as a free agent with the Reds for 2025. He started on the injured list and has played two games.
There is cold logic to the idea of not adding more years of commitment to Mullins if the Orioles believe that prospect Enrique Bradfield is going to be the guy this time next year. It won’t be good for the franchise to have more young players getting the Coby Mayo “blocked by roster decisions” treatment. That’s especially true if any of lower-tier prospects like Dylan Beavers or Jud Fabian force their way into the mix, or if farther-out guys like Vance Honeycutt do so. However, we have seen in recent years that not every prospect, even highly-regarded ones, is guaranteed to do the Gunnar Henderson thing or even a Cowser-tier thing.
I don’t believe that Elias will end up extending Mullins prior to free agency, or re-signing him after he hits the market, mostly because Elias has never done this with anyone. It is counter to his apparent philosophy. Mullins will probably be looking for $20 million a year or more on the open market. A guy who’s been a 2.5 win or more player for the last four years should be looking for that. In Orioles terms, that’s Charlie Morton plus Gary Sánchez money, except better spent. Well, hopefully. Nothing is guaranteed in this life.
Imagine Elias paying so much or so many years! You can’t. When the team was playing well and the philosophy seemed to be getting strong results, that was a regrettable but ultimately tolerable circumstance. At present, the results have not been there for 2025. Perhaps he doesn’t know everything about everything. Or perhaps the Orioles have some improvement in their near future.
For now, as mentioned before, they attempt to win a second game in a row. Tomoyuki Sugano is set to make the start in this 6:35 finale for the Orioles, with Tanner Bibee pitching for the Guardians.
Around the blogO’sphere
Mike Elias is open to extensions. Words only go so far. (The Baltimore Sun)
The Sun’s Matt Weyrich’s response to Elias’s recent remarks about contract extensions mirrors the response when Neo said that he knows kung fu: Show me. I could not agree more.
Instead of an ace, the Orioles bought depth. That approach is hurting them. (The Baltimore Sun)
And they didn’t even buy enough depth! Or at least they didn’t buy it in time. Signing Kyle Gibson a month earlier might have helped, but then, they didn’t know Grayson Rodriguez would be hurt in February.
O’Neill removed from Orioles lineup, Eflin throws, and more (School of Roch)
Tyler O’Neill was originally in the starting lineup last night but was scratched due to neck discomfort. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into an ongoing issue for the outfielder.
‘More than pretzels’: Moore to headline Autism Acceptance Night at Camden (Orioles.com)
This event, which will in part highlight a local autistic man who’s started a pretzel-making operation, is set for tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It’s an initiative with great import in this present moment in our country.
Jim Palmer makes chicken wing bet after stunning revelation (The Baltimore Sun)
The story of Jim Palmer having never eaten a chicken wing has played out over the MASN broadcasts of the first two games in this Orioles-Guardians series, and it seems like it may not be the last we’ve heard about it.
The power of Coconut: With his dog in attendance, Holliday plays his best (The Baltimore Banner)
For anyone who needs a dog picture to improve their day.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1993, the Orioles ended up with a TOOTBLAN that saw three runners all standing on third base. On a Mike Devereaux fly ball hit to center field that the outfielder ultimately trapped, Jeff Tackett on third base retreated back to the bag, Brady Anderson on second base correctly advanced to third, and Chito Martinez on first base ran from first to third. The ball was thrown to the catcher for a forceout and Martinez was tagged out.
After an earlier 2025 Orioles experience, I wonder if any of the umpires actually signaled “no catch.” Or maybe Tackett and Martinez just really weren’t paying attention. The Orioles lost this game to the Angels, 7-5.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2022-23 reliever Logan Gillaspie, 1988-91 infielder Craig Worthington, and 1983 two-game catcher Dave Huppert. Today is Huppert’s 68th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Maryland Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Chase (1741), baseball Hall of Famer Cap Anson (1852), wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper (1954), actor Sean Bean (1959), and actress Jennifer Garner (1972).
On this day in history…
In 1521, the Diet of Worms began a trial against the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther that, several days later, delivered a verdict condemning Luther as a heretic who could be freely killed without consequence by anyone.
In 1895, China and Japan concluded a war with the Treaty of Shimonoseki. In the treaty, China’s Qing Empire renounced claims to Korea and directly surrendered other territory to Japan, including the island of Taiwan.
In 1907, the processing center for immigration at Ellis Island went through 11,747 people, recognized as the peak day.
In 1961, CIA-financed Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs with the aim of overthrowing Fidel Castro. They did not succeed.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 17. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!