Plus: Sánchez talks to the press, an update on Basallo, and a report on pitching injuries.
Good Morning, Birdland,
There were two rather significant bits of baseball news in the last 24 hours.
First, the Yankees acquired 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger from the Cubs in exchange for pitcher Cody Poteet. The deal also includes $5 million in cash considerations coming to the Yankees in two installments: $2.5 million towards Bellinger’s 2025 salary, and $2.5 million towards either his 2026 player option or half of his $5 million buyout. Bellinger’s player option for 2026 is worth $25 million if he picks it up.
Bellinger has been on a roller coaster these last few years, crashing out with the Dodgers when he posted a 44 OPS+ in 2021 and an 81 OPS+ in 2022. The Cubs took a chance on him in 2023, and were rewarded with a 4.4 bWAR campaign. Bellinger turned that into the bigger deal that he is on today. He was fine last year, slashing .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, but not good enough for his beefy income. He fits better with the Yankees, who were in search of both a center fielder and a first baseman. Bellinger is expected to do more of the former, but depending on what transpires this offseason could do the latter as well. The Yankees getting better is, of course, bad for the Orioles.
The news of larger importance overall was the release of a study that aimed to explain the recent rise in pitching injuries. This linked ESPN piece has a lot of good charts and graphs, while Jeff Passan provides a more streamlined analysis.
In general, the takeaway is that players are throwing really, really hard, and trying extra hard to develop spin on the ball. That is putting never-before-seen pressure on the elbow of big leaguers, minor leaguers, and amateurs that now have access to technology that can serve as a reinforcement mechanism, encouraging them to throw harder and harder.
What is the solution? It’s unclear. Right now, pitchers that throw hard and miss bats are valuable. They get paid. There would need to be a cultural shift towards pitchers that encourage contact but go deeper into games and stay healthy.
That might require changes to rules that reward teams for keeping pitchers in games. That would, in turn, influence training regiments to encourage endurance over power.
It all makes sense. But it’s not like a switch can be flipped. This report is the first step. We will see what happens from here.
Links
Sánchez ready to do ‘whatever helps’ Orioles win in AL East return | MLB.com
This signing is still a bit confusing for me. Gary Sánchez is a good hitting catcher, but his defense is suspect. That is an atypical profile for a backup, but it’s not like James McCann was some Gold Glove winner. Sánchez will probably be an upgrade overall. Maybe the O’s can unlock some of the pop from earlier in his career.
O’s Koby Perez on Samuel Basallo and more | Steve Melewski
The Orioles’ renewed interest in Latin America is finally starting to bare fruit. It’s still far from a full harvest, but the early bloomers are coming. Basallo is the crown jewel, and he should be given this entire season to refine his defensive game.
Velocity, max efforts likely causing pitching injuries; rule changes should be considered | The Baltimore Banner
Here is an Orioles slant to the above-mentioned report on pitching injuries.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Jeremy Accardo turns 43. He pitched in 31 games for the 2011 O’s, accumulating a 5.73 ERA.
- The late Gino Cimoli (b. 1929, d. 2011) was born on this day. The outfielder got into 38 games for the Orioles in 1964. He slashed .138/.164/.259 with Baltimore.
This day in O’s history
2011 – The Orioles and outfielder Endy Chavez agree to a one-year deal.
2013 – Amidst a bunch of moves in MLB, the O’s send infielder Danny Valencia to the Royals in exchange for outfielder David Lough.