It’s slow around here, and that’s OK.
Good Morning Birdland,
Personally, I have been quite good this year! I cleaned my room, ate my veggies, and did all of my chores. And yet, Elias Claus refused to get me what I asked for this year. It was just one thing: a big, beefy contract for Corbin Burnes.
Instead, I expect that I will have to settle for the usual: a dependable back-end arm and probably some bullpen depth. These, of course, are the new socks and gift cards of baseball signings. There is no doubt that they are useful, and I would rather get them than nothing. But they are also not lighting my world on fire over here!
Fortunately, the baseball shopping season continues well after Christmas Eve. Mike Elias still has plenty of time to wow us, and maybe he will. Now, will he actually hand out a $200+ million contact? We’re gonna have to see that before we believe it. But will he pull off a trade out of nowhere? That is something he has done before.
None of these things are likely to happen today, though. Why? Well, it’s Christmas. Players, agents, and executives do have lives outside of baseball, and that means taking time off and spending holidays with family. Many of them are likely busy with other things today. And that’s ok.
But you ain’t getting paid to take off Boxing Day, Mike! Let’s get those emails and texts flying again on the 26th. Please.
Anyway. Merry Christmas, Camden Chatters! I do hope you have a lovely day in whatever fashion you celebrate. Thanks for following along.
Links
MLB free-agent pitchers are chasing the dollars and getting more than most projections | Steve Melewski
See, this is why my expectation is for Elias to look somewhere other than free agency for a quality arm. The guy has said—for years—that he does not love the value in signing pitchers to multi-year contracts. They just get hurt too much! Could he buck that trend? Sure. Burnes is just about the surest bet you can make in free agency. It just does not sound very Elias-y.
Andy Kostka: The weight of the last gift my father ever gave me | The Baltimore Banner
This not an Orioles story, but it is written by someone that covers the team extensively, and it is done very well. Maybe it’s because Andy and I are relatively close in age, or because I lost my dad 18 months ago, or simply because it’s the holiday season. Whatever the reason, it’s worth your time.
Some Orioles opinions and observations | Roch Kubatko
Roch throws cold water on the thought of Burnes signing a short-term, higher AAV contract. That feels like a route Elias would be interested in. You can understand Burnes preferring more overall money.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Tom O’Malley turns 64. Between the 1985 & ‘86 seasons, the righty appeared in 64 games for the Orioles.
- The late Charlie Beamon (b. 1934, d. 2016) was born on this day. A right-handed pitcher, he spent his entire, brief MLB career in Baltimore. From 1956 through ‘58 he pitched in 27 games for the Birds.
- A posthumous birthday for one of the original Orioles, Mike Blyzka (b. 1928, d. 2004). He came with the organization from St. Louis and played in 37 games for the O’s in ‘54.
This day in O’s history
Unsurprisingly, Christmas Day has been a slow one in Orioles history. So, instead, here are a few things that have taken place beyond Birdland on this day:
1809 – Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22-pound tumor from a patient name Jane Todd Crawford.
1826 – The Eggnog Riot, the result of a drunken Christmas party at the United States Military Academy in West Point, concludes.
1958 – Rickey Henderson is born. He would become the most prolific base stealer in MLB history, an elite leadoff hitter, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
2001 – Hideki Matsui signs a one-year, $4.7 million contract with the Yomiuri Giants, becoming the highest-paid player in NPB history.