A flurry of actual news came through yesterday, including 40-man roster additions and qualifying offer decisions.
Good Morning, Birdland,
Two notable offseason deadlines came and went on Tuesday. First, players that were given the qualifying offer had to determine whether they would accept it or not, and then teams had to add Rule 5-eligible players to their 40-man rosters in order to protect them from said draft next month. Both deadlines were relevant for the Orioles.
Twelve of the 13 players that were extended the $21.05 million qualifying offer declined it. Nick Martinez, a pitcher for the Reds, was the only one to take it. He is a player that may have made sense for the Orioles, but it won’t be happening this offseason.
Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, both O’s in 2024, turned down the one-year deal. This was expected as both can get big, long-term deals on the open market. Burnes will likely also get a higher AAV than $21.05 million as well. Santander may not, but it’s worth it to get more guaranteed money overall.
Should Burnes and/or Santander sign elsewhere this winter, the Orioles, as revenue sharing recipients, will be compensated with a draft pick that would fall after the first round in next year’s amateur draft.
If the Orioles sign a player that has declined a qualifying offer themselves, they would have to give up their third-highest selection. So, say that the Orioles do not get Burnes or Santander back, but they sign Max Fried (This post originally mentioned Blake Snell, but was edited when a commenter noted that Snell was, in fact, not given a QO). They would only get one comp pick after the first round. That gives Elias some decent latitude to be aggressive in the free agent market if he sees fit. Otherwise, the Orioles could end up with three picks in the top ~35 or so, which is an alluring option itself.
On the Rule 5 front, the Orioles protected two pitchers: Brandon Young and Kade Strowd. They now have 39 players on their 40-man roster, leaving open a spot for roster flexibility.
Neither Young nor Strowd is considered a “top prospect,” although Young is far closer to that distinction. Young has pitched well at every minor league level and has maintained a starter’s workload throughout. At the very least he should give the Orioles starting staff some depth and will likely make a few spot starts in 2025. Strowd has historically loaded up on strikeouts and walks, so there is no doubt that he is a reliever. The Orioles likely see something in him that they think could work at the big league level, but it still needs some refining.
This is all so refreshing. As December nears, the offseason is finally getting up to speed. Now sign some people!
Links
12 Players Decline Qualifying Offers | MLB Trade Rumors
The full list of players that turned down the qualifying offer. At least half of these names could make sense for the Orioles. Will this finally be the year the team swims in the deep end of free agency?
Orioles add pitching prospects Brandon Young, Kade Strowd to 40-man roster | The Baltimore Sun
More information on the two newest additions to the Orioles’ 40-man roster. You can never have enough pitching, and the Orioles learned that first-hand in 2024.
Tossing out a few more spring training story ideas | Roch Kubatko
Roch mentions Cade Povich as a storyline, and I very much agree. Povich was good in September! And even before that he showed some signs of life mixed in between some disasters, like in Oakland. He should be a contender for the rotation unless the team adds multiple dependable, veteran arms to the mix.
The wall is getting a do-over. Where else would the O’s like a mulligan? | The Baltimore Banner
An interesting premise for a column, and puts the Elias era into perspective. In general, the O’s boss has not made too many head-scratching moves. Perhaps there are some deals he didn’t do that we will never know about, and that is probably for the best. As far as last year’s trade deadline, the two names the O’s gave up that feel worth worrying about long term are pitchers Jackson Baumeister and Seth Johnson. The organization needs quality arms, and those two were that.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- David Washington turns 34 today. The outfielder played in three games for the 2017 Orioles.
- Jo-Jo Reyes is 40 years old. A southpaw, Reyes never posted a positive bWAR in parts of seven MLB seasons. That included a nine-game stint with the 2011 O’s.
- The late Herm Starrette (b. 1936, d. 2017) was born on this day. He pitched in three seasons with the Orioles from 1963 through ‘65, accumulating a 2.54 ERA over 46 innings.
- A posthumous celebration for Don Leppert (b. 1930, d. 2021). His big league career lasted 40 games, all of which came with the 1955 O’s.
This day in O’s history
2012 – The Orioles make a swap, sending infielder Robert Andino to the Mariners in exchange for outfielder Trayvon Robinson.