Orioles acquire José Berroa from Pirates (plus other notes)

Orioles acquire José Berroa from Pirates (plus other notes)
The Orioles have traded Triple-A Norfolk catcher Taylor Davis to the Pirates in exchange for outfielder José Berroa, who will be assigned to a Florida Complex team in Sarasota, Fla. Berroa, 19, was signed by the Pirates as an international free agent from Santo Domingo, D.R., on July 2, 2018. He appeared in a combined 56 games for the Pirates Rookie-level Dominican Summer League affiliates in 2019 and posted a .254 average (48-for-189) with a .678 OPS, six doubles, three triples, 21 RBIs and...

Notes on minor league movement and All-Star voting

Notes on minor league movement and All-Star voting
The Orioles are moving up another pitching prospect. Left-hander Kevin Smith, acquired from the Mets last summer in the Miguel Castro trade, has been promoted to Triple-A Norfolk. Smith, 24, had a 1.04 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in six games (five starts) with Double-A Bowie. He struck out 37 batters in 26 innings. MLBPipeline.com rates Smith as the No. 15 prospect in the Orioles minor league system. Smith joins a Norfolk rotation that includes Zac Lowther (No. 9) and Kyle Bradish (No. 12). Infielder...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The month of April gave left-hander Zac Lowther his first introduction to the majors with a surprise call-up and his scoreless ninth inning on April 25. Optioned back to the alternate training site, he rejoined the Orioles as a member of their taxi squad for the West Coast trip that resumes tonight in Seattle. Good times for the pitcher MLBPipeline.com deems the No. 11 prospect in the organization. The only downside to placing him on the taxi squad was his inability to start Triple-A Norfolk's...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
Not only has Orioles hitting coach Don Long noticed, along with everyone else, the spike in offensive production from center fielder Cedric Mullins, he's also enjoyed the changes that aren't evident in box scores. "I was really proud of him last year for his personality emerging," Long said yesterday on his Zoom call with the media. "The first year that he was here, kind of getting to know him, he was fairly quiet. He's not a real boisterous guy anyway, but you could see his personality...

Orioles release alternate training site roster

Orioles release alternate training site roster
The Orioles basically are scattered in three areas this month, with the team in New York for the first road trip of the season, minor league players reporting to the Sarasota complex for the next wave of spring training and a group working out at the alternate camp site in Bowie. Outfielder Heston Kjerstad remains on the outside. The plan calls for him to skip spring training and go directly to Prince George's Stadium, but he hasn't been cleared to participate. Kjerstad was the second overall...

Hernández leaves game with elbow discomfort

Hernández leaves game with elbow discomfort
Veteran starter Félix Hernández left today's start against the Rays with discomfort in his right elbow. He's undergoing an examination and the Orioles should have more information in the morning. Hernández retired the side in order with two strikeouts, but manager Brandon Hyde sensed that there was an issue. "I thought the velo was the same," Hyde said following a 7-1 seven-inning loss in Port Charlotte. "He was getting outs, he had a good slider. I just thought the body language...

Cue the Orioles curiosities as camp continues

Cue the Orioles curiosities as camp continues
The Orioles made their first round of cuts and none of them were surprising. They must get down to 26 players by opening day and the roster holds 68, including outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who hasn't been cleared for workouts. The time was ripe for some trimming. There's still lots of work to be done. Starters are getting their second turns. More pitchers are going to be stretched out. Players are rotating to other positions. The usual camp activity. Many of the curiosities that I shared prior...

Urías homers as late substitute in 6-3 win

Urías homers as late substitute in 6-3 win
Freddy Galvis was going to play shortstop today. Ramon Urías was supposed to wait his next turn. Manager Brandon Hyde scratched Galvis from the lineup with a sore hip and inserted Urías, who belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Orioles a 6-3 win over the Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles improved their record to 2-2-1. Urías didn't hurt his chances of making the team, though a decision is pending on the length of the bench. Urías is...

Still wondering about Orioles as first workout looms

Still wondering about Orioles as first workout looms
The first spring training workout is four days away. Some baseballs will be dropped, but not many clues about how the roster is going to be constructed and the pitching staff assembled. The full squad doesn't take the field until Feb. 22, but again, there's only so much you can read into early drills. Maybe where some players are taking grounders, though the media isn't permitted on the back fields. Maybe where some players are grouped - whether a fringe guy is placed with the regulars or...

Do the Orioles have other trade chips stacked on their table?

Do the Orioles have other trade chips stacked on their table?
The question was delivered with Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini in mind. During a recent Zoom conference call with the local media, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias was asked about the possibility of acquiring players via trades rather than free agency. "Trades where we're adding to the major league team or trades where we're trading veterans for prospects?" Elias asked. Either way, but I was more interested in talks involving Santander and Mancini. "I think...

More on Galvis, Martin and shopping list

More on Galvis, Martin and shopping list
The shortstop market unclogged in a hurry. Life comes at you fast. Daniel Robertson signed with the Brewers on Jan. 21 to get the ball rolling. Ehire Adrianza reached agreement with the Braves Tuesday afternoon on a minor league deal, the Blue Jays agreed to terms with Marcus Semien on an $18 million deal and the Twins agreed to terms with Andrelton Simmons on a $10.5 million contract. There was local interest here based on the Orioles' contact with representatives for Robertson and Adrianza,...

Still searching for some answers before spring training

Still searching for some answers before spring training
A new day brings a new set of questions and curiosities. For instance: * Will left-hander Josh Rogers be invited to spring training next month? Rogers underwent a second procedure on his left elbow on July 3, 2019, this one called an "ulnar collateral ligament revision." He had Tommy John surgery during his senior year in high school. Making it through his rehab program without any setbacks, Rogers was able to face hitters in the fall instructional camp and work with pitching coach/director...

Inviting conversation about non-roster players in spring training

Inviting conversation about non-roster players in spring training
Is it safe to slip into spring training mode? Is it really going to happen, with Orioles pitchers and catchers reporting on Feb. 16 - one day after most or all of the beat crew arrives in Sarasota, Fla.? Multiple reports are feeding us optimism by the ladle. That's nice. But I'll repeat that teams were told back in October to prepare as though camps would open on time and the season would consist of 162 games. We only know that nothing has changed in that regard. No one has been instructed to...

This, that and the other (with salary update)

This, that and the other (with salary update)
Last night's trade of shortstop José Iglesias was the shocker among a series of moves made by the Orioles. The one transaction that dropped jaws after they picked up his $3.5 million option a month ago. Hanser Alberto was a strong non-tender candidate and the Orioles sent him into the free agent market. They were more inclined to hold onto infielders Yolmer Sánchez and Pat Valaika and reliever Shawn Armstrong. They had no intention of non-tendering outfielders Trey Mancini and Anthony...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
With the World Series over and teams firing up the hot stove, it shouldn't be much longer before the Orioles identify the return on the trades of pitchers Tommy Milone and Hector Velázquez. When is it considered late to be announcing players to be named later? The Orioles sent Velázquez to the Astros on July 29 for a PTBNL. He never threw a pitch in 2020 outside of summer training camp and alternate camp sites. Milone was traded to the Braves the following day for two PTBNL, an...

Orioles re-sign six players to minor league deals

Orioles re-sign six players to minor league deals
The Orioles are bringing back six players on minor league deals who were members of the organization this summer. The re-signing of super-utility player Stevie Wilkerson was finalized on Saturday and announced this afternoon. Joining Wilkerson are infielder Ryan Ripken, the son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., catcher Taylor Davis, and right-handers Marcos Diplán, Mickey Jannis and Ofelky Peralta. Wilkerson missed the 2020 season due to a fractured left ring finger, an injury sustained in a...

Looking back at some non-roster invites

Looking back at some non-roster invites
The Orioles won't know whether they'll be able to open their spring training camp in February until the world gives its approval. Or Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association if they choose to ignore the world. First comes the fall instructional league, which so far has gone uninterrupted for two weeks. If we're lucky, the Orioles will reach the point where they can extend spring training invites and avoid another shutdown of the Ed Smith Stadium complex. It's interesting to...

Giving Orioles the business now that season ended

Giving Orioles the business now that season ended
The next step after waking up without baseball is to gauge your own interest in the playoffs - hard for me to root against the Padres with those familiar faces - and wonder what's next for the Orioles beyond the fall instructional league. Will they be active at the Winter Meetings? Will there be a Winter Meetings? At least remotely, I'd assume. Hold onto that Zoom account. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is going to determine the interest in his trade chips, including...

Bats productive, but O's catchers work to improve the defense as well

Bats productive, but O's catchers work to improve the defense as well
When looking at reasons for the Orioles' improved offense, the production from their catchers has been a key reason in helping the team improve as a whole. Pedro Severino is batting .338 with an OPS of 1.018 and Chance Sisco is batting .270 with an OPS of 1.005. The O's catching trio - including Bryan Holaday - leads the American League in catcher OPS at .945 and that mark ranks third-best in the majors. That is impressive. But while that offense has been very welcome, when someone plays a...

Alternate camp allowing developmental process to proceed

Alternate camp allowing developmental process to proceed
The gradual dissolving of the 2020 minor league baseball season, a painfully slow execution akin to sporadic drops of water splashed onto a pile of sugar, had the Orioles scrambling to come up with ideas to prevent it from impeding the development of their prospects. Teams set up alternate training camp sites near their home ballparks. Plans were devised to incorporate workouts and games while abiding by rules that prohibited competition with outside clubs. The Orioles had to construct a staff...