The Orioles' quest for more starting pitching has carried them to a former Cy Young Award winner. The second minor league deal offered in two days. According to an industry source, the Orioles have agreed to terms with veteran Félix Hernández on a contract that pays $1 million if he's on the club. The news on Hernández comes less than 24 hours after confirmation that the Orioles re-signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a deal that offers $700,000 if he's on the active...

Left-hander Wade LeBlanc is headed back to the Orioles. LeBlanc has agreed to terms on a minor league deal with a spring training invite, according to a source. LeBlanc can earn a base salary of $700,000 if he's on the club. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias has sought at least one veteran starting pitcher. The trade of Alex Cobb to the Angels, which is still awaiting approval from the commissioner's office, could lead to another signing. The Orioles have major league offers...

Immediate reaction to yesterday morning's news that the Orioles were working on a trade to send veteran starter Alex Cobb to the Angels included the following: Why now? How many young pitchers are coming to the Orioles? What happens to the rotation? What is it about the Angels? How about that payroll? Not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea. Cobb might carry more value in early February than at the trade deadline, when he's a rental with free agency approaching. And there are no...

We've entered a new month that draws us closer to the Feb. 16 report date for Orioles pitchers and catchers. The equipment truck left Camden Yards on Wednesday to begin the 1,000 mile journey to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. And yet, we still aren't certain that Major League Baseball is offering a full spring training and 162-game regular season. There are assumptions, hope and the ever-present possibility that ownership and the union will be unable to agree on crucial...

Left-hander Fernando Abad, signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract in December, has been exceptional as the closer for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League. Abad made 10 appearances prior to the Caribbean World Series and didn't allow a run in 11 innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked one batter, struck out 10 and recorded six saves. Toros del Este is set to compete in the Caribbean World Series beginning Sunday at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mexico. Abad will be a...

Anyone can perform under the lights, but what about a microscope? A few Orioles are destined to attract more attention than others in camp and during the season, whether due to prospect status, health, recent hiring or set of responsibilities. There's no escaping it. Rather than wait, let's get it started now and avoid the rush. Third base coach Tony Mansolino The coaching staff has undergone more changes, with Mansolino the outside hire as the replacement for José Flores. Being a third...

A new year always conjures up old memories of poor judgement while waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square. A second countdown pertaining to how long a stomach is going to cooperate before beginning to reject everything inside it. The ball is lowered and your dinner comes up. Here's hoping that none of you are experiencing such misery. Like the time decades ago when I thought tequila was the perfect nightcap. And the morning of Jan. 1, 2012, when my friend stood at his front door as I...

An offseason exercise that doesn't require a home gym, but makes me sweat as if competing in a triathlon, is creating an Orioles lineup in December. Taking the players on the current 40-man roster and the likely invites to spring training and filling every position. Go nuts and, if you dare, also craft a bench, rotation and bullpen. But only if you've stretched prior to attempting it. A national publication seeks my assistance every winter, with a deadline prior to the Christmas holiday. The...

Conducting the usual search for veteran relievers during the offseason, the Orioles are on the verge of signing left-hander Fernando Abad to a minor league contract per multiple sources. Final details are being worked out, but the sides are in agreement. Abad will receive an invitation to spring training, which for the Orioles is supposed to begin with pitchers and catchers reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 16. The Orioles also held interest in Abad last winter and made an offer...

Tyler Wells won't be able to truly demonstrate what he offers the Orioles as a pitcher until reporting to spring training and getting on a mound. Until he faces hitters in live batting practice sessions and in exhibition games. What he's done so far is prove that he's going to be one of the more thoughtful, open and articulate members of the organization. Wells was credited with a quality Zoom yesterday afternoon in his first media session after the Orioles chose him in Thursday's Rule 5...

If we are to presume that two slots in the 2021 Orioles rotation are pretty much set and two others are somewhat set, that still leaves at least one spot open in the starting five for next season. The Orioles have some decisions to make before opening day next season, whenever that turns out to be. Do Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer return to the rotation where they ended last summer and join mainstays John Means and Alex Cobb? Where does this leave Jorge López? Can one or both of the Rule 5...

The Orioles took a deliberate approach to filling their 40-man roster, but the deed is done. It's stuffed like a holiday turkey. Just don't assume that it's staying that way. Anyone who signs a major league contract is going to bump a player off the roster, and the Orioles are at least willing to consider it. In the meantime, it's impossible to make an exact prediction about the roster when you wake up in the morning and find pitchers Ashton Goudeau, Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells on...

When the Orioles lost two players in the major league phase of Thursday's Rule 5 draft, it was a good news/bad news situation. On the one hand, for the first time since 2015 the O's lost a player in the Rule 5. And only five Major League Baseball clubs lost two or more players in this draft. On the other hand, the Orioles may have lost two players for good. Players often get sent back to their original teams in this draft, but it's not a given, obviously. The O's never sent Richie Martin...

The Orioles added two right-handed starting pitchers today in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. And they added two-right handed pitchers and a catcher in the Triple-A phase of the draft. While it cost $100,000 to make a pick in the major league phase and that player must stay on the selecting team's big league roster all year or be offered back to his former club, no such rules apply in the minor league phase. Each selection costs $24,000 there and the player is now fully part of the...

The Orioles again made two selections in today's Rule 5 draft and they again focused on pitching. The fifth overall pick turned into right-hander Mac Sceroler, the nephew of former Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald. The Orioles took right-hander Tyler Wells in the second round to fill out their 40-man roster. Sceroler, 25, came from the Reds organization, where he posted a 3.69 ERA and a 1.111 WHIP in 26 games (20 starts) at high Single-A Daytona in 2019 and averaged 9.8 strikeouts per nine...