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...

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,...

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...

The Orioles announced four of their minor league signings this afternoon, with catcher Nick Ciuffo going unreported until today. The list also includes left-hander Fernando Abad and right-handers Claudio Custodio and Conner Greene. Abad and Greene were confirmed additions to the organization earlier this month. Ciuffo, who turns 26 in March, provides some catching depth that the organization has sought with Bryan Holaday and Martin Cervenka entering free agency. He's a left-handed hitter and...

I'm not sure how manager Brandon Hyde will readjust to a normal baseball season, if one becomes available to him, after devoting so much of his energy to detailing the protocols set up at Camden Yards and on the road and how his players adhered to them. How the Orioles kept everyone safe, taking no chances if someone reported to the ballpark with the sniffles or a headache. How the sport survived outside of a bubble and completed a 60-game regular season, the playoffs and World Series. What it...