SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have a big pitching day lined up for this afternoon’s game against the Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium.

Charlie Morton makes his second start, but that’s just the opening act.

Tomoyuki Sugano will follow in relief, his second spring training appearance after Wednesday’s start against the Pirates in Bradenton. And Félix Bautista will make his exhibition debut later in the game, his first action in a competitive game since Aug. 25, 2023, prior to his Tommy John surgery.

Other relievers today include Roansy Contreras and Matt Bowman.

Bautista won’t be used on back-to-back days or more than one inning early in the regular season, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The best season of Keegan Akin’s professional life came with one harsh outcome that he’s able to laugh about five months later.

It took that long.

Pitchers dread the slow walk back to the dugout after surrendering a game-winning run. Head bowed, the roar of the opposing crowd ringing in his ears, reporters seeking an explanation and reaction.

Akin would like to forget, but the reminder has a locker set up on the other side of the spring training clubhouse.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill punctuated a three-homer series against the Orioles in September by clearing the Green Monster in the 10^th inning. The Red Sox responded to Emmanuel Rivera’s tie-breaking single by taking advantage of a Jackson Holliday error and bringing O’Neill to the plate.

Tyler O'Neill would have been in today's Orioles lineup except he's dealing with an illness, according to manager Brandon Hyde, who met with the media in Sarasota for his daily pregame dugout session.

O'Neill hit a ball Thursday against the Blue Jays that cleared the concourse in left field for a three-run homer. He didn't make the trip to Fort Myers yesterday, but he wasn't going to play anyway. It didn't raise any red flags.

Starter Charlie Morton also was out of camp recently due to an illness and he made a quick return.

Dylan Beavers is starting in left field today as a late addition to the lineup.

Hyde also said that Jordan Westburg is feeling better and has been cleared for light baseball activities. He isn't swinging a bat because of the soreness in his lower back that's kept him out of the lineup since last Saturday's exhibition opener, but he's able to play catch.

SARASOTA, Fla. – A week of exhibition games seems like an appropriate time to share some observations before the Orioles play the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich opposes Paul Skenes in a rematch from Spring Breakout, except this one airs on MASN.

Povich went three innings and allowed two runs, but hardly anyone noticed because Skenes was the dominant figure before he threw a pitch. Skenes retired the side in order in his only inning, striking out Jackson Holliday and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

That's the distant past. Let’s move a little closer.

* Rodolfo Martinez is a camp darling, though I wouldn’t necessarily use that word around him because the scowl could melt concrete. Media became infatuated with his high-velocity fastball, impressive side and live batting practice sessions and absence from an affiliated team since being in the Giants system in 2019. Who doesn’t love a good camp story?

Comparisons to Albert Suárez were inevitable because of their similar treks through foreign countries. In Martinez’s case, he’s still waiting to make his major league debut.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Félix Bautista completed his second live batting practice session this morning in the intense Florida heat on the Camden Yards replica field, and it won’t be much longer before he pitches in his first Grapefruit League game.

Heston Kjerstad and Gary Sánchez kept alternating at-bats until Bautista faced seven hitters. He threw 25 pitches with Triple-A catcher Maverick Handley behind the plate.

Kjerstad struck out swinging twice and Sánchez was caught looking. Kjerstad also lined to right field and either singled or doubled into left-center field. Sánchez also popped up and grounded to third base.

One of Bautista’s splitters caused Sánchez to flail at it below the zone. He had an audible reaction to it before turning to Handley for apparent confirmation on the pitch. Or perhaps they were just admiring the quality.

Bautista has graduated from bullpen sessions. The first live batting practice was Sunday while the Orioles traveled to Clearwater to play the Phillies.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Chayce McDermott still hasn’t been cleared to begin activities. However, he said earlier today that he feels “really good” after reporting to camp with a mild lat/teres strain.

“Can’t complain where I’m at,” he said, “so we’ll keep going and keep following the plan.”

McDermott is restricted to performing strength exercises and doesn’t know when he’ll be begin a throwing progression.

“It should be pretty soon,” he said. "I’m not 100 percent sure of the exact timeline. It’s just based on how I feel with everything and how I keep progressing.”

McDermott made his only major league start last season on July 24 in Miami and had an uphill climb this spring to break camp with the team. His injury likely has eliminated that possibility, but he can hop back into Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation, continue his development and try to rejoin the Orioles over the summer.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Gary Sánchez’s experience catching Japanese pitchers won’t necessarily give him regular starts on days that Tomoyuki Sugano is on the mound.

Maybe it evolves that way.

Sánchez was behind the plate yesterday for Sugano’s bullpen session, and he’s caught Masahiro Tanaka with the Yankees and Yu Darvish with the Padres.

“Post-bullpen, Gary and I sat on the mound and kind of talked about his experience with Tanaka and some of the other guys that he’s caught,” said pitching coach Drew French. “The versatility that they have and what their preferences are and how they talk about themselves, and I definitely think there are some parallels from his prior years in the game with what Tomo features.”

So what about becoming Sugano’s personal backstop?

SARASOTA, Fla. – Heston Kjerstad sat quietly at his locker yesterday morning, staring at his phone with legs stretched out and empty chairs on both sides of him. An isolated figure. Pretty much how he likes it.

Kjerstad isn’t anti-social. He just doesn’t command a lot of attention in a clubhouse with some extremely high-profile young players.

The bat, however, can get loud.

The Orioles want to hear it a lot this season. No more breakdowns in his quest to become a regular contributor at the major league level. No injuries or illnesses. No interruptions and options. It’s time to find out what they have in Kjerstad beyond sick power and potential.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias told the media last week that this is a “big opportunity” for Kjerstad and the second-overall pick in the 2020 draft “earned the right to get a lot of at-bats in the corner outfield and in the DH spot, specifically against right-handed pitching.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – The decision to sign with the Orioles came easily to outfielder Tyler O’Neill. It wasn’t just the money, though the idea of being paid $49.5 million over three seasons with an opt-out clause after the first year enticed him.

“It was always chasing Baltimore last year,” he said.

O’Neill caught them via contract negotiations.

He spent last summer with the Red Sox after six with the Cardinals, enabling him to form his opinion of the Orioles.

“Playing in the AL East, I’m familiar with the division,” he said. "Baltimore’s the team to beat. Obviously, when they have interest in me early in the offseason, I was really excited about that. Just really excited to join these guys and get going.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Grayson Rodriguez’s big strike in the offseason happened on a hunting trip in Mexico, where he shot a ram and now waits for it to clear customs and arrive in the United States.

Rodriguez hasn’t managed to buy Corbin Burnes’ fishing boat but could make his pitch when the team is in Phoenix.

These are the topics that bring a smile to Rodriguez’s face, the more playful side that is buried during those moments when he’s got to be all business. And not the kind that purchases water crafts.

Orioles pitchers and catchers held their first workout yesterday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Rodriguez hasn’t appeared in a game since July 31 due to another lat/teres strain that he couldn’t rehab in time to make the Wild Card roster. He didn’t make it past bullpen sessions and watched his teammates get swept by the Royals.

“Feeling good,” he said yesterday. “Last year at the end of the year there was a chance that I was gonna come back and throw. It’s kind of what I was trying to do. Ultimately, it didn’t work out, but the first week that I got home I was fully cleared from the doctors to move on and do my offseason program and everything, and didn’t have a problem.”

The opportunities to empty the offseason mailbag are dwindling. Spring training is right around the corner. Who’s excited?

That’s my only question. The rest must come from the readers.

You ask, I try to answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

I don’t tamper with length, style, clarity or brevity. I usually don’t bother to shower. This is a very casual mailbag.

Also, my mailbag reports early and yours has visa problems and a maxed-out AMEX card.

The maturity of Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday can reveal itself in many ways.

On Friday night, it happened behind a bar at PBR Baltimore during a Birdland Caravan stop. Holliday is old enough to drink alcohol – and certainly to pour, which he was busy doing.

The kid turned 21 in December. He won’t be relegated to sipping “Bird Bath” water, unless he chooses it, if another clinching celebration erupts in the clubhouse.

Holliday will report to spring training as the favorite to win the second base job, but it’s a competition. He probably can’t afford to have a terrible camp with the team well-stocked in infielders, even after designating Emmanuel Rivera for assignment.

It would get a little trickier if Jorge Mateo isn’t ready for Opening Day, but still manageable. And there’s always the waiver wire.

Let’s take a look today at the longball. Hitting homers was something the 2024 Orioles did quite well, about as well as any team in the majors last year and they were among the best power-hitting teams in 71 years of Orioles baseball.

The Birds hit 235 home runs to rank second-best in the American League and in the majors to the Yankees, who hit 237.

In the 2023 season there were a whopping 13 teams that hit 200 or more home runs, led by Atlanta that led MLB that season hitting 307. That Braves team with 307 tied the 2019 Minnesota Twins for most homers in a single-season in MLB history. The only other club ever to hit 300 or more was the 2019 Yankees with 306.

In 2024, there were six MLB teams hitting 200 or more:

237 – Yankees
235 – Orioles
233 – Dodgers
213 – Braves
211 – Diamondbacks
207 – Mets

Sure, there are durability questions about Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill, a player they signed via free agency in December. But last year he took 473 plate appearances to rank fifth-most on the Boston Red Sox and the O’s would probably take that and run with it right now.

Especially with his 2024 stats.

Over 113 games – his most since 2021 – O’Neill hit .241/.336/.511/.847 with 18 doubles, 31 homers, 74 runs and 61 RBIs. He posted an 11.2 walk percentage and 33.6 strikeout percentage.

Among the 2024 Orioles, only Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson out-homered him. Among 2024 O’s with 100 or more plate appearances, only Henderson (.893) topped him in OPS. Only Santander and Henderson exceeded his OPS+ of 132.

After he produced a .700 OPS in 2022 and .715 in 2023, O’Neill put up his best numbers since 2021 last year. That season, when he finished eighth for the NL MVP with St. Louis, he hit 34 homers, had a .912 OPS and produced 6.1 Wins Above Replacement per baseball-reference.com that was fifth among all NL position players.

Questions and curiosities. The offseason is full of them.

Some recent examples include how we’ve pondered whether Zach Eflin or Grayson Rodriguez would be the No. 1 starter as the roster’s currently set, who’s the No. 5 starter, the chances that Jackson Holliday platoons, how much Heston Kjerstad plays, whether the Orioles trade for Luis Castillo, if the Orioles are done making moves for position players, whether Nick Gordon will make the team, whether Albert Suárez should start or relieve, who’s a dark horse candidate, how Tomoyuki Sugano will adapt, which starters go to the bullpen, whether the Orioles can count on Jorge Mateo on Opening Day, whether the Orioles would trade Ryan Mountcastle, and how good the Orioles’ bullpen is.

Let’s do some quick hits as we plow through another week of the offseason. It’s more of a light dusting compared to the heavier accumulations.

Are the Dodgers good for the Orioles?

Probably not if there’s a rematch of the 1966 World Series, but Juan Soto seems like the only huge free agent fish who wiggled away from this juggernaut. The rich get obscenely richer.

With Cedric Mullins set as the O’s center fielder, what do the outfield corners look like? Tyler O’Neill, who signed a free agent deal for three years for $49.5 million that included an opt out after one season, is expected to get many of the starts in right field. Young Heston Kjerstad is also part of that right-field mix no doubt with Colton Cowser, who finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, mostly in left field.

O’Neill, who turns 30 on June 22, last year for Boston made 56 starts in left field, 34 in right field and 17 as the DH. He was named the Red Sox Comeback Player of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Boston chapter. O’Neill missed 27 games due to three stints on the injured list.

But over 113 games and 473 plate appearances with Boston, he hit .241/.336/.511/.847 with a 132 OPS+ that was just below Anthony Santander’s 134. Santander is still available in free agency.

O’Neill was a prolific batter versus lefty pitching last season, hitting .313/.430/.750/1.180 with a wRC+ of 215 off southpaws. Against right-handers he batted .209/.290/.403/.693 for a wRC+ of 91. Now he can take aim at the closer fences in left-field and left-center at Oriole Park. 

A Gold Glover in the outfield in 2020 and 2021, O’Neill has made 36 career starts in center field and could spell Mullins there at times as Mullins hit just .196 with a .506 OPS in 2024 versus left-handed pitching.

Tyler O’Neill’s status as the first player signed to a multi-year contract since Mike Elias’ hiring as executive vice president/general manager in November 2018 comes with a caveat attached to it.

O’Neill can opt out of his three-year, $49.5 million deal after the 2025 season. He can dive back into free agency and search for a more lucrative offer or fulfill the entirety of his agreement.

The Orioles can get a year from O’Neill as the replacement for free agent Anthony Santander, with power, on-base ability and upgraded defensive at multiple outfield positions with his two Gold Gloves in St. Louis, and pivot again in the offseason – whether staying in-house or working the free agent and trade markets. They can plan on having him for three seasons to go with Colton Cowser and eventually 2023 first-round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr.

If O’Neill decides to opt out, the Orioles are allowed to make him a qualifying offer and, if declined, receive a compensatory draft pick. They could get something back beyond his production for one season.

Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander were among the dozen players to decline the $21.05 million. Burnes signed with the Diamondbacks for six years and $210 million, giving the Orioles the 30^th-overall selection in the draft. They already owned the 19^th and will net another if Santander signs for north of $50 million.

The Orioles will play a game, a spring training game, for the first time on February 22^nd at home versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. How their lineup will look that day is not important. Can’t read anything into a spring training lineup, especially not the first one of spring.

But how might that lineup look on Opening Day, March 27^th at 3:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rather than wait for that big day, we could make a guess today. Doesn’t cost anything and no matter what we project, no one will get hurt. Unless it’s a player’s feelings that we leave out. But that’s rather unlikely too, so let’s proceed.

First the Blue Jays project to have five righties in their rotation possibly starting with Kevin Gausman or Jose Berrios. So we know it’s likely going to be a right-hander versus the Orioles that day and we’ll go with that.

Everyone’s lineup might be different for different reasons. Here is mine as of Jan. 13.

As the offseason rolls merrily along, except of course for the segment of the fan base that feels flattened by it, win projections and championship odds already have surfaced on the internet.

They seemed premature in December and remain so in the first week of January, but they always can be adjusted later.

The Orioles could or could not be done with their search for starting pitching and they must address the bullpen, but they’re graded now based on losing their ace starter and 44-homer bat. The dip is minimized by the additions of outfielder Tyler O’Neill and Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, along with backup catcher Gary Sánchez, at a combined $71 million.

Expectations could change again after the Orioles announced Friday evening that they signed veteran starter Charlie Morton to a $15 million deal.

The consensus seems to be that the Orioles remain a playoff team, which back in the day would have been celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm. They haven’t qualified for the postseason in three consecutive years since 1969-71, reaching the World Series each time. Perceptions of a dynasty are ruined by losses in ’69 and ’71. Perceptions of the current club are marred by back-to-back sweeps.

The year 2025 is upon us. Break out the resolutions and other promises that will be broken like a hockey player’s front teeth.

I usually avoid them but figured I’d come up with a list and invite everyone here to share their own. They can be personal and professional. They can be Orioles related. They can come back to bite you now that they’re documented.

Don’t be ashamed if the elliptical that you kept talking about before Christmas is used to dry your cotton laundry. Or if a vow to avoid having your favorite team dictate your mood is shattered 10 minutes after pitchers and catchers report. These things happen. You’re in a safe space here.

Here we go. I typed softly in case you’re hungover.

No more whining about travel.