Taking a few wrong turns

Taking a few wrong turns
Trying to predict moves in an unpredictable world is advised only if you're not putting down money. And I'm really talking about the baseball offseason. I get my share right. I also get some wrong. And sometimes I'm just a little surprised. I thought the Orioles would have no interest in bringing back Jonathan Villar, simply choosing to move on from a player they traded in December 2019, but they've spoken to his agent. A reunion remains a possibility. Villar obviously could play shortstop...

Remembering how the Orioles landed a shortstop in 2010

Remembering how the Orioles landed a shortstop in 2010
The Orioles aren't expected to be nearly as busy retooling the roster this week, which has been advertised as some sort of virtual Winter Meetings, as they were in 2010. Still a tough act to follow. They're in a different place, and I don't just mean home compared to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. They needed a shortstop, as they do now, and traded for J.J. Hardy after almost finalizing a deal for Jason Bartlett - one of the best decisions in franchise history. They also were linked to Cardinals...

Graffanino felt connection to Orioles via Hardy prior to trade

Graffanino felt connection to Orioles via Hardy prior to trade
Before AJ Graffanino had the opportunity to join the Orioles, before he received a phone call months earlier from a former Braves employee who prepared him for the news, he began to bond with the organization as a fifth-grader taking ground balls next to a shortstop who would beat him to it by 10 years. If this sounds a little confusing, just imagine Graffanino accompanying his father, Brewers shortstop Tony Graffanino, to the ballpark in 2007. Imagine the kid on the field for pregame drills...

Hyde on Cobb, Harvey, Hardy and more

Hyde on Cobb, Harvey, Hardy and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb is going to wait a little longer before making another start. Cobb will pitch in a simulated game Friday while the Orioles play the Yankees in Tampa. His next start is March 11 versus the Blue Jays in Dunedin. "He threw right around 50 pitches yesterday and looked great and he felt great after," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Actually threw a little bit more than we had planned for and he felt outstanding during it and after, so we're good to go." The adjustments...

Hardy's former teammates excited about his arrival in camp

Hardy's former teammates excited about his arrival in camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - José Iglesias has video stored in his phone of three at-bats in the same game that concluded in the same fashion. Three outs that remind him of J.J. Hardy's mastery at shortstop. Grounders in Hardy's vicinity that appear to be infield hits until Iglesias hears the popping sounds from the first baseman's mitt. The ball beats him to the bag by a fraction of a second. So impressive that Iglesias can't get angry about it. The opposing shortstop instead tips his cap to Hardy,...

Hardy resumes life without baseball but doesn't rule out return

Hardy resumes life without baseball but doesn't rule out return
J.J. Hardy is bound to lose cell phone reception as he drives on a stretch of Montana highway. He's headed back to his ranch, where his family has been living for almost two months. The conversation cuts out and returns, which could mimic his playing career. Though he didn't hook on with a team this season as a free agent, the former Orioles shortstop still hasn't filed retirement papers with Major League Baseball. He might give it another try this winter. Or he could continue to move toward...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
SARASOTA, Fla. - Because Alex Cobb won't be able to break camp with the Orioles, his signing this week doesn't do much to clear up the pitching picture as opening day approaches. A fifth starter is needed, same as before. It wasn't going to be José Mesa Jr., designated for assignment yesterday, and Hunter Harvey was more of a temptation than a realistic consideration. Does Cobb actually increase the chances of Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes Jr. making the club and staying with it? The Orioles...

Orioles remain in market for left-handed relief

Orioles remain in market for left-handed relief
The shopping list compiled by the Orioles every winter always includes left-handed relievers. There's a steady search for a specialist who can compete for a job in spring training. Richard Bleier gave them more than matchups this season after executive vice president Dan Duquette pulled off a Feb. 21 trade with the Yankees. He offered up a 1.99 ERA in 63 1/3 innings. Bleier would seem to be a lock to break camp with the Orioles in 2018 as a second lefty along with closer Zach Britton, but...

Orioles decline options on Hardy and Miley

Orioles decline options on Hardy and Miley
The Orioles have officially parted ways with shortstop J.J. Hardy and left-hander Wade Miley, declining to exercise their respective options for the 2018 season and allowing them to become free agents. It feels like the end of an era with Hardy, who spent the last seven years in Baltimore and won Gold Gloves from 2012-2014. He goes down as one of former executive Andy MacPhail's top acquisitions with the Orioles, and one of the most important in franchise history. MacPhail sent minor league...

Seven Orioles officially hit free agency

Seven Orioles officially hit free agency
The conclusion of the World Series last night ignited the start of free agency, beginning with 149 players hitting the market earlier this afternoon. The list, made available by the Major League Baseball Players Association, includes Orioles pitchers Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jiménez and Jeremy Hellickson, designated hitter Pedro Álvarez, outfielders Seth Smith and Craig Gentry, and utility infielder Ryan Flaherty. Three more Orioles will join the group. Catcher Welington Castillo is expected...

Orioles can sit out the qualifying offer process

Orioles can sit out the qualifying offer process
The offseason can provide various doses of drama as important dates drop off the calendar. For the Orioles, the qualifying offer process should be duller than an insurance seminar. Teams must decide whether to extend the offer to its free agents within five days after the World Series. The Orioles should have 11 players on the market and none of them are expected to receive it. Only five players in the past five seasons have accepted the offer, including former Orioles catcher Matt Wieters in...

Orioles facing roster decision with Wilkerson (update)

Orioles facing roster decision with Wilkerson (update)
The Arizona Fall League attracts scouts and officials like moths to flames, and no one wants to get burned. Don't miss out on a prospect who may become available. Don't let one of your own slip away. The Orioles must decide whether to protect infielder Steve Wilkerson before the Rule 5 draft that closes out the Winter Meetings in Orlando. Assigning him to the Salt River Rafters in the AFL can provide a clearer read on his abilities, though it also gives representatives from other teams the...

Talking about Tillman

Talking about Tillman
If I decide to rank the frequency of certain questions directed at me, especially in radio interviews, anything pertaining to Chris Tillman is bound to be near the top of the list. What happened to Tillman? What was wrong with Tillman? I can offer theories and repeat how Tillman kept insisting that the condition of his right shoulder wasn't an issue. He was fine physically. It seemed to be more mechanical. If it happened to be something simple, Tillman probably would have been able to correct...

Taking the rotation for another spin

Taking the rotation for another spin
While waiting to find out which playoff games are airing on Animal Planet and Cartoon Network ... We can spend the bulk of the winter talking about the Orioles rotation and how they can find upgrades without breaking the bank or trading away every prospect in the farm system. Spoiler alert: There are no easy answers. They really could use a proven ace who doesn't come with disclaimers such as, "Needs to take the next step." But can anyone reasonably expect them to get into a bidding war for...

Talking about defense, RISP, averages vs. lefties and more

Talking about defense, RISP, averages vs. lefties and more
Manager Buck Showalter has expressed concern over the Orioles' defensive decline and it will be addressed in the offseason and spring training. I'm not sure how the roster can be adjusted with so many positions appearing to be set. Adam Jones has graded poorly in center field if you peruse the defensive metrics - his ultimate zone rating (UZR) the past two seasons is -10.1 and -13.3 - but I haven't been given any indication that he could move to a corner spot. Not yet, anyway. Trey Mancini...

Duquette on "stand-up guys" Hardy and Tillman

Duquette on "stand-up guys" Hardy and Tillman
As Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with the beat crew Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field, a variety of questions fielded inside the Rays public relations office in the back of the press box, he broke away from a particular topic to pay tribute to two pending free agents. Two players who have been instrumental in the franchise's climb from 14 consecutive losing seasons to three playoff appearances in six years. Shortstop J.J. Hardy knows that the Orioles aren't picking up...

Davis wants entire coaching staff to return in 2018

Davis wants entire coaching staff to return in 2018
Coaching vacancies in baseball are opening up at a rapid pace, with a handful of teams already making changes before their seasons are cold. According to various reports, the Cardinals need a pitching coach, the Royals need a pitching coach and bench coach, the Phillies need a manager who's likely to make wholesale changes to the staff, the Mets need a manager and pitching coach with more changes perhaps forthcoming, and the Mariners rearranged their staff like furniture. And that's just off...

Clearing payroll for pitching and more on Bancells' retirement

Clearing payroll for pitching and more on Bancells' retirement
The Orioles will head into the offseason with seven confirmed free agents, two players with 2018 team options in their contracts that likely will be turned into buyouts and a catcher who holds a player option. There's a significant amount of payroll that can be shed while the Orioles attempt to reload, as executive vice president Dan Duqeutte termed it before the final game. "We're going to have to go out and find some pitching," he said. "We do have a number of players that have played...

The season officially ends today

The season officially ends today
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - We're reached Game No. 162 in a season that offered such promise in May and a glimmer of hope in August, but otherwise disappointed to the highest degree. It could result in the lowest finish. No playoffs in another odd year. A losing record for the first time since 2011. A clear winter agenda for anyone who bothered to pay the slightest bit of attention. Executive vice president Dan Duquette will list the rotation as the main priority. It also should be the second and...

Orioles avoid shutout but lose again, 4-3 (with quotes)

Orioles avoid shutout but lose again, 4-3 (with quotes)
ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - The Orioles weren't going to get a deep start tonight from Miguel Castro. They knew it was going to be a bullpen game. The only question was how long it would take for the phone to ring. Castro escaped jams in back-to-back innings before Brad Miller broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a three-run homer, and the Orioles lost again 4-3 before an announced crowd of 15,416 at Tropicana Field. The Orioles have dropped 18 of their last 22 games and are 75-86 overall and...