Five days after the end of the World Series, which began last night, teams can sign free agents. It could be an active winter for the Orioles, who have two key free agents of their own hitting the market.

They are right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes and right fielder Anthony Santander. Both are almost certain to get qualifying offers from the Orioles, which would net the team a draft pick if they leave and sign elsewhere.

The consensus opinions seem to be that Burnes is almost certain to leave while the O’s may have at least an outside shot at retaining Santander.

But if that were to come at the price from one prediction this week, I can’t see that happening.

Former big league general manager Jim Bowden predicted who top 45 free agents will be, where they end up and at what price in The Athletic this week (subscription may be required).

It feels a bit like ancient history at this point, but it’s worth remembering the Nationals were consistently one of baseball’s highest-spending clubs for nearly a decade. For nine consecutive seasons from 2013-21, their year-end payroll ranked among the top 10 in the majors, peaking in 2019 at more than $205 million (fourth-highest in the sport).

That all changed in July 2021 when the franchise tore down its aging roster and embarked on a rebuild that continues to this day. The Nats ranked 18th in year-end payroll in 2022, 22nd in 2023 and 24th this season, according to figures calculated by Spotrac.

The organization’s approach to the last three offseasons was clear: The major league roster would be filled with short-term solutions while everyone waited for a revamped farm system to start producing the next wave of big leaguers. The Nationals spent a total of $22.25 million on major league free agents prior to the 2022 season, another $22.25 million entering 2023 and only $9.25 million entering this season. Only one player signed a guaranteed multi-year contract: Trevor Williams (two years, $13 million).

While frustrating to many, and subject to plenty of criticism, the approach was grounded in some actual baseball logic: It made little sense to spend big money on free agents until enough prospects made it to the big leagues and the team was ready to actually “go for it” again.

That logic was justified each of the last three winters. It’s not justified this time around.

One of the least eventful winters in Nationals history concludes today, spring officially commencing Wednesday when pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach, Fla., for their first workout of 2024.

This offseason saw precious little action from the Nats. They added only four players on major-league contracts, signing Joey Gallo, Nick Senzel and Dylan Floro for a combined $9.25 million and adding Nasim Nuñez (who has never played above Double-A) via the Rule 5 Draft. They didn’t make a single trade.

Even by recent Nationals standards, this was a dead winter.

But does that mean they’re done adding players? There were reasons all along to believe they might not be done. And then they did do something Monday evening, albeit on a minor-league deal.

Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez were pretty clear about their wish list back when the offseason began. Both specifically mentioned an experienced starting pitcher. Both specifically mentioned more power for their lineup.

The Nationals could open spring training today with the pitching staff they already have in place and be content with that. Not thrilled, mind you, but content.

They have five returning starters, several intriguing fallback options and a top prospect on track to return from Tommy John surgery in June. They have four fairly established back-end relievers, plus a number of other arms good enough to fill out the rest of an Opening Day bullpen.

It wouldn’t be the best pitching staff in baseball, not by a longshot. But it would be a full staff of 13 major-league pitchers, with no obvious outliers taking up roster spots who clearly didn’t deserve to be there.

Thing is, spring training doesn’t start today. There are still two weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach. And with a host of free agents still unsigned, there’s still time for the Nats to add to their pitching staff if they so desire.

The real question, then, is: Do they desire to add to their pitching staff? And if so, how much are they willing to spend to do it?

If you missed the news Tuesday, the Nationals actually acquired a major leaguer.

Yes, for the first time in 42 days, they made a move involving the 40-man roster. (OK, actually the move isn’t official yet and may not be for another few days, so the streak technically continues.)

Joey Gallo is going to be a National, the 30-year-old slugger having agreed to terms on a one-year deal that guarantees $5 million, plus the potential for another $1 million earned in incentives, sources familiar with the negotiation confirmed. He’ll need to pass a physical, and the team will need to clear a 40-man spot for him, but then it’ll all be official, and our long winter nightmare will be over.

The Nats hadn’t made a major-league transaction since Dec. 12, when they officially announced the signings of Nick Senzel and Dylan Floro. Suffice it to say, it has been a while.

If you were hoping for a deal to get excited about, this probably wasn’t it. There were bigger names available on the free agent market, many of them coming with a much higher price tag. But don’t blow off the Gallo signing altogether. There is some logic behind it.

It’s been 29 days since the Nationals last made a major-league transaction. Way back on Dec. 12, they announced the signings of Nick Senzel and Dylan Floro, plus the designating of Jeter Downs for assignment. Since then? Crickets.

This should be cause for alarm. A full month with zero transactions? And it’s not like the roster is already set. This team still lacks a left-handed bat to play either left field, first base or designated hitter, and could probably use players to fill two of those positions. Another starting pitcher remains on the wish list, as well.

So there’s no argument out there that can make the case the Nats are better off having done nothing for 29 days.

The only saving grace? They’re not alone.

It’s been an incredibly slow offseason across the baseball world, aside perhaps from the Dodgers and Braves, who seem to make major news every week. Most everyone else has made only a few moves, electing instead to wait this out and theoretically swoop in at some point to start signing free agents.

When the calendar shifted from 2022 to 2023 one year ago, the Nationals had already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Jeimer Candelario) and a No. 5 starter (Trevor Williams). They still needed a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter), and they proceeded to address both of those needs within the first 10 days of January, first signing Dominic Smith to play first base and then signing Corey Dickerson to play left field.

As the calendar now shifts from 2023 to 2024, the Nationals have already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Nick Senzel) and a veteran late-inning reliever (Dylan Floro). They still need a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter). And maybe a No. 5 starter.

Anybody ever experienced déjà vu?

Yeah, there’s a very familiar pattern playing out here this winter. Only Mike Rizzo knows whether that’s legitimately by design or pure coincidence. But the similarities are impossible to ignore.

The Nats do have more promising pieces already in place than they did a year ago, feeling more secure about their catcher, their shortstop, their right fielder, two (or maybe three) of their starting pitchers and multiple relievers. And they know the most promising pieces are close to joining the party sometime before the year is up.

It’s Christmas Eve in Washington and we are fewer than 100 days from Opening Day 2024. This offseason is progressing rapidly.

Before we check to see what Santa Claus left under our trees tomorrow morning and ring in the new year next week, let’s look at what remains on the Nationals’ offseason wish list, in hopes that some could be crossed off soon.

As expected, the Nationals have been relatively quiet this offseason, limiting spending and not dealing away prospects in hopes the budding stars can make an impact at the major league level next year and put the team in position to be spenders next offseason.

But they have made a couple of moves to fill some roster holes.

Before officially departing the Winter Meetings in Nashville, the Nats agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal, plus incentives, with former Reds utility man Nick Senzel to be their everyday third baseman.

Baseball can experience an unofficial shutdown during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. However, there are some notable exceptions.

The Cubs traded starter Yu Darvish to the Padres on Dec. 28, 2020 for a package that included former Orioles minor league pitcher Zach Davies. A day earlier, the Rays traded starter Blake Snell to the Padres, the National League's Cy Young Award winner this year.

Going back to Dec. 28, 1994, the Astros and Padres consummated a 12-player trade involving Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley and Derek Bell.

Rickey Henderson signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Padres on Dec. 29, 1995.

Keep an eye on San Diego. They don't give a fig about the calendar.

Money remains a determining factor in free agency, with the most lucrative offers usually winning out. The game’s evolution still has its limits. Some things stay the same.

However, the Orioles are finding that they’re a more attractive destination after emerging from the rebuild.

The perception of the organization has shifted, and more dramatically than the left field wall.

It won’t make Shohei Ohtani regret the $700 million he’s getting from the Dodgers, but the selling points are beginning to multiply.

“It’s been really refreshing and it’s such an easy conversation for Brandon Hyde and I to explain why this is a good place to come play,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said at the Winter Meetings.

A week’s vacation for your trusty beat writer usually guarantees something for the Nationals: News.

Countless times over the years have I gone off the grid only to find out the Nats made some kind of major transaction in my absence. So, count me genuinely shocked when I got back to town after an extended Thanksgiving break with nary a peep coming out of South Capitol Street. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad Bobby Blanco’s holiday weekend wasn’t ruined by breaking news. But I fully expected to come back with reason to share my thoughts on multiple items of interest.

Instead … well, there really isn’t anything new on the Nationals to discuss. The Winter Meetings begin Sunday in Nashville, so there will be actual news soon enough. But not yet.

Perhaps the most interesting development of the last week from the Nats’ perspective was the flurry of moves made by other clubs. Especially when it came to free agent starting pitchers.

There have already been a number of moves in that oh-so-important department, and you better believe the Nationals were paying attention and calculating how it might impact their own pursuit of pitching help this winter.

It has been rather quiet thus far in baseball free agency. Unless you are the St. Louis Cardinals, who have added three of the five starting pitchers signed to this point.

If you are just looking for a juicy rumor involving the Orioles, you may have a long wait. The team seems to work hard at keeping its business close to the vest and Mike Elias has often said essentially it is of no benefit to the team to put such information out there.

While rumors of signings and trades can be good for the game overall to keep fans talking about the sport 12 months a year, some already do that even without any good rumors.

But most teams don’t seem to want to generate rumors about which players they are talking to and pursuing. It could get their fanbase excited for a brief time, but signings, not rumors, truly excite fans.

Here are the few signings that have taken place thus far on free agent starting pitchers.

If the month of November seems slow or stalled for Orioles business, consider that the only player acquisition a year ago was outfielder Daz Cameron on a minor league contract. The rest of it centered on outrighting a few players and protecting others in the Rule 5 draft.

The Orioles were much more active in November 2021 with waiver claims of relievers Bryan Baker and Cionel Pérez and shortstop Lucius Fox and the signings of second baseman Rougned Odor and pitchers Spenser Watkins, Rico Garcia, Marcos Diplán and Denyi Reyes. The Nationals claimed Fox 11 days later.

Pitcher Tommy Milone was traded to the Braves in November 2020 for minor league infielders Greg Cullen and AJ Graffanino, and first baseman Chris Snow was claimed from the Giants. Outfielder Mason Williams and shortstop Malquin Canelo signed minor league deals in November 2019.

So, it’s usually a non-impactful month under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

Meanwhile, free-agent starters began flying off the board, at a senior citizen discount.

The Orioles were expected to find a new Opening Day starter in 2024, whether from outside the organization or by choosing one of their returnees.

Now, they’re assured of doing it.

Kyle Gibson reached agreement today on a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals that includes an option for 2025, per a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, with multiple outlets confirming.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that Gibson will receive $12 million next season.

It’s an ideal landing spot for Gibson, who lives in the St. Louis area and attended the University of Missouri. He follows the Cardinals’ agreement yesterday with veteran Lance Lynn to a one-year deal plus an option for a guaranteed $11 million.

While we wait for something to happen in baseball free agency (it's been pretty quiet thus far), today I take a quick look back at some recent stories written and discussed here.

If the Orioles, as stated, seek a pitcher they can place in the top half of their rotation, they could do worse than free agent right-hander Sonny Gray.

A recent New York post article projected he could get a three-year deal worth $65 million. 

Gray is coming off a fantastic year with the Twins, during which he went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.147 WHIP in 184 innings over 32 starts. He ranked second in the American League and third in the majors in ERA, and was fourth in the AL in average against (.226), third in OPS (.607 behind Kyle Bradish at .605) and fifth in groundball rate.

Gray just turned 34, a number that worries some when thinking about signing him to a multi-year deal. 

Barring the stunner of all stunners, his free agency won’t impact the Orioles in any way. And he won’t even likely be linked to the club in any way. We’re talking about the $500 million man, Shohei Ohtani.

Even after a Tommy John surgery, his first procedure in the fall of 2018, he is about to get the biggest free agent contract in baseball history. If he doesn’t, that would be another stunner.

Ohtani should be able to pitch again, but that would be for the 2025 season. Whichever big dollar team signs him is getting someone that won’t be a two-way player next year.

If he returns to his top form on the mound later, a team could be getting a player that is the equivalent of signing both one of the best hitters and pitchers in the game.

During his major league career – his first year with the Angels was 2018 when he was voted American League Rookie of the Year – Ohtani ranks seventh in the majors in OPS+ and eighth in ERA+. An All-Star easily on the mound and at bat. The player he most compares to in history is Babe Ruth, who pitched just a few games after his age 24 season. Ohtani turned 29 in July.

The Nationals, like pretty much every other team in the major leagues, could use some pitching help entering next season. They would love to add an experienced starter to a rotation that, while improved from a year ago, still was lacking in many ways.

Saying you’re interested in adding a veteran starter, however, is very different from actually adding a veteran starter. And the term “veteran starter” can mean a whole lot of different things.

Are we talking about a top-of-the-rotation guy, someone who could lead this staff for years to come? Are we talking about a middle-of-the-rotation guy, a solid-but-unspectacular pitcher who takes the ball every fifth day and usually gives you a chance to win? Are we talking about a back-of-the-rotation guy, a stopgap solution who may not even make it through the entire season?

We don’t know specifically yet what the Nationals have in mind. But if we look back at Mike Rizzo’s track record, we can probably get an idea about the type of pitcher he usually pursues. And the type of pitcher he usually ignores.

Since becoming general manager in 2009, Rizzo has signed nine starting pitchers as major league free agents: Jason Marquis and Chien-Ming Wang in 2010, Edwin Jackson in 2012, Dan Haren in 2013, Max Scherzer in 2015, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez in 2019, Jon Lester in 2021 and Trevor Williams in 2023.

The task of constructing a 26-man roster for 2024, and it’s never too early to begin the process through staff meetings, is easier in some ways for Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

The backup catcher already is in place with another season left on the four-year deal that James McCann signed with the Mets. The Orioles usually hold a camp competition that involves players on one-year contracts and minor league deals, or with salaries set via the arbitration process. But next spring’s drama will be reduced to determining who’s the next man up in case of injury.

Anthony Bemboom headed north with the team again after McCann went on the IL with a left oblique strain.

The outfield already is crowded and Elias could be dissuaded from pursuing a veteran. He’s got to figure out how to potentially fit Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad. Not to block them.

The infield also is deep, and Jackson Holliday has a chance to make the Opening Day roster. Second baseman Connor Norby put up big numbers in Triple-A. Third baseman Coby Mayo mashed in Double-A and Triple-A, hitting a combined .290/.410/.564 with 45 doubles, three triples, 29 home runs and 99 RBIs in 140 games, and earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Eastern League.

The Nationals added another experienced reliever this afternoon to what already looked like a deep bullpen, signing veteran right-hander Alex Colomé to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp.

Colomé, 34, isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster and will have to prove himself during spring training. But his lengthy track record as a late-inning reliever should give him a leg up over others trying to break camp with the club.

The Nationals have long been intrigued by Colomé, his name having come up several times in the past when they were searching for late-inning help at the trade deadline. Only now, on the heels of back-to-back rough seasons with the Twins and Rockies, is he finally joining the club.

Owner of 159 career saves, Colomé was an All-Star with a 1.91 ERA in 2016 and closed out 47 games for the Rays in 2017, leading the league.

Traded the following year to the Mariners – along with former Nationals center fielder Denard Span – he continued to enjoy success in Seattle and then in Chicago with the White Sox. At the end of the 2020 season, he sported a 2.95 ERA and 1.177 WHIP across 326 big league appearances.

The Nationals are finalizing a one-year deal with veteran Corey Dickerson, a source familiar with the negotiations confirmed, addressing another pressing need in left field.

The deal with Dickerson, which includes a $2.25 million salary plus incentives, is contingent upon the 33-year-old passing a physical, the source said.

Once it’s finalized, the Nationals will have some more clarity about the makeup of a 2023 lineup that will look quite different from the one they fielded last season. If Dickerson is the primary left fielder, Joey Meneses would likely serve as the primary designated hitter, with the newly signed Dominic Smith at first base. Jeimer Candelario, another new addition this winter, is expected to start at third base.

Even if Dickerson is the Nats’ primary left fielder, he probably won’t play every day, given his longstanding struggles against left-handed pitching. Over his career, the lefty-hitting outfielder owns a .287/.331/.505 offensive slash line against right-handers, compared to .259/.299/.394 against left-handers. The disparity was even greater last season in St. Louis, where Dickerson took only 28 plate appearances vs. lefties and went 2-for-26.

An All-Star with the Rays in 2017 and a Gold Glove Award winner with the Pirates in 2018, Dickerson averaged 30 doubles and 18 homers during his first six full years in the majors. He’s been less productive the last three years, though he still maintained a league-average 100 OPS-plus in 2022 with the Cardinals, batting .267/.300/.399 with 17 doubles and six homers in 297 plate appearances.