Notes on illnesses, Rodgers and Milone before today's workout

Notes on illnesses, Rodgers and Milone before today's workout
SARASOTA, Fla. - Hunter Harvey and Mychal Givens, who didn't throw yesterday due to illness, aren't scheduled for bullpen sessions this morning at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Manager Brandon Hyde sent Harvey and Givens back home yesterday after they reported to the complex. They weren't in the clubhouse this morning during the media availability. Catcher Pedro Severino, who also has been under the weather, reappeared at his locker today without the surgical mask and appeared ready to work...

Bleier back to bullpen form in Orioles camp

Bleier back to bullpen form in Orioles camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - Richard Bleier made it through his second bullpen session yesterday morning as the sun finally managed to pierce the clouds that suggested rain might be headed to the Ed Smith Stadium complex. The heat was turned up. The kind that doesn't require a radar gun to confirm. Bleier doesn't really care about the temperature or whether the sky is blue. He's in camp on a new contract - settling at $915,000 in December to avoid arbitration - and no longer a health riddle. He's...

Harvey and Givens unable to throw due to illness (Milone update)

Harvey and Givens unable to throw due to illness (Milone update)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles aren't worried about running out of innings for their pitchers in camp. They're more liable to run low on hand sanitizer. Hunter Harvey and Mychal Givens didn't throw bullpen sessions in their respective groups this morning after reporting to camp with the same illness that's beginning to spread through the clubhouse. Manager Brandon Hyde said both relievers were "a little under the weather" and left the complex. "They came in yesterday not feeling real...

DJ Stewart making progress from ankle surgery (plus notes)

DJ Stewart making progress from ankle surgery (plus notes)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The workout held today for Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart looked simple in nature. He did some light running on the dirt cart path along one of the practice fields, increasing his speed and intensity as the minutes passed. For a player coming off ankle surgery in October and unwilling to surrender the hope of being ready for opening day, each step taken by Stewart is an important achievement. Stewart, the former first-round draft pick out of Florida State University, underwent a...

Playing a numbers game with the Orioles

Playing a numbers game with the Orioles
The Orioles are one day away from having their pitchers and catchers report to spring training, though the number of early arrivals since they moved to Sarasota makes the official date seem insignificant. Players start trickling into the facility in January. They've already been throwing. It's become more of a report date for the media. My life is broken down into thirds. I have my spring training, regular season and offseason routines - and family and friends learn to adapt. Manager Brandon...

Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?

Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?
Will reliever Travis Lakins break camp with the Orioles in late March, be optioned to the minors, be designated for assignment, clear waivers and stay in the organization or disappear? Those are the choices. How you rank them in order is entirely up to you. Lakins is on the 40-man roster after the Orioles claimed him off waivers Friday from the Cubs and designated utility player Stevie Wilkerson for assignment. He can be viewed now as bullpen depth and a pitcher with a shot at making the club...

Givens: "I bleed black and orange"

Givens: "I bleed black and orange"
As the Orioles bring in another bullpen candidate in former Red Sox prospect Travis Lakins, they keep holding onto a reliever who wears the trade chip label as if it's sewn onto his uniform jersey. Mychal Givens hears the description during the July deadline, the Winter Meetings and the ensuing weeks that lead into spring training. He offers a shrug and continues to ignore it. Givens has become a veteran in the majors and at avoiding distractions and the stress that accompanies them. "I've...

A look at how the Orioles bullpen might improve in 2020

A look at how the Orioles bullpen might improve in 2020
It is an easy area to mark for improvement in the 2020 season: the Orioles bullpen. The 'pen pitchers posted a 5.63 ERA to rank 15th in the American League last year. The year before that, their ERA ranked 14th, but it was much better at 4.78. The bullpen WHIP was almost equal going from 1.50 in 2018 to 1.51 in 2019. The OPS against went from .776 to .832. The team 'pen had a better strikeout rate last year going from 8.12 to 8.60. But the improvement moving forward could simply come from...

Orioles agree to terms with Givens, Alberto and Mancini

Orioles agree to terms with Givens, Alberto and Mancini
The Orioles have reached agreement with reliever Mychal Givens on a $3.225 million deal for the 2020 season to avoid arbitration, according to an industry source. Outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini and infielder Hanser Alberto remain unsigned as the 1 p.m. deadline approaches. Negotiations are continuing, but the Orioles are prepared to go to hearings as "file and trial." Givens, 29, led the Orioles with 11 saves and their relievers with 86 strikeouts while earning $2.15 million. He was...

Orioles reach deadline day to sign arbitration-eligible players

Orioles reach deadline day to sign arbitration-eligible players
The deadline for teams to reach agreements with their unsigned arbitration-eligible players is 1 p.m. today and the Orioles still have some unfinished business. They will be exchanging salary figures with Trey Mancini, Hanser Alberto and Mychal Givens unless they can resolve the situation. Hearing dates will be established between Feb. 3-21, with the Orioles vowing to go "file and trial" rather than continue to negotiate. I feel like I've been writing about this subject for months. (Checks...

Orioles sign Castro for 2020 season

Orioles sign Castro for 2020 season
The Orioles have whittled the number of unsigned arbitration-eligible players to three by reaching agreement today with right-hander Miguel Castro on a contract for the 2020 season. Multiple industry sources confirmed the signing. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported that Castro and the Orioles settled at $1.05 million to avoid a hearing. The deal reportedly includes awards bonuses. Castro, in his first year of eligibility, earned $569,000 last season. MLBTradeRumors.com projected that he'd...

González on rebuilds and more on arbitration

González on rebuilds and more on arbitration
New Orioles major league coach Fredi González knows rebuilds. They got acquainted while he managed the Marlins and later served as third base coach, and they were reintroduced after he guided the Braves to back-to-back playoff appearances. The front office made it clear to González that drastic changes were coming. The club got off to a 9-28 start in 2016 and he was fired as manager on May 17. An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution included the following passage: "Although it's...

Orioles still have four unsigned arbitration-eligible players

Orioles still have four unsigned arbitration-eligible players
The Orioles must reach agreement with their remaining arbitration-eligible players in exactly one week or the sides will exchange salary figures. Hearings will be scheduled between Feb. 3-21. Communication could be cut off until the date arrives. It doesn't appear that the Orioles have made any progress in signing outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini, infielder Hanser Alberto or relievers Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro. Negotiations were put on hold during the Winter Meetings in San Diego...

Approaching a new year with random thoughts on Orioles

Approaching a new year with random thoughts on Orioles
We're down to our final day in 2019 and as we await the countdown to the ball dropping in Times Square, I'll post an early resolution to avoid dusting off the old "Orioles infield" joke that should have joined Wilson Betemit in retirement. In the meantime, here are a few random thoughts: * The media rush to post sports highlights and lowlights for the decade is lost on me. We're not moving past the '80s or '90s. It's 2010-19. Are we really waxing nostalgic? Are we that desperate for...

Orioles gifts that keep giving

Orioles gifts that keep giving
The holidays are a time for giving, which is complicated since someone has to be on the receiving end to make it work. (It's a thinker) I'd like to give Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias an unlimited budget to supplement a rebuild process. Funnel cash into the international scouting and analytics departments, but also push some of it toward the best starting pitchers on the market - whether to sign as free agents or inherit fat contracts. Do you think the Astros...

Does Smith retain same status with Orioles?

Does Smith retain same status with Orioles?
How does a player who appeared in 101 games pull a disappearing act while staying on the roster? That's how it feels with Dwight Smith Jr. He's on the 40-man roster, but tends to be excluded from the outfield conversation or led late into it. Manager Brandon Hyde couldn't be pinned down on a set outfield as he handled his media obligations at the Winter Meetings. A suggestion was made that Hyde might have a better grasp of his starters now with Austin Hays flanked by Anthony Santander and...

Answering some popular Orioles questions

Answering some popular Orioles questions
Rather than take the usual deep dive into my "mailbag," I've decided to skim the surface after the Winter Meetings and address, so to speak, a smaller batch of the more popular questions. I'm skipping anything that includes the phrase "printing the playoff tickets." Also ignored will be the ones that begin with, "Why should I bother to ..." I can't make the decision for you. You'll support the team and the rebuild or you'll bail on them. You could be supportive from your recliner,...

Elias on Davis, contracts, Stewart, Mountcastle and more

Elias on Davis, contracts, Stewart, Mountcastle and more
SAN DIEGO - The Orioles are trying again with Chris Davis. Trying to find a way to get him swinging more freely and making more consistent contact. Which again has led them to agent Scott Boras and the latest plan to nudge Davis closer to the form that prompted the club to hand over a $161 million contract prior to the 2016 season. A hard shove is more like it. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed this afternoon that he spoke last week with Boras and "a member of his...

Elias on today's activity, pitching, Givens, Rutschman and more

Elias on today's activity, pitching, Givens, Rutschman and more
SAN DIEGO - Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias isn't the lone wolf of the Winter Meetings in 2019. He has a manager. He has a broader staff that can be deployed throughout the Manchester Grand Hyatt and on the minor league property. He can conduct business in a manner more befitting a major league executive, at least on a club undergoing a massive teardown and rebuild. "It's definitely a lot more focused," Elias said earlier today. "It's been pretty busy. We have...

Day One of the Winter Meetings is underway

Day One of the Winter Meetings is underway
SAN DIEGO - There's a certain rhythm to the annual Winter Meetings that is spliced with interruptions. The breaking news and hastily arranged press conferences, though the Orioles usually don't get to the podium and aren't likely to be the center of attention this week. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will meet daily with the media in the late afternoon, local time, which means filing late stories before wandering the lobby again. The usual managers luncheon has been...