Because You Asked - The Rise of Gru

Because You Asked - The Rise of Gru
The start of the 2022 season reportedly will be delayed, with games lost, unless Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association settle on a new collective bargaining agreement by Monday. An MLB deadline that the union says doesn't really exist. I haven't been locked out of my mailbag. Can't do it. You can negotiate with me, but I'm getting the last word. You get the first by sending along questions. Thanks for your interest and humor. The sequels keep flowing since the original more...

Reviewing the latest news from the Orioles

Reviewing the latest news from the Orioles
Who needs major league roster moves when a team can stir up its fan base with adjustments to the ballpark's dimensions and an historic day of international signings? Reaction to the former has been mixed on social media. It's much harder to argue an organization's willingness to spend proficiently in the foreign market after years of resistance. And honestly, the latter is much more important. The Orioles made a big splash by doing a cannonball into the international pool. They spent the...

O's 2022 rotation candidate: Keegan Akin

O's 2022 rotation candidate: Keegan Akin
In a season where his ERA ballooned to over 8.00 and ended up at 6.63, the strides lefty Keegan Akin made late last season might fly under the radar, but also should give him reason to be encouraged about his 2022 Orioles rotation chances. Akin didn't make the 2021 opening day roster after a rough spring, but he was pitching for the Orioles by May 12. And because the minor league season didn't start until May, he wound up throwing 97 innings last year - 95 for Baltimore and just two for...

Because You Asked - A New Legacy

Because You Asked - A New Legacy
A week has passed since I stuck my head inside my mailbag. And I've been told many times to get my head out of my mailbag. Or something similar. You ask, I answer, you ask again and I'm either accommodating or a jerk. It's fun for the whole family. Your questions and my responses are unedited. We run with scissors here. We pet stray dogs. We go to 24-hour diners and order fish at 2 a.m. We live on the edge. Also, my mailbag takes the last chocolate chip cookie on the tray and leaves your...

The more you know about Orioles pitchers

The more you know about Orioles pitchers
The proverb that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" warns that even a small amount of it might lure people into believing they're an expert on a particular subject, which can lead to mistakes. So true. But we won't let that deter us this morning. The more you know about Orioles pitchers in 2021: * All nine of Keegan Akin's appearances at home came against a different opponent - the Yankees, Rays, Indians, Astros, White Sox, Tigers, Braves, Angels and Blue Jays. I mean, what are the...

Rewinding an Orioles roster review

Rewinding an Orioles roster review
Among the inconveniences of baseball's lockout is the delay in attacking roster deficiencies with major league free agent signings. Get ready for the frenzy of activity after a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, with teams racing through the green light at speeds that could leave many competitors in the dust. The Orioles tossed a starting pitcher and second baseman in their cart before the market closed. Jordan Lyles isn't listed on the 40-man roster, which holds at 38, because...

Rough road trying to guess Orioles roster in December

Rough road trying to guess Orioles roster in December
Among my yearly winter endeavors, and I'm not referencing the non-baseball stuff like ingesting too much pre-workout powder and listening to my heart perform the drum solo in "Moby Dick," is offering Orioles roster suggestions to a national publication. In December. Accuracy is optional. An extremely difficult task is much more challenging in 2021 with baseball's lockout, which denies teams permission to tamper with their 40-man rosters. Holes in lineups, rotations, bullpens and benches...

Is there a starter ready to lower Lyles from No. 2 in rotation?

Is there a starter ready to lower Lyles from No. 2 in rotation?
My question in Saturday's spring training storyline post about the starters who follow John Means and Jordan Lyles in the rotation was met with some online resistance. As in, why is Lyles the No. 2 starter with a career 54-79 record, 5.21 ERA and 1.435 WHIP in 11 seasons? I can offer seven million reasons - his guaranteed salary for 2022. Also, there isn't a proven top of the rotation starter that I'm ignoring. Or one of the prospects who was so overwhelmingly good this summer that he's...

Anticipating some Orioles camp competitions

Anticipating some Orioles camp competitions
Is it too early to start plucking favorite storylines from the spring training tree? I'll reach for some of the low-hanging ideas that may come to fruition. (Let's pause here and fully appreciate that last sentence.) This is a topic worth revisiting in a month or two. Perhaps after the locks are removed from the free agent market. In the meantime, here are four: Who's in the rotation behind John Means and Jordan Lyles? This feels like a mailbag question. Tracking the competition is a yearly...

More from the mailbag

More from the mailbag
Another week has passed since my last shallow dive into my mailbag. And if anyone is well-versed in being shallow, it's this guy. As usual, you're getting the raw and untampered version. The only editing is done if I catch the wrong punctuation in a sentence or change my mind about using profanity. Also, my mailbag strips down to its underwear, slaps on a coat of oil and wins every posedown. Are players chosen in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft required to stay on the team the entire...

Veteran pitchers could provide more development time for younger ones

Veteran pitchers could provide more development time for younger ones
When it was reported this week that the Orioles reached an agreement with right-handed starting pitcher Jordan Lyles for the 2022 season, the news was met with mixed reviews from the O's fan base. Some were pleased at least that the team invested a one-year deal for $7 million on a player, signing someone to a big league deal and for more than a player could earn on a minor league deal. Others noted that Lyles' ERA was only 5.15 last year and he led the majors by allowing 38 homers. But it...

Trying to answer a few more Orioles questions

Trying to answer a few more Orioles questions
My mailbag initiated negotiations with me this weekend and we reached an agreement that I'd respond to a few more questions rather than wait until it's overflowing. I need to find something else to do in my spare time. There's no editing for clarity, length, brevity, style or Harry Styles. We roll like the tide. Also, my small mailbag knocks down your giant mailbag with a slingshot. Why Jordan Lyles? I got this one a lot and tried to bounce some theories off you. I should have aimed a little...

Another look at Lyles, plus other notes

Another look at Lyles, plus other notes
The lockout that occurred seconds after the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement could produce the largest gap between an Orioles free agent agreement and actual signing in franchise history. Pitcher Jordan Lyles accepted the terms of his one-year, $7 million deal, which also contained an $11 million club option for 2023 and $1 million buyout. But the ink hasn't dried on the contract because a pen never touched paper. The transaction is pending a physical that can't be done until...

Taking a last look at possible protections in Rule 5 draft

Taking a last look at possible protections in Rule 5 draft
The Orioles' 40-man roster is holding at 32 players and must be set by Friday, before a Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings that remains in limbo, as well as Orlando, with the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will complete the task of protecting players, which follows the many transactions that cleared room for them. There will be the obvious calls and probably at least one that seems possible but falls a little short of a...

Orioles promote Fuller and hire Borgschulte as hitting coaches

Orioles promote Fuller and hire Borgschulte as hitting coaches
The Orioles made two hires this afternoon to fill out their coaching staff in 2022. Ryan Fuller has been promoted from Double-A and joins Matt Borgschulte, summoned from the Twins organization, to serve as co-hitting coaches. Fuller was the Baysox's hitting coach and full-season hitting coordinator. Borgschulte worked as hitting coach with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. The duo replaces Don Long, who was informed after the season that he wouldn't return. As reported earlier this month,...

Can Stewart solidify his spot on 40-man roster?

Can Stewart solidify his spot on 40-man roster?
Earlier this week, I wrote about outfielder Yusniel Diaz and the importance of staying healthy in 2022 and putting up the kind of numbers that finally get him to the majors - and at least keep him on the 40-man roster. Then there's DJ Stewart, also an outfielder who brought big-time expectations into the organization. Diaz after being the central figure in the Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers. Stewart after being the 25th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Florida State...

Learning more about Mountcastle, Mullins' chances at awards

Learning more about Mountcastle, Mullins' chances at awards
The finalists for 2021 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards will be announced tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. When Ryan Mountcastle finds out whether he's in the top three in voting for Rookie of the Year in the American League. Mountcastle was chosen Rookie of the Year by his peers in the Major League Baseball Players Association's Players Choice Awards, finishing ahead of the Rays' Randy Arozarena and the Rangers' Adolis García. They could be finalists for the BBWAA...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The Orioles began their offseason with eight players eligible for arbitration, but the class has been whittled to six. Infielder Pat Valaika and catcher Pedro Severino passed through waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk, setting up their plunges into free agency. MLBTradeRumors.com projected that Valaika would earn $1.3 million next season and Severino $3.1 million. For a team needing to clear substantial space on the 40-man roster, these were easy calls to make. Left among the...

Orioles lose Hunter Harvey on waiver claim (updated)

Orioles lose Hunter Harvey on waiver claim (updated)
The Orioles made another roster move this afternoon and it eliminated a former first-round draft pick whose attempts at becoming a high-leverage reliever in the back end of the bullpen will continue in another organization. Multiple sources confirmed that the Giants claimed Hunter Harvey off waivers. He was on the 60-day injured list, which didn't count against a 40-man roster that holds at 30, but the Orioles were approaching the date to reinstate him. Harvey was the 22nd overall pick in the...

Orioles outright Severino, Greene and Diplán

Orioles outright Severino, Greene and Diplán
The Orioles did some heavy work today on their 40-man roster, including outrighting catcher Pedro Severino to Triple-A Norfolk. Severino and relievers Conner Greene and Marcos Diplán cleared waivers and were outrighted. They can become free agents after going through a procedural process that might take a couple of days. Left-hander Fernando Abad entered free agency this afternoon and the Pirates claimed reliever Eric Hanhold off waivers. The moves have left the Orioles with 30 players on...