Good morning, Camden Chatters.
In the wake of the Orioles missing out on Framber Valdez, and thus coming up empty on every high-profile free agent starting pitcher this offseason, fans wondered if the Birds might pivot to the trade market to acquire the hurler they need.
Well, the O’s indeed struck a trade yesterday…just, maybe, not the one fans were hoping for. Instead of a pitcher, the Orioles acquired utility infielder Blaze Alexander from the Diamondbacks, sending reliever Kade Strowd and two minor leaguers to Arizona.
Huh. Well, that happened.
Orioles fans’ reaction to the trade has generally spanned from “meh” to “why?” And I understand that. With every move Mike Elias makes that doesn’t address the starting rotation, it seems like he’s purposefully ignoring the most glaring hole on the Orioles’ roster. I don’t want to say it’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, because I wouldn’t call the Orioles’ current rotation a disaster by any means, but it’s Elias’s biggest fish to fry and he seems to be cooking up the tinier fish instead. That’s frustrating.
Still, if you think about the Alexander trade in a vacuum and not in the context of “but he’s not a pitcher,” it makes some sense. He provides the Orioles with something they didn’t already have: a backup at the middle-infield spots who can hit a little bit. He’s got positional flexibility and he posted a .780 OPS against lefties last year, which makes him a good candidate to spell Jackson Holliday against tough southpaws. As you might guess by his name, Blaze can run, rating in the 86th percentile in MLB in sprint speed.
Alexander is now the favorite to crack the Opening Day roster as the Orioles’ utility infielder, which probably eliminates any chance of Jeremiah Jackson making the team. It also truly means that Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo cannot coexist on the O’s roster, if that was ever a possibility in the first place. It feels like Elias must have another trade up his sleeve to address the Orioles’ glut of right-handed hitting first basemen.
He might also need to make a move to strengthen the bullpen. I wasn’t sold on Strowd’s chances of turning into a quality major league reliever, but he had a live arm and was a strong candidate to begin the season in the O’s bullpen. With Kade gone, that’s one more hole the O’s will need to fill, whether internally or externally. Stay tuned.
In other baseball news, the rosters for the upcoming World Baseball Classic were announced yesterday, and several Orioles are scattered across the 20 teams. As previously announced, Gunnar Henderson will be playing for Team USA, making his WBC debut. Dean Kremer will pitch for Team Israel again after doing so in the 2023 WBC, and Tyler O’Neill will suit up for his home country of Canada. Three less prominent 2025 Orioles — righty relievers Rico Garcia and Jose Espada and infielder Luis Vázquez — are on Team Puerto Rico, which had to scramble for last-minute replacements after some of their most well-known players were denied insurance for the WBC.
Several O’s prospects will participate, too, most notably Enrique Bradfield Jr., who’s included on Panama’s roster. Chesapeake Baysox righty Ryan Long will pitch for Great Britain, as he did in 2023. Naykel Cruz, a 26-year-old lefty, will play for his native Cuba. Cruz pitched for the Dominican Summer League Orioles last year, posting a 4.58 ERA in 11 games. And lefty Micah Ashman, acquired in the Charlie Morton trade last July, will join O’Neill on Team Canada.
I’m looking forward to the WBC, which I’ve always found entertaining in the lead-up to the MLB season and which was particularly thrilling in 2023. I’ll be attending a couple of WBC games in early March in Puerto Rico, which is hosting Pool A games against Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama, so we’ll get an early look at Bradfield and O’Neill, among others.
Let’s hope that all the Orioles participating in this year’s WBC have a great experience, get properly geared up for the 2026 season, and — most importantly — don’t get hurt.
Links
Analysis: By missing out on Framber Valdez, the Orioles risk sullying a productive offseason – The Baltimore Banner
Andy Kostka says it well. Mike Elias has been talking for two straight offseasons about finding an ace for the Orioles and has yet to actually do so. If the O’s crash out again because of their rotation, it’s going to be hard to excuse his inaction.
Orioles trade for Diamondbacks’ Blaze Alexander, send Kade Strowd and 2 prospects – The Baltimore Sun
Learn more about the newest Oriole as he Blazes a trail to Baltimore.
5 key topics to follow as Orioles head to camp – MLB.com
The last question on this list, regarding the Orioles’ final bench spot, seems to have been answered by the Alexander trade. But how the rotation and bullpen will shake out remains to be seen.
A deeper dive into Orioles spring training invites – School of Roch
Roch Kubatko takes a look at the Orioles’ non-roster invitees. Prospect-wise, I’m most intrigued to see Aron Estrada. Dingers-wise, I’m most intrigued to see Jhonkensy Noel.
Does Henderson want to stay with the Orioles for the long-term? | MAILBAG
I’m $ure there’$ a way he can be per$uaded to $tay.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 28th birthday to Adley Rutschman. The O’s catcher has gotten a little off track of late from what was supposed to be a perennial All-Star kind of career. Maybe this will be the year that Adley returns to his 2022-23 glory.
One former Oriole was born on this day: designated htiter Pedro Álvarez (39). And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the birthday of the greatest player in Baltimore history, even if he didn’t play for the Orioles as we know them. Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore on this date in 1895.
On this day in 2007, the O’s signed veteran righty Paul Shuey to a minor league deal. He hadn’t pitched in four years before the O’s signed him, and frankly, he shouldn’t have come back. He posted a brutal 9.82 ERA in 25 appearances for the ‘07 Orioles, and coughed up nine runs in two innings in the Birds’ infamous 30-3 loss to the Rangers.
And on this date in 2012, the Orioles traded Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies for righties Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. The trade was not well received at the time, as Guthrie had been one of the few bright spots in the Orioles’ rotation for the previous few years, but it turned out to be a steal. Hammel had a quality (if injury-shortened) 2012 season for the resurgent Orioles, and the O’s re-traded Lindstrom for postseason hero Joe Saunders. Guthrie, meanwhile, was torched for a 6.35 ERA in a half-season for the Rockies but later resurrected his career in Kansas City.
Read the full article here