Sunday Bird Droppings: Waiting for an Orioles free agent move to happen

Nov 20, 2022 - 1:00 PM

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Hello, friends.

There are four months and ten days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2023. You’ll be waiting another week beyond that to get the first game at Camden Yards - for which tickets are surprisingly going on sale on December 8.

Last week proved to be an eventful one in Birdland, even if there weren’t any surprises to be had. They added all of the players to the 40-man roster who you might have reasonably guessed would be added. They tendered contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players, exactly as expected. None of this has changed the composition of the roster picture for 2023, only confirmed who’s in the mix if nothing else changes.

In contrast to this time a year ago, it does feel like something significant will be added to the team from outside the current internal options. When no one expects anything from you, you can spend an offseason signing Jordan Lyles, Rougned Odor, and Robinson Chirinos. That’s not going to cut it for the Orioles this winter, when they’ve come off of winning 83 games and need some more improvement to get to a higher level.

We’ll find out eventually what that means for the team. As much as it’s been fun to dream over the last week about the Orioles maybe signing Justin Verlander or Jacob deGrom, I think it’s safe to figure that’s not happening. How high they aim outside of that top tier is going to be an interesting question.

This question will probably not be answered this week. Think about how little work might be done at your own job over the next few days, as almost everybody’s just kind of lining up on the runway for Thanksgiving. That’s probably how it is for GMs and agents too... which isn’t to say there’s no way anything happens. It’s just unlikely. We might even be waiting another two weeks until the winter meetings roll around to really see things shake loose.

In the meantime, whatever it is you want addressed on the roster this offseason, you can keep on dreaming that will happen with the player you most want to be an Oriole joining the team. Maybe that’s a signing, maybe that’s a trade. Maybe it’s at least one of each. Just about anything’s possible until something else happens that rules it out. Today is probably not going to be the day. Perhaps you can enjoy the start of the World Cup instead.

Around the blogO’sphere

After 40-man add, Drew Rom is searching for additional velocity (Steve Melewski)
Among the small changes Rom is looking to make is a tweak to his lineup to get more power out of his lower half. It’ll be interesting to see if that clicks.

As Joey Ortiz joins 40-man roster, he aims to dispel ‘glove-only’ label (The Baltimore Sun)
Another reminder that being added to the 40-man roster is not the end of the journey, just another step towards these players becoming the best that they can be.

Reasons for the Orioles to keep Anthony Santander in Baltimore in 2023 (Orioles.com)
“He could help fill the need for a 1B/DH type” is an argument that makes me more interested in trading Santander rather than keeping him, despite its being listed as a reason to keep him.

Taking another look at Orioles offseason interests (School of Roch)
The specific interest in lefty batters at any or all of a corner outfield spot, first base, and designated hitter is one of the recurring, if nonspecific, rumors about the Orioles here.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2017 three-gamer David Washington, 2011 pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes, 1963-65 pitcher Herm Starrette, and 1955 infielder Don Leppert. Leppert passed away just last year at the age of 90.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Hamilton father-in-law Philip Schuyler (1733), insulin co-discoverer James Collip (1892), mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot (1924), novelist Don DeLillo (1936), 46th president Joe Biden (1942), guitarist Duane Allman (1946), actress Ming-Na Wen (1963), Maryland-born gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes (1976), and rapper Future (1983).

On this day in history...

In 1820, a sperm whale believed to weigh 80 tons attacked and sank the Essex, a whaling ship based out of Nantucket far away from its home - it was nearly 2,000 miles off the west coast of South America. The crew of 20 split into three groups and eventually eight survived to be rescued, five of whom resorted to cannibalism along the way. The incident is recognized as partly inspiring the 1851 novel Moby-Dick.

In 1943, United States Marines landed on the atoll of Tarawa. This battle was the first time in the Pacific theater that an American amphibious landing was contested by the Japanese. The fighting was over in 76 hours from the landing, but it was a brutal battle, with over 1,000 Marines killed as the Japanese soldiers who were outnumbered more than 8-to-1 fought nearly to the last man.

In 1962, the American naval blockade of Cuba was lifted, ending the final lingering direct tension from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1985, the first version of Microsoft Windows was released to the public.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 20. Have a safe Sunday.