With rebuild set, O’s begin playoff quest
After Baltimore Orioles pitchers and catchers reported to Sarasota, Florida, on Wednesday, the club had its first official workout Thursday, and spring training is in full swing.
With their rebuild considered complete, the Orioles start spring training with their eyes on a playoff berth, with much of the core group behind last year’s unexpected 83-79 finish returning. Here’s what you need to know. Who’s gone?: Most of last season’s roster is back in 2023, though Baltimore lost a handful of veterans who were credited with developing a winning mindset in the clubhouse.
Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, second baseman Rougned Odor, catcher Robinson Chirinos and first baseman Jesus Aguilar became free agents after the season, with the Orioles declining an $11 million option in Lyles’ contract and paying him a $1 million buyout.
Who’s new? The Orioles signed three major league free agents and made two significant additions via trade, while the club also added several other Opening Day candidates through minor league contracts, waiver claims and smaller swaps.
Baltimore replaced Lyles and Odor by signing another experienced starter in Kyle Gibson and another left-handed-hitting second baseman in Adam Frazier. With the players respectively receiving $10 million and $8 million on one-year deals, they have the highest salaries on the team.
The Orioles also reunited with reliever Mychal Givens, who made his debut with Baltimore in 2015 and was traded to Colorado in 2020, on a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2024.
James McCann, acquired from the New York Mets for Dominican Summer League prospect Luis De La Cruz, replaces Chirinos as young star catcher Adley Rutschman’s backup.
In a trade with Oakland, the Orioles parted with infield prospect Darell Hernaiz, their fifthround draft pick in 2019, to acquire left-handed starter Cole Irvin and minor league pitcher Kyle Virbitsky.
Rule 5 draft pick Andrew Politi is competing for a bullpen spot; he must remain in the majors all year or be offered back to the Boston Red Sox. Several players not on the 40-man roster were invited to spring training after joining the organization this offseason, with the most prominent being Nomar Mazara, Franchy Cordero, Ryan O’Hearn, Lewin Díaz, Daz Cameron and Darwinzon Hernandez.
What roster spots are up for grabs?
Assuming health, as many as 18 of the Orioles’ 26 season-opening roster spots could already be considered locked up.
Although it’s unclear whether either will be Baltimore’s Opening Day starter, Gibson and Irvin will occupy two of the Orioles’ rotation spots. With executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias saying the team plans to have a five-man rotation, that leaves three positions for a group of 10 candidates. Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Austin Voth all had long stretches of effectiveness in the Orioles’ 2022 rotation. Elias has said frequently that Grayson Rodriguez, the organization’s top pitching prospect and one of the best in baseball, will have every chance to earn a starting spot this spring, and fellow pitching prospect DL Hall could also crack the group with a strong camp.
It’s expected that some of the starting candidates who fall short of the rotation wind up in the bullpen, where Givens joins closer Félix Bautista, Dillon Tate, Cionel Pérez and Bryan Baker as the players whose performance in 2022 likely lands them on the roster. Keegan Akin and Joey Krehbiel will also compete for spots alongside Politi and the nonroster invitees.
Ryan Mountcastle is back at first base, and Frazier will be part of an infield rotation that also features top overall prospect Gunnar Henderson and two strong defenders in Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías.
Many of the Orioles’ offseason moves brought players who could potentially be left-handed complements to Mountcastle, with Díaz, O’Hearn and Cordero each having a path to the roster, while Terrin Vavra, a natural second baseman, spent the offseason training at first base.
Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander and Austin Hays are back as Baltimore’s primary outfielders, with Ryan McKenna’s role as a defensive replacement, pinch-runner and fill-in starter also set to be reprised. But the Orioles are looking for a left-handed bat here as well, with Kyle Stowers up against Cordero, Mazara and O’Hearn for the job.
Will any top prospects make the team? All of the Orioles’ top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America, will be in major league camp.
It might not be long, though, before some of the others joins them. Outfielder Colton Cowser and infielders Jordan Westburg, Joey Ortiz and Connor Norby all ended last year with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, with Westburg having more than 400 plate appearances at that level and Ortiz already on the 40-man roster.
Other well-regarded minor leaguers in camp are 2022 first overall draft pick Jackson Holliday, power-hitting infielder Coby Mayo, 2020 second overall pick Heston Kjerstad, left-hander Cade Povich and infielder César Prieto.