Monday Bird Droppings: Where starters are signing, but not with the Orioles

Hello, friends.

There are now 17 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. That’s just B.J. Surhoff days away from Opening Day, or if you prefer, and since I will be scolded if I don’t mention him, Brian Matusz days to go until Opening Day.

The spring training schedule rolls on today with the Orioles traveling to Pirates camp this afternoon. As is the standard for road spring training games, this will be on neither TV nor radio in Baltimore, but if you subscribe to the right MLB products, you can watch the Pirates TV broadcast or listen to their radio broadcast.

The Orioles played two games yesterday and they won both, which is still neat even if neither one of them counted.

More interesting from over the weekend is the fact that both Lance Lynn and Jake Arrieta signed. Obviously, neither one of them signed with the Orioles. There was never any chance of Arrieta and the O’s getting back together, especially with the final contract being three years with $75 million guaranteed and an opt-out after two years. We know how the Orioles feel about opt-outs, and how they feel about spending money on pitchers who could be good.

That leaves only Alex Cobb out there. Are the Orioles paying attention to the state of their rotation?

Around the blogO’sphere

Before ever pitching with the Orioles, Andrew Cashner invested himself in meshing with his new mates (Baltimore Sun)
Included here is the information that Cashner sought ownership assurance that he would not have to completely give up on his beard before signing with the Orioles. Unlike all of the other dysfunction in the O’s offseason this year, this apparently was not a hangup.

A few thoughts on the rotation alignment (School of Roch)
Roch says the Orioles stayed in contact on Lance Lynn, and that they “preferred” a two-year contract with a vesting option but were willing, supposedly, to go three years.

A Q&A with Dan Duquette: Discussing the 2018 Orioles, the pitching staff, and his future (Baltimore Baseball)
“It’s tough to compete without a decent, left-handed starting pitcher,” said Duquette. Asked if Nestor Cortes was that pitcher, he further replied, “Maybe, we’re gonna find out.” Reassuring!

Harvey expected to get more spring starts (Steve Melewski)
The Orioles are going to keep Hunter Harvey in the big league spring camp until close to or perhaps the very end. This doesn’t mean they’re going to do something crazy, does it?

Chris Davis provides latest update on elbow (School of Roch)
Chris Davis got a cortisone injection on Saturday, which is supposed to have him on the shelf for 72 hours. He wanted to play yesterday but they wouldn’t let him, which is probably for the best.

Mark Trumbo hoping to return soon (Orioles.com)
If Trumbo is actually out a week, as they first said, he would be back tomorrow - but there’s no need to rush in spring training, and also the Orioles don’t always do very good at hitting the initial injury recovery numbers.

Orioles outfield situation is beginning to shake out (Baltimore Sun)
Things are looking good for Colby Rasmus and Anthony Santander and not as good for everyone else.

Fangraphs Sunday Notes: Parker Bridwell on Angels transition (Fangraphs)
Included among the many tidbits in David Laurila’s usual Sunday notes column is a bit from former Orioles farmhand Parker Bridwell on his opportunity with the Angels.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 1989-90 outfielder Steve Finley, 1960 five-gamer Ray Barker, and the late Chuck Oertel of the 1958 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Studebaker co-founder Clement Studebaker (1831), musical inspiration Agathe von Trapp (1913), author/poet Jack Kerouac (1922), actress Liza Minnelli (1946), and porn legend Ron Jeremy (1953).

On this day in history...

In 1894, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Coca-Cola was bottled and sold for the first time by a local fountain soda operator named Joseph A. Biedenharn.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation for the first time as president. This also marked the first of his fireside chats.

In 1940, the Winter War came to an end with Finland signing the Moscow Peace Treaty, with Finland ceding much of the Finnish Karelia territory to the Soviets.

In 1947, President Harry Truman gave a speech to Congress in which he proclaimed the Truman Doctrine: that “it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” The immediate practical effect of this ‘domino theory” outlook on foreign policy was to give hundreds of millions of dollars of economic aid to Greece and Turkey.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 12 - or at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Monday.