Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are making some minor moves

Good morning, Birdland!

It can be difficult to predict what a team will do over an entire off-season, and the experts get it wrong an awful lot. But credit where credit is due. Pretty much every pegged the Orioles and their lack of expected movement.

The O’s have added to the major league roster. Branden Kline and Dillon Tate were placed on the 40-man roster in order to avoid being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. In said draft, the O’s selected Richie Martin and traded for Drew Jackson. They have claimed Rio Ruiz and Austin Brice off waivers. This week, the new front office has made two minor league signings, first Carlos Perez and now Gregory Infante. Things are happening. They just aren’t blockbuster moves.

While this may not be the most exciting off-season on record, it is exactly what the Orioles should be doing. Remember, the most important transactions for this franchise were the hirings of Mike Elias, Sig Mejdal and everyone else that now works in the warehouse. They all want to win, but they know that they will have to time it right. The 2019 season is not the time, and that’s OK.

Links

10 biggest trades in Orioles history - MLB.com
It’s early January. No one is making any moves. It’s time for pieces like this. It’s the same list of trades you have seen a hundred times before, but it does have the addition of the Manny Machado deal from this past July.

Orioles To Sign Gregory Infante - MLB Trade Rumors
Low risk, low reward. Why not?

Trumbo on his role and future - MASN Sports
Mark Trumbo is a realist. He doesn’t come out and say it, but he hints towards the fact that he knows this Orioles team isn’t great, and he’s unlikely to be around the city of Baltimore much longer.

A look at one way where Dylan Bundy can get back on track - MASN Sports
Is Dylan Bundy good? Was he ever good? It sure feels like he was, but man 2018 was rough on him. It’s not complicated. He needs to allow way fewer home runs. How he goes about doing that is the tricky part.

Britton’s contract reminds Orioles what they’re missing - Baltimore Baseball
No one needs to remind the Orioles what they’re missing. The team is bad. However, it’s no worse right now than it was at the end of the 2018 season. And while big-money relievers don’t grow on trees, they can be developed, and there is a chance that the O’s do have one or two in the making.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy Birthday!

There are no birthday celebrations for any former Orioles, but Maryland-born basketball player Michael Beasley turns 30, so that’s kinda cool.

1991 - Alan Wiggins, a former infielder for the Padres and Orioles, dies due to complications from AIDS. The 32-year-old had not appeared in an MLB game since the conclusion of the 1987 season.