Wednesday Bird Droppings: MLB lockout day is upon us

Good morning, Birdland!

The Orioles had themselves a busy day on Tuesday, the non-tender deadline. Let’s recap:

1. Right-handed pitcher Brooks Kriske was released.
2. Lucius Fox was waived and then claimed by the Nationals.
3. Anthony Santander ($3.15 million), Jorge Lopez ($1.5 million), and Paul Fry ($850k) agreed to deals for 2022.
4. John Means, Trey Mancini, and Tanner Scott were tendered contracts for 2022.
5. Rougned Odor signed a one-year, major league deal with the Orioles.
6. Richie Martin was outrighted off of the 40-man roster to Triple-A Norfolk.

Nothing earth-shattering happened, but it was all reasonable. It feels like the right move to offer each of the arbitration-eligible players a contract for 2022. The addition of Odor is pretty boring, but the team needs infielders, and he is better than a few players currently on the roster. Outrighting Martin is a bummer for him. He has battled lots of injury issues the last two years and struggled to compete at the plate. Hopefully he impresses in the spring.

That flurry could represent the last bit of business for the Orioles over the next couple of months. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at midnight, at which point we will officially enter a lockout. No player movement involving union members can happen. It is unclear when a resolution to the lockout is expected. Both sides have seemed optimistic that no portion of the 2022 season will be missed, but I will believe that when I see it.

Links

What would a lockout mean for MLB? Here’s what happens next if baseball enters a work stoppage | Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo!’s Hannah Keyser does a nice job of breaking down all of the FAQs related to the impending lockout. Basically, things are gonna get quiet across most MLB media for a while, so get ready to really learn about your club’s prospects.

Here’s how newly-signed infielder Rougned Odor could fit in 2022 | The Baltimore Sun
Odor hits the ball hard and is capable of playing both second and third base. It’s not too hard to understand why the Orioles were interested. Oh yeah, he’s cheap too. The Rangers still owe him a ton of money, so the O’s only have to chip in around $600k. That’s helpful for a club that is avoiding long-term financial commitments once again this offseason.

Orioles remove Kriske, Fox from 40-man roster (with multiple updates) | School of Roch
Roch gives you more context on the moves outline above.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Dan Straily turns 33. The right-handed pitcher spent one difficult season with the O’s in 2019. He had a 9.82 ERA over 47.2 innings.
• Jeff Tackett is 56 today. He was a backup catcher with the O’s from 1991 through 1994.

This weekend in O’s history

1954 - The O’s and Yankees pull off a 17-player trade that includes Don Larsen, Gene Woodling, and Bob Turley.

1970 - The Orioles add Pat Dobson in a trade with the Padres. Dobson would win 20 games the following season and earn MVP votes in the process.

1998 - Albert Belle signs a five-year contract with the Orioles.

2002 - Dave McNally dies from lung cancer. The Orioles great won 20 games in four straight seasons and was an integral part to two of the franchise’s World Series titles. McNally was also one of the players that paved the way for the free agent system in professional baseball.

2011 - Taylor Teagarden is dealt to the Orioles for a minor leaguer and a player to be named later,