Wednesday Bird Droppings: Mike Elias talks Orioles offseason

Good morning, Birdland!

Did you realize that the GM Meetings were taking place this week? It’s understandable. After all, not much occurs during these meetings that makes immediate news. Free agency has not begun, so no deals can be struck. Trades of players already under contract could be worked out, but that is a lot to ask when many teams are awaiting decisions on contract options.

Instead, it is said to be a time when front offices and player agents all get a feel for the landscape. They also, apparently, stop and talk to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

In case you can’t watch the embedded tweet, Morosi spoke to Elias on Tuesday. The O’s boss gave his thoughts on Trey Mancini winning the World Series, Adley Rutschman and Brandon Hyde being nominated for awards, Anthony Santander’s trade market, and the team’s offseason ahead.

Most of the quotes are pretty unremarkable, although some have latched on to what he said about Santander.

“We see no real strategy in moving him, and I’m excited he’s coming back for the next two years. But obviously, we do our jobs and we listen to people.”

That has been interpreted by some in the fandom that Santander isn’t going anywhere. Pencil him into your Opening Day roster, folks!

But really that sounds like GM speak to me, which boils down to “He’s real good, but he’s also under team control, so anyone that wants him needs to pay up.”

That’s a reasonable enough perspective to have. The Orioles are not in sell-off mode any longer, and Elias has made it clear that the team is going to have a different offseason than his previous three with the club. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to trade away a good player like Santander, but it needs to make sense for the team’s current ambitions rather than the ambiguous future.

Links

O’s announce 2023 Major League coaching staff | Orioles.com
There wasn’t much drama here. There were reports days ago that the entire big league staff from 2022 would return in 2023. The only change is a promotion of Cody Asche from a minor league hitting coordinator to a major league offensive strategy coach. I have no idea what that role entails, but we will eventually find out.

Orioles free agency primer: Where might Baltimore strike in bid for ‘liftoff’? | The Baltimore Sun
Just a basic rundown of where the Orioles sit as free agency opens. Not much new in here, although it is interesting that bullpen help is listed along with a list of veteran options that feel a tad more expensive than what I would imagine the Orioles would opt for in that area. With how volatile relievers are, it seems more likely the front office searches for less-heralded names with tools they like, freeing up money for other parts of the roster.

Scout on Orioles’ player development: “Hitters have improved all year” | Roch Kubatko
Hard to argue with that analysis. Players like Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson, and others seemed to get better with each level they jumped, even when accounting for the adjustment period that comes with the promotion.

Orioles Outright Cam Gallagher | MLB Trade Rumors
The Orioles are slowly clearing out the catcher glut that they had on their 40-man roster. It is now only Rutschman and Mark Kolozsvary. Something tells me they aren’t done adding backstops this offseason.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• The late Al Severinsen (d. 2015) was born in 1944. He pitched in 12 games for the 1969 Orioles, his lone season with the team.
• Whitey Herzog turns 91. Prior to his Hall of Fame career as a manager, Herzog spent eight years in the big leagues as an outfielder. He played 1961 and ‘62 with the O’s, hitting .280/.379/.406 with 12 home runs.

This day in history

This has been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, here are few things that have happened beyond Birdland:

1906 - Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first sitting U.S. President to make a trip outside of the country. He does so to inspect progress on the Panama Canal.

1985 - Garry Kasparov, a 22-year-old from the Soviet Union, becomes the youngest World Chess Champion.

2004 - Firefox, an open-source web browser, is released.