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Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, left, and catcher Adley Rutschman ride a cart to the main field during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium last week.
Jon Meoli: Ryan Mountcastle is one of the Orioles’ young studs. And one of their old guys.
The younger players and older players in the Orioles’ clubhouse broadly consider the first baseman one of their own.
Jackson Holliday, who turned 20 in December, had 154 hits, 113 runs and 101 walks across four levels of the minor leagues last season.
Jon Meoli: The tools that will help Jackson Holliday make the Orioles out of spring training
The No. 1 prospect will play a ton in Grapefruit League action, which begins Saturday, and have a chance to make an impression with every ground ball, at-bat or dugout conversation he has.
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish has sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, which has the makings of a serious issue based on the history of such injuries.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ health issues are ominous but not yet overwhelming
There’s reason to believe the Orioles have been accounting for Kyle Bradish's injury for a lot longer than we have.
Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and general manager Mike Elias observe an open practice at Camden Yards on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The Baltimore Orioles are preparing for their first postseason game in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
Jon Meoli: Entering spring, the Orioles’ strength is their depth. The question is how much they’ll need it.
The Orioles have more star power than they’ve had in years at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, both on the roster and off it, but it will take the entirety of that group to get them to the World Series.
The Orioles begin spring training next week. Preseason win projections give them the look of a playoff team.
Jon Meoli: Analyzing what truly matters about the Orioles’ preseason win projections
The Orioles we saw win 101 games last season were built on the principal that such forecasts should be adhered to above all else.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws to ball to a teammate while warming up before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.
Jon Meoli: A sale should give the Orioles money for contract extensions. Who would accept one?
Bobby Witt Jr. reached an extension with the Royals for 11 years and $288.8 million, and it can go for longer. Naturally, with a group led by billionaire David Rubenstein buying a stake in the Orioles, fans will wonder about deals for Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.
Corbin Burnes will make $15.6 million in 2024.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ trade for Corbin Burnes is quite a departure. It’s also quite a good deal.
One year of Burnes at $15.6 million, provided he’s healthy, is the definition of value, especially when he’s being added to a rotation that already features emerging stars Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez.
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 19: Louis Angelos (L) and John Angelos (R) of the Baltimore Orioles look on after introducing Mike Elias (C) to the media as the Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager during a news conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on November 19, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles were built to fit John Angelos’ miserly budget. A sale should change everything.
Mike Elias has built the Orioles around the idea that the team could never spend as much as its peers. What happens if that’s no longer the case?
Orioles fans watch as their team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays during the third game of a series at Camden Yards in September.
Jon Meoli: With some obstacles to spending gone, the Orioles’ offseason will get added scrutiny
For years, the stadium lease and MASN dispute were at least plausible motivations behind the team keeping its payroll at the bottom of the league. Now, we’re about to find out just how relevant those factors really were.
Heston Kjerstad (75) high fives Coby Mayo (95) at Ed Smith Stadium after scoring a run during the fourth inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins on 2/25/23. The Baltimore Orioles hosted the Twins for their home opener as the Florida Grapefruit League started on Saturday.
Jon Meoli: It’s easy to come up with potential trades that get the Orioles starting pitching. It’s just that most of them are bad.
It’s hard to see what the right return is with all the potential trades flying around.
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) takes a practice swing in a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on Wednesday, May 17. The Orioles won game three of the series, 3-1.
Jon Meoli: Shohei Ohtani’s contract deferrals make the Orioles’ old strategy seem tame
The Orioles of a previous vintage used deferrals to keep the mid-2010s competitive window open. Chris Davis’ contract is, obviously, is the most extreme example.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 13: Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field on June 13, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jon Meoli: With Craig Kimbrel in the fold, how much higher will the Orioles’ payroll go this winter?
There’s a chance, albeit not a great one, that this will be the first of many expenditures to give the Orioles a payroll more representative of a team with their aspirations.
Craig Kimbrel, representing the Phillies, pitches during the All-Star Game in July.
Jon Meoli: 1-year deals like Craig Kimbrel’s are in the Orioles’ comfort zone. Only now the stakes are higher.
One-year deals might not be the highest upside plays, but they often fill a need, have little long-term ramifications on roster construction, and allow flexibility in other areas.
Shortstop Jorge Mateo is projected at 1.3 wins above replacement with an 81 OPS+ next season by Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS at FanGraphs.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles’ decision of which established players to keep and which to move could accelerate this week
They will be looking at a variety of factors, chief among them their own internal evaluations of the prospects and recent graduates.
Former Aberdeen IronBirds shortstop Jackson Holliday, the Orioles' top prospect, is joined by many other elite players in the pipeline.
Jon Meoli: Appreciate the Orioles dominating Baseball America’s prospect list while you can
Mike Elias and his team have done an amazing job — and it will be hard to replicate in the coming years.
Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias observes an open practice at Camden Yards on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.
Jon Meoli: As free agent pitchers start signing, the Orioles’ challenge this winter grows clearer
Two of the top starters are already off the market. Where will the Orioles turn?
The exterior of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, in South Baltimore.
Jon Meoli: How the Orioles’ non-tender deadline sets up the rest of the offseason
The Orioles continue to build their proverbial chip pile as they wait to decide which hand to play. Eventually, it will be time to push those chips in — even the ones who agreed to inexpensive contracts at the non-tender deadline.
Mike Elias became Orioles executive vice president and general manager on Nov. 16, 2018.
Jon Meoli: The best and worst moves and moments of Mike Elias’ first 5 years with the Orioles
In honor of his fifth anniversary with the club, here are the best and worsts of Elias’ tenure with the Orioles.
Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias, left, smiles as he walks around the clubhouse following the team’s playoff-clinching win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. The Orioles earned a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Jon Meoli: 5 years in, Orioles GM Mike Elias has a new task: enhancing a division winner
“I think the same methodologies and brainpower and people that have gotten us through this rebuild are very much equipped to tackle the project of sort of keeping the team at the top,” Elias said.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias told MLB Network at this week’s general managers meetings that he was seeking one new face in the rotation and one in the bullpen.
Jon Meoli: Can the Orioles improve this winter and still honor the beliefs that got them this far?
Mike Elias said the Orioles’ swift playoff exit would inform how he and the front office think about improving this winter. But then he offered a caveat.
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