It took until last fall — the end of Bassitt’s three-year deal — for Toronto to put it together and finally realize their potential, coming inches from beating the Dodgers for last year’s title.

COLUMN | A few months ago, new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz recounted his early calls with the team’s returning players. We asked players what they told him.

COLUMN | Kremer switched up his offseason routine to try to reverse a three-year trend in his results.

Pete Alonso has been through this before — and has reflections to share.

There are many reasons the Orioles sputtered out in 2024 and disappointed badly in 2025. Missing Westburg, to me, is always going to be one of the largest contributors, with his fractured hand in 2024 and hamstring and ankle injuries limiting him to 85 games in 2025.

Henriquez spent a decade out of pro baseball after being released from the Tampa Bay Rays’ Dominican program in 2015.

Albernaz walked from field to field throughout the day, and after leaving the situational field, turned back to ask, “Are we having fun yet?”

“It was a blow to the clubhouse in the sense of, yes, he was a really good pitcher who helped us win a lot of games, but then also he’s one of your boys, right?” Albernaz said of his former team. “You’re in it together.”

There will be six months of baseball to determine if the club spent enough, or well enough, or on the right things.

COLUMN: On the infield dirt and outfield grass, in the covered bullpens and batter’s boxes, much felt like business as usual — just a bunch of ballplayers and coaches preparing for the start of the season.

If the team didn’t know it two years ago, they know it now: Money is only one component of attracting top free agent talent.

COLUMN: Process the Framer Valdez signing for as long as you want and however you want. Just know that asking “Now what?” will not likely provide a satisfactory answer.

COLUMN | Jon Meoli dug into FanGraphs’ projections for the 2026 Orioles, and came away thinking the team needs one more piece.

It’s hard to quantify the impact of the injuries they play through and what kind of weight they are on the club’s performance.

The Orioles have accomplished a lot in the offseason, but still they fill one starting pitcher light.

COLUMN: It’s not a coincidence that the baseball-related kickoff of this calendar year for the Orioles featured these two.

COLUMN: Last week’s additions of Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette by the Dodgers and Mets, respectively, set off plenty of consternation around the league. Those deals can also help the Orioles.

A decade in the Baseball Writers Association of America means this year’s ballot arrived at my house in the fall, and while I can’t rewrite history or relitigate the group’s decisions, I can help shape the Hall going forward.

COLUMN: The Orioles are set to add four position players worth seven-figure signing bonuses — headlined by shortstop Jose Luis Acevedo, along with outfielders Ariel Roque, Pedro Gomez and Gabriel Rosario, according to Baseball America — plus left-hander Andri Hidalgo, one of the top pitchers of this 2026 class.