Baltimore Orioles

Chuck Clark talks about being the Ravens' 2022 nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, his community outreach in Baltimore, and how the NFL compares to Major League Baseball.

The Orioles swung a trade for depth at catcher and designated hitter, getting James McCann from the Mets for a player to be named later. McCann hit only .195 last year but is a solid defensive catcher.

The Orioles are in a prime spot to exploit the trade market for starting pitching talent that is under team control for this season — or, even better, beyond — through the use of a deep farm system. They just need to find a deal they like.

After a two-year hiatus, one of the Orioles’ best relievers over the last decade is coming back to Camden Yards. Baltimore agreed to terms with right-hander Mychal Givens on Monday, putting in motion a return for the 32-year-old after he was traded away at the 2020 trade deadline, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Baltimore Banner.

The newest Oriole aims to bounce back at Camden Yards.

Adam Frazier joins a crowded infield that could be bolstered during the season by prospects ready to make an impact at the major league level. Perhaps Mike Elias wanted to add a versatile left-handed batter to the mix. Or maybe he envisions Frazier taking on a larger role if the Orioles decide to trade an established player in order to add pitching.

Frazier had a down season in 2022, hitting .238 with a .612 on-base plus slugging percentage for the Seattle Mariners.

Across the major league landscape, free agent deals have moved quickly. But in Baltimore, the Orioles have stood still and watched as many of the top starting pitchers in the game signed with rivals — on deals both long and short. Here’s a look at the best of the remaining pitchers on the market.

Dan Duquette discusses his reaction when Jones turned down a trade to Philly and his assessment of the current Orioles.

It’s not a liftoff. It’s an “upward arc,” as O's GM Mike Elias put it during the winter meetings last week. And like an arc, the trajectory is gradual — it doesn’t include a rapid increase in spending to prepare for a 2023 season, even as Elias insists on an increase in payroll and envisions the Orioles taking a further step toward making the playoffs.

Kyle Gibson has by far the most experience of anyone in the Orioles clubhouse. His decade of major league experience makes Gibson an outlier in Baltimore, among teammates who have largely just burst onto the scene. But that’s exactly what the Orioles wanted when signing Gibson to a one-year deal worth $10 million.

Trevor Pryce discusses life after 14 seasons in the NFL, why he chose living in Baltimore after retirement, why Lamar Jackson should have an agent and why he’s excited to watch Deion Sanders take on Colorado.

There could be more to come in the future, with spring training still two months away. But by not securing a long-term deal for a front-end starting pitcher at the winter meetings, the brakes have been pumped on an offseason many expected to include an increase in spending and activity in the free agent market.

The Orioles added bullpen help through the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday by selecting right-hander Andrew Politi with the No. 17 pick in the first round before passing in the second round. Politi, from the Boston Red Sox organization, held a 2.34 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Baltimore is still interested in adding another starting pitcher, especially one who can be in the top half of the rotation. A left-handed bat and a backup catcher are focuses, too. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he’d like to see additional veterans added, supplementing a roster that’s made up mainly of young talent brought through the pipeline of a rebuild.

Rob Manfred said he has met with John Angelos and his mother Georgia in person to discuss the stability of the organization.

Five starters the Orioles could target in the coming days, with multiple hearing from Baltimore already.

This isn’t an offseason in which the Orioles need to buy to become relevant. They became relevant on the back of the best farm system in baseball, winning their most games since 2016 during an unexpected push toward the postseason. All that’s left for Elias is supplementing the talent that has already arrived — and the talent still on its way — with experienced options.

The Orioles are now an organization poised to increase payroll and build off a surprising playoff push last season, when an influx of young talent from baseball’s top-ranked farm system materialized into wins.

Gibson, 35, went 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA in 31 starts for Philadelphia this year.