NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines Sign Jose Castillo
The Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball announced the signing of left-hander Jose Castillo. The Mets chose to non-tender Castillo earlier this month, passing on the southpaw’s projected $1.7MM arbitration salary.
The move overseas to Japan may seem like small potatoes given the transactional maelstrom that was Castillo’s 2025 season. He saw big league action for four different teams (the Diamondbacks, Mets, Mariners, and Orioles) while compiling a 3.94 ERA over 32 innings. Beginning the season on a minor league deal with Arizona, Castillo was designated for assignment in May and then traded to the Mets, and he subsequently bounced around on a series of waiver claims. Castillo actually had three separate stints with the Mets, with the latest coming in early November when he was claimed off Baltimore’s waiver wire.
Castillo is out of minor league options, making him a necessary DFA candidate whenever a team wants to move him off its active roster. He would probably be facing another round of designations, outright assignments, and waiver wire visits if he’d signed a minor league deal with a Major League team this winter, so it perhaps isn’t surprising that Castillo has opted for the relative security (and a guaranteed salary) of this deal with the Marines.
Though Castillo has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons, that resume consists of his 32 innings in 2025, 38 1/3 innings with the Padres in his 2018 rookie season, and just two innings spread over a single game with the Padres in each of the 2019, 2022, and 2023 campaigns. Multiple injuries (including a Tommy John surgery) shelved Castillo for almost the entirety of the 2019-21 seasons, and he pitched primarily in the minors with the Padres, Marlins, and Diamondbacks from 2022-24.
While a small sample size of big league work, Castillo’s career 4.11 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, and 9.6% walk rate are all respectable for a pitcher with such a journeyman resume. He also has a 4.21 ERA over 130 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level. Control has been an issue for Castillo, but he has always been able to rack up strikeouts and generate grounders. Castillo doesn’t turn 30 until January, so there’s still plenty of time for the left-hander to explore a future move back to North American baseball depending on how things work out during his Marines tenure.
Blue Jays Notes: Helsley, Berrios, Management Extensions
The Blue Jays had “at least preliminary interest” in Ryan Helsley before the right-hander signed with the Orioles, The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reports. Toronto has shown past interest (both last offseason and at the trade deadline) in trading for Helsley when he was still a member of the Cardinals, so it tracks that the Jays would’ve again considered Helsley in free agency. As it turned out, the Blue Jays will now have to deal with Helsley pitching for a division rival while Toronto’s own search for bullpen help continues.
Such pitchers as Helsley, Raisel Iglesias, Phil Maton, Edwin Diaz, and Pete Fairbanks have been linked to the Jays thus far, and the first three of those names have already come off the board. Given how Ross Atkins’ front office is known for casting a wide berth in its free agent explorations, it’s probably safe to guess that the Jays have called about most or all of the top relievers on the market, ranging from set-up men to proven closers like Diaz. Atkins said after the season that the team was open to the possibility of moving Jeff Hoffman into a set-up role, thus opening the door for Toronto to seek out another top saves candidate.
Of course, the Jays’ biggest winter moves to date have come in the rotation, not the bullpen. Shane Bieber made the first move himself when he decided against opting out of the final year of his contract, and then the Jays made the priciest free agent signing in franchise history by inking Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210MM contract. Within less than a month after the end of the World Series, the Blue Jays rotation suddenly went from a question mark to all but settled.
The projected starting five looks like Cease, Bieber, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios, with Eric Lauer on hand as a swingman. Adam Macko, Ricky Tiedemann and Bowden Francis are further depth options. It’s a deeper group with a higher ceiling than the starting pitching mix that got the Jays to the World Series, though it’s possible another starter could still be added.
To make room in the rotation for a higher-caliber arm, the Jays could consider trading Berrios. Bannon (in a piece for the Athletic) and the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm each floated the concept, as Berrios ended up being the odd man out of the starting mix even before a bout of elbow inflammation kept him sidelined for the Blue Jays’ entire playoff run. The Jays planned to transition Berrios to bullpen work prior to the postseason, and Berrios made all of one relief appearance before hitting the injured list.
Trading Berrios would be tricky for a few reasons — his eight-team no-trade clause, the three years and $66MM remaining on his contract, and the opt-out clause Berrios holds after the 2026 season. There’s also the fact that Berrios was pretty unspectacular in 2025, posting a 4.17 ERA and a set of below-average Statcast numbers across 166 innings. Any Berrios suitor would be counting on a bounce-back, naturally, but primarily might be interested in the veteran righty as a durable source of innings.
Berrios’ ability to eat innings makes him valuable to the Jays as well, considering how their pitchers added more mileage during an extended postseason run. Moving Berrios would open up some payroll space for Toronto as well, though in limited fashion. It’s pretty unlikely that the Jays would find a team willing to take the entirety of Berrios’ $66MM salary, plus spending capacity might not really be a concern for a Blue Jays club that already shown it is willing to stretch its payroll even further in search of a championship.
Turning to other topics from Chisholm’s mailbag piece, he believes the Blue Jays might’ve already finalized extensions for Atkins, team president Mark Shapiro, and manager John Schneider if the club hadn’t still been playing on November 1. Regardless, it just seems like a matter of time before the trio are all officially retained. Shapiro’s contract is already technically up, and Atkins and Schneider’s deals are up after the 2026 season (the Jays already exercised their club option on Schneider for 2026).
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- It’s Sunday night and time to chat! We’ll launch things after the queue starts to fill up…
Anthony
- Tucker and Imai for the Yanks?
Mark P
- I’d be surprised to see New York spend to quite that level in bringing in two top-level guys. Bellinger and Imai seem like a more reasonable duo, if the Yankees make two big purchases
Rhett lowder
- Am I eligible for rookie of the year? I am under the innings limit but have over a year of service time on the 60 day IL.
Mark P
- Lowder is no longer considered a rookie
AstroFAN
- Could Tyler Mahle go to Houston?
Mark P
- Seems like a reasonable fit. Bringing in another guy with a recent injury history might not be entirely ideal for an Astros team that wants to cover innings, but Mahle on a one-year works with the budget
Chase
- How can the Phillies be both prioritizing re-signing Schwarber AND be far apart on years and money? He’s seen this organization wildly overpay Trea Turner and Aaron Nola. Why shouldn’t he get the same? Pay the man.
Mark P
- Todd Zolecki’s report from the other day didn’t say anything about Schwarber and the Phillies being “far apart” in anything, necessarily. He said that they’re “not close to a deal,’ which would relate to some kind of a gap in negotiations, or maybe just a timing issue.
- Consider this scenario…..Dave Dombrowski says “Kyle, you know how much we want you back. Take your time looking around the market, and all we ask is that you give us a chance to match any offer.”
Giants Focusing More On “Modestly Priced” Pitchers
Giants team chairman Greg Johnson and general manager Zack Minasian have each downplayed the idea that the team will be pursuing long-term (and therefore more pricier) pitching signings this offseason, due to both the risk associated with such contracts and the number of lengthy and expensive contracts already on San Francisco’s books. As such, it probably isn’t a big surprise that “a lot of their market pitching inquiries have been for more modestly priced arms,” according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
The context of Olney’s report comes in the context of speculation that the Giants could be a suitor for Tatsuya Imai, as it would seem the Giants might not be willing to meet Imai’s asking price. There is a widespread belief that Imai’s eventual contract will run deep into the nine figures — MLB Trade Rumors projects a six-year, $150MM deal for Imai, who ranked seventh on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.
If the Giants were going to make a longer-term commitment to a pitcher, Imai might fit the bill given his relative youth (he doesn’t turn 28 until May) and naturally his excellent track record in Nippon Professional Baseball. Imai’s recent interview on the Hodo Station show also caught the attention of Giants fans, as Imai suggested that while he’d enjoy playing with the Dodgers, “winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d rather take them down.”
Still, Imai’s ability to carry his success over to Major League Baseball isn’t seen as a sure thing amongst evaluators. If San Francisco was going to splurge on a top-end starter, spending big on a pitcher who’s more proven against MLB hitters would seem to carry more appeal to a Giants organization that wants to minimize risk in its rotation investments (that is, if the Giants decided to spend big on any pitcher at all).
While there’s no such thing as having too much frontline pitching, the Giants are already ahead of a lot of teams by having a clearcut ace in Logan Webb. Robbie Ray also pitched well in 2025 after missing most of the 2023-24 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. This duo gives the Giants two starters they can count on to take the ball in a playoff series, plus homegrown starter Landen Roupp also pitched well in his first extended taste of big league action in 2025. However, there isn’t any proven depth beyond this group, making the rotation a priority for Buster Posey‘s front office this winter.
If the Giants are primarily looking at second- or third-tier options, there’s still plenty of talent to be had amongst veteran arms who might be limited to shorter-term contracts based on their age alone. Signing Justin Verlander to a one-year, $15MM deal last offseason worked out for the team, so re-signing Verlander or perhaps seeking out this winter’s version of a “Verlander contract” with another pitcher is more the Giants’ speed. Inking at least one veteran to eat innings and stabilize at least one rotation spot would allow San Francisco’s younger pitchers some space to compete amongst themselves for a fifth starter’s role, and ideally one could emerge as Roupp did last year.
Though there’s some sound reasoning behind the Giants’ approach to starting pitching, the strategy probably isn’t going to sit well with Bay Area fans wondering why the team isn’t willing to spend at a higher level. The Giants have exceeded the luxury tax threshold just once in the last eight seasons, as after paying a minimal tax bill in 2024, the club ducked back under the line again in 2025. Johnson’s non-committal stance towards paying the tax or even exceeding $200MM in payroll space also doesn’t lend itself to the idea that San Francisco is planning anything truly substantial on the spending front this winter, and certainly not on the pitching side.
Phillies, Kyle Schwarber Currently “Not Close To A Deal”
There has been plenty of mutual interest between the Phillies and Kyle Schwarber, leading to a sense around the league (and among MLBTR’s staff) that Schwarber’s free agent path will ultimately lead him back to the City of Brotherly Love. It doesn’t appear, however, that a reunion is imminent, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki wrote earlier this week that the two sides “are not close to a deal.”
Zolecki didn’t specify if there has been any standstill in talks, or if there is a sizable gap between the two sides in terms of money or contract length. By that same measure, there’s also nothing to indicate that talks couldn’t heat up with a single phone call. All in all, the news shouldn’t be construed as a sign that Schwarber won’t eventually return, or that either party is favoring another option.
It has only been a little over three weeks since free agents have been allowed to negotiate with other teams, and most of the top names on the market are still testing the waters. A couple of the most prominent early signings (Josh Naylor to the Mariners, Raisel Iglesias to the Braves) did involve players quickly opting to re-up with their former teams, which perhaps raised hopes among Philadelphia fans that a new deal with Schwarber might also resolved in rapid fashion. A little over two years ago, Aaron Nola entered free agency but then worked out his seven-year, $172MM deal with the Phillies within just a couple of weeks of the market opening.
As Zolecki simply puts it, “there’s no reason to rush it” for Schwarber’s camp at this point, given how much interest the slugger is generating in the wake of his 56-homer season. The Red Sox, Orioles, and (surprisingly) the Pirates have all been publicly linked to Schwarber’s market thus far, plus the Reds have been mentioned as a speculative contender since they need hitting help and Schwarber is from the Cincinnati area. DH-only players entering their age-33 seasons don’t usually command the kind of attention Schwarber is garnering, but then again, Schwarber’s career year is just one of 23 seasons of 56+ home runs in baseball history.
The fact that Schwarber is essentially the Phillies’ top priority (give or take J.T. Realmuto) gives the slugger added leverage. He and his agents can likely afford to wait and see what other offers emerge, with the comfort of knowing that Philadelphia might well match or top whatever rival offer is put on the table. From the Phillies’ perspective, they will likely wait on Schwarber before proceeding with any other major offseason business, apart from matters that wouldn’t be impacted by Schwarber staying or leaving — i.e. negotiating with Realmuto, trying to trade Nick Castellanos, or perhaps looking for bullpen help.
There’s some risk for the Phillies in that if Schwarber signed elsewhere after taking several more weeks, the Phils could be left behind in their offseason shopping if other free agents have already left the market. That said, rival agents are also aware of this scenario, and could advise their clients to wait on their own decisions just in case a Schwarber-less Phillies team suddenly broadens its free agent horizons.
Nationals Hire Grant Anders To Coaching Staff
The Nationals have hired Grant Anders for a role as a Major League development coach and bullpen catcher, according to the Washington Post’s Spencer Nusbaum. Anders stays in the Beltway after two years on the Orioles’ coaching staff in a similar role as a development coach.
Reports emerged a few weeks ago that Anders wouldn’t be returning to Baltimore, as the hiring of new manager Craig Albernaz naturally brought several changes to the coaching ranks. Anders had been with the O’s since November 2019, working as a development coach in the minors before his promotion to the big league staff prior to the 2024 season.
As outlined by reporter Jon Meoli during Spring Training 2022 (hat tip to Nusbaum for the link), the development coach role is something of an analytically-driven version of a traditional coaching job. “They must be competent enough on the field to coach and help players improve, yet deft enough with data and technology to be the affiliate’s in-house analytics expert,” Meoli wrote. This applied to Anders’ background when he broke into baseball at Radford University, and he moved onto internship and trainee roles with the Royals and Reds before being hired by the Orioles.
New Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has made a point of younger hires and modern perspectives into his overhaul of Washington’s front office and on-field staff. Toboni (who is himself only 35 years old) has hired 33-year-old Blake Butera as the Nats’ new manager and 30-year-old Simon Matthews as pitching coach, with bench coach Michael Johns as the relative graybeard of the group at age 50. This group will now try to turn around a Nationals club that has struggled through six straight losing seasons, and Anders has some experience due to his work in helping the Orioles get through their rebuild period.
AL East Notes: Bellinger, Tucker, Maton, Campbell
As usual, the Yankees have been linked to many of the top names on the free agent market, with Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger noted as two of the more prominent players on New York’s radar. How exactly the front office is ordering their internal wish list remains to be seen, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that Tucker “appears to be a backup plan” to Bellinger. Familiarity and defensive flexibility are the key elements, as Heyman notes that the Yankees already know Bellinger can handle playing in the pressurized environment of the Bronx. Tucker is primarily a right fielder who would have to move over to left field in New York due to Aaron Judge‘s presence, while Bellinger brings more defensive utility as a player capable of playing all three outfield positions and first base.
It can also be assumed that the Yankees would prefer paying Bellinger’s lower price tag — MLBTR projects Tucker to land an 11-year, $400MM deal, whereas Bellinger is projected for a relatively more modest $140MM over five years. Signing Tucker would also cost the Yankees draft picks and international bonus money, whereas those qualifying offer-related penalties don’t apply if Bellinger is re-signed.
Here’s some more from around the AL East…
- The Blue Jays had interest in Phil Maton before the veteran reliever signed with the Cubs, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports. This tracks with the Jays’ previous interest in the righty, as Toronto was previously linked to Maton when he was a free agent last winter and at the trade deadline before Maton was dealt from the Cardinals to the Rangers. Toronto is known to be looking for a reliever to supplement or even replace Jeff Hoffman in the closer’s role, but Maton also would’ve been a good addition as a bullpen workhorse who has shown an ability to handle higher-leverage work in the past.
- Kristian Campbell will be playing winter ball, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports, as the Red Sox continue to look to get Campbell on track after a shaky debut season in the majors. A meteoric rise in his first two pro seasons earned Campbell a spot on Boston’s Opening Day and an eight-year, $60MM extension shortly thereafter, but he hit only .223/.319/.345 over 263 plate appearances as pitchers adjusted quickly to Campbell after his hot start. Demoted to Triple-A Worcester in June, Campbell hit decently well at Triple-A but with little power, and he also was toggled around the diamond seeing time at first base, second base, and all three outfield positions. Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told Speier and other reporters earlier in November that Campbell was focused on regaining some weight and becoming stronger to better handle the grind of a full season. The pricey contract along will keep Campbell involved in Boston’s plans, though it remains to be seen how he’ll fit into a 2026 team that has a crowded outfield, and has been linked to multiple major free agent infielders.
Latest On The Red Sox Search For Position Players
With Sonny Gray now in the rotation, the expectation is that the Red Sox will now move onto adding a prominent bat as the next item on their to-do list, with such major names as Pete Alonso, J.T. Realmuto, Kazuma Okamoto, and former Boston players Alex Bregman and Kyle Schwarber linked to the team. Reports indicate that the Sox might try to acquire more than one player from that group, but Alex Speier of the Boston Globe also lays out a different path. According to sources, Speier writes that the Red Sox are considering adding not necessarily two top-tier stars, but rather a bigger name and then “an additional complementary position player.”
Speier cites Jorge Polanco as a model for this type of addition, so it would seem like the idea is still to add a prominent everyday bat rather than a true platoon type, for instance. But, someone like Polanco wouldn’t be as expensive as the other free agent targets, and an older player (Polanco turned 32 last July) on a shorter-term contract might have more appeal for a Boston team deep in younger position players.
For instance, if the Red Sox signed Alonso and Polanco, they’d have first base covered with Alonso, Trevor Story returning at shortstop, Polanco toggling between second and third base, and Marcelo Mayer able to gain playing time at whichever position Polanco wasn’t playing. Re-signing Bregman would create an infield alignment of Bregman at third base, Story at shortstop, Mayer probably as the primary second baseman, and Polanco perhaps getting some time at first base. Polanco has all of one career MLB game as a first baseman, but as injuries limited his on-field time in 2025, a shift over to first base duty makes sense for Polanco as he gets deeper into his career.
In short, there are plenty of approaches the Red Sox can take, as right now Story seems to be the only infielder truly locked into a regular role heading into 2026. Triston Casas is penciled in at first base but has been often mentioned as a trade candidate, Mayer is a top prospect who is still unproven at the big league level, and any number of players (i.e. Ceddanne Rafaela, Romy Gonzalez, Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton) could factor into the infield picture as well. If not Polanco himself, another multi-position infielder in that mold would help the Red Sox juggle the playing time situation.
While more rotation moves might yet be in the offing, acquiring Gray relatively early in the offseason gives the Red Sox some measure of relief in knowing that at least one frontline arm is in the fold, giving the club more flexibility in broadly assessing its options on the position-player front. Budget-wise or luxury tax-wise, there is nothing necessarily preventing Boston from making multiple splashes in free agency, but one big-ticket signing and another more modest signing would probably be preferable from a payroll perspective.
Rays Prospect Xavier Isaac “Fully Recovered” After Brain Surgery
Rays outfield prospect Xavier Isaac was limited to 41 Double-A games in 2025, and he didn’t play after June 25 due to what was thought to be a continuation of the wrist and elbow injuries that hampered him earlier in the season. However, Isaac revealed in an Instagram post that he actually underwent a “life saving” brain surgery on July 3, following a routine brain scan for what seemed to be just a dehydration issue. The specific nature of the surgery wasn’t detailed, and Isaac asked the Rays to keep news of the procedure private.
Fortunately, Isaac said he has “fully recovered” and is ready to resume his career. MLB.com’s Adam Berry writes that Isaac “is expected to be ready for Spring Training,” and that some on-field work has already begun since Isaac took part in a hitting camp along with other Tampa Bay prospects.
Selected with the 29th overall pick of the 2022 draft, Isaac has hit .262/.378/.489 with 46 home runs over 1064 plate appearances in pro baseball. Isaac cracked the Double-A level for the first time in 2024 and was still had an .812 OPS over 175 PA with the Montgomery affiliate in 2025 before his season was abruptly ended, even though he struck out in 52 of those 175 trips to the plate.
Isaac has drawn top-100 attention from multiple outlets over the last two seasons, with MLB Pipeline the most bullish by ranking Isaac as the 51st-best prospect in baseball heading into the 2025 season. While his 2025 numbers are hard to really evaluate due to both his injuries and lack of playing time, Isaac’s ability to make consistent contact was a question mark for pundits even prior to this year. Isaac has plenty of power and exit velocity when he’s able to make contact and get the ball into the air, but he’ll need to do this on a more consistent basis in order to keep making his way up the minor league ladder.
Of course, the higher priority right now is just that Isaac (who turns 22 in December) is healthy following what he described as “the scariest moment of my life.” Isaac gave thanks to his loved ones, the Rays, and the Duke University Medical team for helping him through the ordeal, and said that he now has “a new purpose, a new fire, and a heart full of gratitude” as he returns to action.
“This comeback isn’t just about baseball — it’s about life. Every day. Every breath. Every swing. Here’s to recovery, resilience, and the next chapter,” Isaac wrote.
Orioles Showing Interest In Kyle Schwarber, Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez
Earlier this month, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said his team is open to signing free agents who have rejected a qualifying offer, and would therefore cost the O’s their third-highest selection in the 2026 draft in addition to whatever the free agent would command in salary. Of the nine players who rejected the QO, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Baltimore has shown some interest in Framber Valdez, Kyle Schwarber, and Dylan Cease (before Cease signed with the Blue Jays yesterday). In addition to qualified free agents, the Orioles have “checked in on” Tatsuya Imai, as part of the team’s explorations of the upper tiers of the pitching market.
Heyman also linked Baltimore to Pete Alonso a couple of weeks ago, but now notes that the chances of a signing may have dimmed since the Orioles retained Ryan Mountcastle past the non-tender deadline. This doesn’t mean that Mountcastle couldn’t still be traded or cut loose entirely if a premium bat became a realistic option for Baltimore, though Elias said earlier this week that the team thinks Mountcastle can rebound after a hamstring strain hampered his production in 2025.
Signing Alonso or Schwarber would further deepen what is already perhaps an overcrowded mix of position players in Baltimore. Schwarber can play a corner outfield spot on an occasional basis but is largely a DH-only player at this stage of his career, further reducing the Orioles’ flexibility in trying to find at-bats for the rest of its current players. A trade or two might ease up this logjam, of course, and the Orioles could then acquire pitching via the trade market rather than free agency.
Even if a Schwarber or an Alonso creates some questions about lineup construction, the Orioles would happily accept that as a proverbial “good problem to have” if it means adding an elite power bat. Schwarber and Alonso are also both known to be clubhouse leaders, and adding a veteran mentor to a young O’s team might carry benefits beyond just what either player can provide at the plate.
There is a widespread belief that the Phillies will pay top dollar to re-sign Schwarber, but naturally that hasn’t stopped other teams from looking into his market. The Orioles join the Red Sox and Pirates as teams known to have shown interest in Schwarber’s services, and clubs like the Reds and Yankees have been more speculatively linked. Alonso’s market hasn’t been as robust in terms of public interest, though the Mets remain in the mix for another reunion with their longtime slugger.
The Orioles have already added one prominent bat this offseason by acquiring Taylor Ward from the Angels for Grayson Rodriguez, in a move that surprised some pundits since it further reduced the Orioles’ list of rotation options. This could indicate that if the O’s do break the bank on a big-ticket signing, it will be for a starting pitcher to help stabilize the rotation. Cease’s rather quick departure from the market (and to an AL East rival) only puts more pressure on the Orioles to find another frontline arm.
Valdez or Imai would certainly fit the bill, albeit in two different fashions. Valdez is a proven commodity at the MLB level, and is particularly a known quantity to Elias since Valdez joined the Astros organization as an international signing and then broke into the majors when Elias was still working in Houston’s front office. Imai is over four and a half years younger than Valdez and perhaps has more pure upside based on his results in Japan, but it remains to be seen if Imai can translate that success over to the majors. The O’s also don’t have a long track record in signing Japanese talent, though the club did add Tomoyuki Sugano last winter.
Tyler O’Neill‘s three-year, $49.5MM contract remains the only multi-year free agent deal the Orioles have signed during Elias’ seven years running the front office, though in fairness, much of Elias’ tenure was spent either rebuilding or working under some ownership turmoil. David Rubenstein’s purchase of the franchise in early 2024 didn’t immediately lead to a huge payroll boost, though the club did ink star prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67MM extension this past summer. Basallo and O’Neill represent the only contracts on Baltimore’s books beyond 2026, and while the Orioles certainly have interest in locking up other young stars to extensions, there is plenty of future financial room for the O’s to make a splashy signing (or two) this winter.