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Orioles Notes: MASN, Elias, Bundy

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The Orioles have lost another legal ruling in the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network saga that never ends. As conveyed through an AP report, the New York trial court has reaffirmed its major recent decision upholding an arbitration award in favor of the Nationals, who have sought for years to force the O’s-controlled MASN to pay more for their television rights fees. It’s time for the Baltimore club to pony up some long-awaited payments to its southern neighbor, the court ruled, with interest now running on the balance due. This doesn’t end the matter — the O’s can still pursue recalculation of the profit tabulations, appeal these trial court rulings, and/or fight the next market re-set period — but it does mark another step towards final resolution.

More from Baltimore:

  • Orioles GM Mike Elias chatted with Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun about his first year in charge of the organization’s baseball operations. Elias conveyed broad optimism about where things are headed, while taking every opportunity to caution fans not to expect too much too soon. Process is the name of the game here. “I think the most important thing of this year has been the capabilities of the [baseball operations] department,” he says, though he also noted some player-development strides in the minors and even at the MLB level. Elias warned: “We’re still going to be in a process where it’s possible that we take a step back to take two steps forward at the major league level.” Even once some strides are evident, he noted, “these types of rebuilds don’t always progress linearly.”
  • Trades of veteran players are a potential part of the O’s strategy, of course, which Elias acknowledged. So what of righty Dylan Bundy? Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com looks at that possibility. While the accounting of Bundy’s trade candidacy doesn’t reveal an especially enticing profile, it does highlight an important point about the former first-round pick: despite some ups and downs in the performance department, particularly in terms of controlling the long ball, Bundy has thrown a good number of solid-enough innings over the past few seasons. Teams routinely pay good money in free agency hoping for the sort of 2-2.5 WAR season Bundy just turned in. He’s projected to earn a palatable $5.7MM with one more season of control remaining thereafter. Bundy posted a career-high 12.9% swinging-strike rate last year and only just turned 27, so perhaps there’s still hope there’s more in the tank.

Orioles Notes: Organizational Changes, Elias, GM Meetings

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With today marking exactly one year since the Orioles tabbed Mike Elias to succeed Dan Duquette as the franchise’s general manager, now seems like a natural time to check in on Elias’s tenure and evaluate the changes he has implemented thus far. Preaching a transformation of Baltimore’s scouting, player development, and analytics departments, it hasn’t taken long for Elias to get his fingerprints all over the internal structure of the Orioles. While the on-field product didn’t show much improvement from 2018 to 2019, sweeping changes have been made to the organization’s infrastructure in Elias’s first year running the show, which has by and large been spent “getting up to speed on all of the basics.” Joe Trezza of MLB.com has a comprehensive roundup of all the turnover, with analytics and international scouting representing two of the organization’s fastest-growing departments. This implementation of Elias’s philosophy marks a foundational step in the Orioles’ complete rebuild, which remains in its early stages. Ultimately, though, Elias’s success will be judged according to success on the diamond, meaning that he and his staff will need to demonstrate that they can acquire and develop the requisite talent to climb baseball’s ranks—no small task after consecutive 100-loss seasons.

  • With last week’s GM meetings coming to a close, Elias spoke to MASN’s Roch Kubatko about just what happened during his stay in Arizona, as well as how he and his staff will navigate the offseason on the heels of a 54-108 season. Elias names middle infield, pitching, as well as depth at catcher and in the outfield as particular areas of focus in free agency and trades. Of course, one look at the O’s win-loss record suggests that those aren’t the only needs, and Elias’s Orioles are poised to take an active role in trade discussions as the team looks to bring aboard young talent all over the diamond. As Elias says, his team boasts a host of players that has steadily attracted interest since his arrival, though the team will be diligent in choosing when to move those players, if at all.
  • In another change ahead of the 2020 season, the Orioles are opting for earlier start times to weekday night games before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, writes The Athletic’s Dan Connolly, moving first pitch up a half-hour earlier than past seasons. The scheduling alteration is motivated by the team’s desire to attract families and kids to games during the school year. As one can imagine, attendance has suffered as a result of the Orioles’ on-field struggles over the last two seasons, and the organization is looking for ways to remedy that. Connolly notes that the crosstown Nationals made a similar change in advance of the 2019 season.

AL Notes: Trumbo, Angels, Orioles, Harvey

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Mark Trumbo understands the realities of his situation as a soon-to-be 34-year-old free agent slugger, but he’s not ready to call it quits yet, per The Athletic’s Dan Connolly. While he’s not officially retiring, he knows his playing days might be at an end. As for the next step of his career, he would like to teach hitting at some level, but he needs an opportunity on that front as well. As he contemplates his future while in baseball limbo, Trumbo even considers coming back as a two-way player. Trumbo was drafted as a pitcher before an arthritic elbow pushed him off the mound, so it’s not as far fetched as it might seem. Still, the career .249/.302/.459 hitter is probably a safer bet to enter the coaching ranks than return as a pitcher – but you never know. Let’s check in elsewhere around the AL…

  • The Angels have until December 31 to opt out of their stadium lease or else remain there through 2029, and team officials met with city officials to discuss their potential options, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Obviously, there’s not a ton of time to make a decision, but the possibility of extending the deadline is in play if the team and city make progress on a new plan before year’s end. Previous negotiations focused on the city leasing land to the team so they could develop ballpark’s surrounding area into revenue steams such as shops, restaurants, and hotels. That revenue could then funnel back into a ballpark fund. The cost of the land lease seems to be a sticking point for now, but both sides will continue working towards a deal. Either way, the Angels appear fixed on remaining in Anaheim.
  • Orioles manager Brandon Hyde kept reliever Hunter Harvey on a strict usage limit last season, though they preferred not to advertise the plan to opponents, per MASN’s Roch Kubatko. As Harvey made the transition from starter to reliever, he was not to be used on back-to-back days, and they slowed his usage even further when his arm wasn’t recuperating as quickly as they expected. Harvey, 25 in December, hopes the restrictions are lifted this season, though it will depend on his health as the season approaches. After 7 appearances and a 1.42 ERA in his debut in 2019, Harvey appears a lock to make the roster should his health allow it, which has often been the problem for the former first round pick. If Harvey survives the spring without any setbacks, expect him to have an opportunity in high-leverage situations for the Orioles, perhaps even as the club’s nominal closer.

Aaron Brooks Signs With KBO’s KIA Tigers

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NOV. 13: The KIA Tigers have officially signed Brooks, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. His deal comes with a $479K salary and a $200K signing bonus.

NOV. 12: It appears that Orioles righty Aaron Brooks is headed to the KBO, according to reports from Dan Connolly of The Athletic (links to Twitter) and Naver Sports (Korean language link). If all the paperwork is completed, as expected, he’ll agree to a new deal with the KIA Tigers and be set free from the Baltimore 40-man roster.

This sort of arrangement is now commonplace for hurlers such as Brooks. The 29-year-old has shown enough to bounce around the waiver wire and receive MLB opportunities, but hasn’t fully established himself on an active roster.

Brooks did get a lengthy big-league look this year after a strong Triple-A campaign in 2018. He ultimately threw 110 frames on the year, spanning 18 starts and eleven relief appearances in stints with the A’s and O’s. The results weren’t as hoped, as Brooks stumbled to a 5.65 cumulative ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

Though the Orioles again need to fill innings, Brooks was at risk of being kicked from the MLB roster at some point this winter. His lack of options helped keep him in the bigs in 2019 but also reduced his appeal to affiliated clubs. By allowing Brooks to leave, the Orioles will pick up some financial compensation. He’ll get a chance to compete at a high level and earn a salary that wouldn’t be available to him in North America.

Yankees Notes: Givens, Galvis, Lefty Hitting, Spending

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Some items from the Bronx…

  • The Yankees “tried hard” to land Orioles reliever Mychal Givens at the trade deadline, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports.  The right-hander was a popular figure on the rumor mill last July, with such clubs as the Indians, Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, and Nationals all reportedly showing interest in acquiring his services.  It isn’t any surprise that the Yankees were also involved given how New York is constantly looking to reinforce its already strong bullpen, and it isn’t out of the question that the Yankees could ask about Givens again this winter.  The 29-year-old is under team control for two more seasons (and projected to make $3.2MM in arbitration this winter), though Givens is coming off the worst of his five big league seasons.  Givens posted a 12.3 K/9 and 3.31 K/BB rate over 63 innings but his ERA ballooned to 4.57, due in large part to a lot of problems keeping the ball in the park (1.9 HR/9).
  • Sticking with Sherman’s piece, he wonders if the Yankees could perhaps try to land both Givens and Jonathan Villar from the Orioles in a package deal that would also address another team need — a lack of left-handed hitting.  Interestingly, Sherman writes that there is some strategy behind this lineup imbalance, as the Yankees have preferred to deploy right-handed bats with opposite-field power rather than actual left-handed hitters, as lefty bats can be more easily hampered by defensive shifts.  If the Bronx Bombers did decide to add more pop from the left side, however, Sherman feels the best possible solution would be switch-hitting superstar Francisco Lindor, if the Indians made him available in a trade.  Beyond Villar, Sherman lists a few other players (old friend Didi Gregorius, Freddy Galvis, Tucker Barnhart, Jason Castro) who could be signed or acquired in trades to add left-handed balance to either the lineup or bench.  In Galvis’ case, Sherman reports that he was the Yankees’ second choice as shortstop depth last offseason before they landed Troy Tulowitzki.
  • The Yankees’ decision to exercise some financial restraint has drawn criticism from some fans and pundits, particularly since the club has now gone 10 full seasons without a World Series title.  As Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards observes in a look at the last 20 years of Yankees spending, the franchise made a gigantic payroll spike in 2003-2004 (up into the $200MM-$240MM range, around three times as much as the average payroll) that possibly “outstripped what might have been reasonable compared to their revenues and financial status, and that staying at around $240 million reflected a necessary correction.”  The Yankees’ average payroll increase hasn’t matched the rest of the league’s overall increase over the last decade, however, even while the Yankees franchise has increased its revenues.

Orioles Seeking Veteran Shortstop And Pitching Depth

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The Baltimore Orioles primary goal for the near-term remains adding as much talent to the organization as possible, primarily in the minor leagues. That said, GM Mike Elias does have a winter checklist in this, his first full offseason as GM  (the Orioles hired him on November 16th of last year). Namely, the Orioles will be looking for pitching and a veteran shortstop, per MASNSports’ Roch Kubatko.

While still in the infancy of their rebuild, the Orioles do not plan to shop in the premium aisles of the free agent market, but adding free agent talent is as much about protecting the organization’s youngsters as it is about the talent influx itself. Said Elias, “…we want to have more depth than we went into last year in the event that injuries occur, that we can protect our young pitching prospects who will be coming up.”

The Orioles first have to decide which of their own players to protect before the Rule 5 draft, and with rosters expanding to 26 players this season, teams could use the extra roster spot to be more aggressive in the Rule 5 draft, as the Orioles themselves were last year in keeping shortstop Richie Martin on the roster. It was a tough campaign for Martin, who authored a .208/.260/.322 line across 355 plate appearances, likely ticketing him for extended time in the minor leagues in 2020 now that he is officially a part of the Baltimore organization. Martin’s example is the reason Baltimore will emphasize adding depth this winter, both on the hill and at shortstop, so that they are not forced to rush further prospects before they are ready.

Jonathan Villar is the only rostered player who saw significant time at shortstop last season, almost equally splitting his time between second and short. Hanser Alberto covers second and has spent some time at shortstop in the past, but the Orioles roster is devoid of middle infield depth beyond those two, assuming a Martin demotion.

Orioles Notes: Elias, Middle Infield, Mancini, Ynoa, Mallee

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Orioles GM Mike Elias addressed several topics in an interview on 105.7 The Fan radio tonight, with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (Twitter links) and MLB.com’s Joe Trezza (Twitter links) among the reporters who shared some highlights.  Elias noted that the Orioles’ winter shopping list includes pitching, veteran middle infield help, and a defensive shortstop.  Such a focus on the middle infield doesn’t necessarily indicate a change from the combination of shortstop Jonathan Villar and second baseman Hanser Alberto, though given Villar’s big $10.4MM projected arbitration salary has led to a lot of speculation that the O’s will look to trade or non-tender him.  While not mentioning any names, Elias said the club has to make “tough decisions” in regards to whether or not to tender contracts to all seven of their arb-eligible players.

In other general transactional news, Elias again stated that his front office is open to listening on trade offers for any player as Baltimore continues its rebuild.  This includes Trey Mancini, though Elias said “we expect him to stay here,” noting that he hopes Mancini could be signed to a long-term contract.

More from Charm City…

  • Gabriel Ynoa re-signed with the Orioles the same day that he was outrighted off their 40-man roster last offseason, though another quick reunion doesn’t appear likely this winter, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes.  It isn’t to say that Ynoa might not return on another minor league deal, but the righty will first see if he can land a Major League contract — possibly a tall order after a 2019 season that saw Ynoa post a 5.61 ERA, 2.58 K/BB rate, and 5.4 K/9 over 110 1/2 innings for Baltimore, while surrendering a whopping 29 home runs.  The O’s may also look for more accomplished pitching options before maybe circling back to Ynoa later in the offseason.
  • From that same piece, Kubatko also reports that the Orioles had John Mallee as a candidate to join the team’s coaching staff before Mallee accepted a position with the Angels as their new assistant hitting coach.  Mallee had some significant ties to the Orioles, as he and manager Brandon Hyde both worked together on the Cubs’ coaching staff under Joe Maddon, and Mallee was the Astros’ hitting coach in 2013-14 when Baltimore GM Mike Elias was working in Houston’s front office.

Orioles Outright Gabriel Ynoa

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The Orioles announced that they have outrighted right-hander Gabriel Ynoa. He elected free agency after clearing waivers.

This is the second straight November in which the Orioles have outrighted Ynoa, whom they originally acquired from the Mets prior to the 2017 season. Once a promising prospect, Ynoa – now 26 – is coming off his first truly extensive season at the MLB level. While Ynoa did walk just 2.11 hitters per nine and induce grounders at a 46.7 percent clip over 110 2/3 innings for this year’s rebuilding O’s, a low strikeout rate (5.45 per nine) helped limit him to a subpar 5.61 ERA/6.20 FIP.

Mason Williams Elects Free Agency

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4:45pm: Williams has elected to become a free agent after being outrighted, as per a team announcement.

8:29am: This transaction is still “in the works” at the moment, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter), but it appears the result will indeed be an outright assignment of Williams.

6:41am: The Orioles have outrighted outfielder Mason Williams, according to the International League transactions page. That comes in addition to four other recently announced 40-man roster cuts.

Williams turned in a strong 2019 effort at Triple-A, where he slashed .308/.371/.477 (117 wRC+) over 494 plate appearances. The Orioles added him to the big-league roster late in the season, giving him a brief shot at stating his case for a role in 2020. But the 27-year-old didn’t do much damage in an eleven-game stint.

Once a highly regarded prospect, Williams has yet to gain any traction at the game’s highest level. He has appeared in each of the past five campaigns but carries only a .286/.325/.382 slash in 234 trips to the plate. Having previously been outrighted, Williams can elect free agency.

Orioles Claim Pat Valaika, Announce Four Outrights

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The Orioles announced they have claimed infielder Pat Valaika off waivers from the Rockies. Additionally, the club outrighted four pitchers: right-handers Ryan Eades, Luis Ortiz, and Tayler Scott and left-hander Josh Rogers.

Valaika is the most notable name in today’s spate of transactions. The 27-year-old has taken 433 MLB plate appearances over four seasons in Colorado, starting games at all four infield positions (along with a handful of action in left field) in that time. All told, he’s only a .214/.256/.400 hitter, which translates to a dreadful 55 wRC+ when factoring in the run environment of Coors Field. He’s shown some ability to make hard, airborne contact, which surely attracts the Orioles’ front office, but his aggressive approach has not yet proven up to par at the big league level. Valaika will be out of options next season, meaning he needs to stick on the active roster next year or else again be exposed to waivers, assuming he remains on the 40-man roster the entire offseason.

The four pitchers have combined for fewer than 60 MLB innings. Eades, 27, worked to a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings in 2019, but his peripherals were far less rosy. Ortiz, still just 24, was once a well-regarded prospect but has fallen on hard times at the highest level of the minors. He started 14 games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2019 and pitched to a 6.38 ERA with unimpressive strikeout (15.4%) and walk (10.1%) rates, a trying season even in the explosive run environment in the International League.

Scott, like Eades, made his MLB debut this season at age-27. Split between Seattle and Baltimore, he worked 16.1 difficult innings, although he was quite good in the high minors. Rogers, meanwhile, was acquired as a secondary piece in the 2018 deal that sent Zack Britton to the Yankees. He started eleven games for Norfolk before going down with a season-ending left elbow sprain.

Because Rogers was on the 60-day injured list, today’s spate of transactions only clears two spots on Balitmore’s 40-man roster, which now sits at 38. The pending activation of Alex Cobb from the 60-day IL and free agency of Mark Trumbo will keep Baltimore’s roster at 38 entering the offseason, as Roch Kubatko of MASN tweets.

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