Orioles news: Outfielder Tyler O’Neill, catcher Gary Sanchez signed

Hello friends.

The 2025 Orioles Opening Day is now three months and 19 days away, with the start of spring training (not yet officially announced) in about two months and a few days. To make things even quicker, the winter meetings start tomorrow. The Orioles have already gotten into preseason activities with the reported signing of outfielder Tyler O’Neill last night, and then they did it again last night with the reported signing of catcher Gary Sanchez last night.

What is your initial reaction to signing O’Neill? To the surprise of no one who regularly reads this site, I look at the contract and only see the pitfalls. This is a guy who gets injured a lot and has had some not-very-good hitting seasons in his career, including the last two seasons before that. He has short reach despite having a strong arm. He swings the ball hard but often misses. I would have just let it fly with Heston Kjerstad and not worried about the platoon imbalance in the outfield. There are many reasons why I am merely the person responsible for this blog.

As far as signing Sánchez goes, there aren’t many pitfalls when it comes to the backup catcher spot. Expectations are low and Sánchez’s recent track record suggests he should be able to live up to those low expectations. He can hit enough — just below league average in 2024 — and play defense more or less well enough to handle how often the Orioles are expected to play him.

One thing I will say is that this is the first sign that things may actually be different here than they were in the years when the Angelos family was figuratively in control of the purse strings. O’Neill’s contract is worth $49.5 million over three years. With an average annual value of $16.5 million, that’s no small change. If you add in the Sánchez money, it’s $25 million that will be added to next year’s payroll. O’Neill has the option to terminate the contract after one year, so he may not even be here for the three years. The best result is that he plays so well and stays so healthy that he’s gone after one season.

There is a big difference in the level of commitment between these two signings and, say, one of the best starting players, be it Corbin Burnes or Max Fried. Three years for an outfielder plus one year for a backup catcher and seven years for a starting pitcher are different things. Burnes or Fried could almost double the O’Neill AAV, with more than twice the number of years at the helm. I’ll still believe it when I see it.

However, after Saturday’s reported signing, there is no reason not to believe that the Orioles could at least operate in the mid-range of the free agent market, in the $60 million to $80 million range for guys like Sean Manaea, Jack Flaherty, or Nathan Eovaldi. These guys will probably cost more than O’Neill, but they won’t hit nine figures. Each of them has things you could talk yourself into doing.

If the Orioles don’t like the available free agents, they could try to fill rotation needs through trades — like they did in the final weeks before spring training this year to get Burnes. Until Garrett Crochet is traded to the White Sox, he will continue to generate trade rumors. The O’s could get him if they decide he’s worth what they would have to pay.

I think it’s unlikely that every relevant pitcher signed within 96 hours. Maybe none of them will sign the meetings. It’s worth remembering that last year’s Winter Meetings were largely a dud, with the Orioles’ signing of Craig Kimbrel being the most significant roster move of any team.

However, it doesn’t look like that will be the case this year, as even Scott Boras’ clients (including O’Neill) are signing early and there are signs that the mega-contract for Juan Soto will be completed soon. We could end up where there isn’t much significant free agent business left to resolve between now and Christmas. It won’t feel good if the game of musical chairs stops and the Orioles don’t have a starting pitcher to improve the rotation. But you don’t have to worry about that until the music stops. We’re not there yet.

All about the blogO’sphere

The Case for an Ace: Examining the Free Agent Profiles of Corbin Burnes, Max Fried (The Baltimore Sun)
There was once a conversation at the lunch table in high school about whether it would be better to date Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, as if either of these young men would ever become interested in these two pop stars. My mind returns to this place as I ponder the idea of ​​the Orioles signing Burnes or Fried.

Assessing Burnes’ Market Ahead of Winter Meetings (Orioles.com)
Does it mean anything that Elias Boras apparently said that “Baltimore is capable of being very competitive”? I guess we’ll find out.

A way-too-early look at the Orioles’ 26-man roster (School of Roch)
Can I just tell you how unexciting a scheduled Opening Day rotation involving both Cade Povich and Trevor Rogers feels right now? I’m more willing to believe that this will change than I was in the first version of this article, which I wrote before news of O’Neill’s signing broke.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1996, the Orioles have agreed to a contract with 35-year-old free agent pitcher Jimmy Key. In the 1979 season, Key started 34 games and pitched 212.1 innings, with results good enough for a 128 ERA+. His two years with the Orioles were the final two years of his career.

There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. One of them is Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, whose career spanned from 1991 to 2000. Today is Mussina’s 56th birthday. It is also the birthday of José León, the infielder of the 2002/2004 season. Happy Birthday.

Is today your birthday? Happy Birthday! Your birthday friends for today include: Mary, Queen of Scots (1542), inventor Eli Whitney (1765), composer Jean Sibelius (1865), musician Gregg Allman (1947), musician Sinead O’Connor (1966) and rapper Nicki Minaj ( 1982).

On this day in history…

In 1660, the role of Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello was played by a woman, making it the first known time a woman appeared on an English stage in any capacity. Three women are considered possibilities; Most historians seem to believe that an actress named Margaret Hughes broke the barrier.

In 1914, during World War I, an outgunned German squadron attempting to escape home from its base in Asia was defeated by the British in the Battle of the Falkland Islands. They lost six of eight ships and lost almost 2,000 men.

In 1963, lightning struck Pan Am Flight 214, which then crashed in Maryland near Elkton. There were 81 people on board the Boeing 707, all of whom died in the crash.

In 1980, former Beatles musician John Lennon was shot dead in New York City.

**

And so it is on December 8th in Birdland. I wish you a nice Sunday.