'We're on the upswing': O's wrap key Winter Meetings

SAN DIEGO -- Orioles general manager Mike Elias called his time at the 2022 Winter Meetings this week a “very productive trip” and “a lot of fun.” The team didn’t need to make a plethora of free-agent signings and trades in a small window for that to be the case.

Elias and manager Brandon Hyde each shared how much they’ve enjoyed meeting with big league-caliber free agents and player representatives from around the industry in San Diego. The O’s weren’t as engaged at the previous in-person Winter Meetings, which took place in 2019, early in Baltimore’s rebuild.

“I think we’ve been in the middle of a lot of things, we’ve had some really encouraging dialogue with agents and teams,” Elias said. “I look at this more as an information-gathering event, first and foremost. We get to do a lot, see a lot of people.”

Considering the Orioles’ only Major League signing has been right-hander Kyle Gibson (to a one-year deal worth $10 million), there’s still work to be done. But with two months until players report to Sarasota, Fla., for Spring Training, there’s plenty of time to make more moves.

Biggest remaining needs
1. Starting pitcher
The Orioles’ signing of Gibson hasn’t slowed their pursuit of another starter who can bolster their rotation, preferably near the top. They’ve been meeting with starting pitchers on Zoom calls, giving them their best sales pitch to come to Baltimore.

The market for starters has moved fast, though. It was never likely that the O’s would land a Jacob deGrom (now with the Rangers) or Justin Verlander (the Mets), but pitchers from lower tiers such as Taijuan Walker (Phillies), Jameson Taillon (Cubs), José Quintana (Mets) and Andrew Heaney (Rangers) have found new teams as well.

“There’s a lot of guys out there still that we’re still engaged with, in some cases [in a] multiyear context, that are free-agent starters,” Elias said. “But we’ve seen the market out here, it’s been very fast, very competitive.”

2. Left-handed hitter
Based on the team’s projected roster, Elias believes Baltimore has available playing time at first base, designated hitter and both corner outfield spots. The O’s have been looking to add a strong hitter (ideally left-handed) to bring a bit more thump to their lineup.

“We are in talks with players that would be in the starting nine on Opening Day, or however you want to put it,” Elias said. “I would view the probable additions at this point that we’re talking to and see out there as guys that will come in and kind of be on the same level as our other starters, of people that go into this rotation of playing time that’s out on the field, that’s at DH.”

3. Backup catcher
Robinson Chirinos is a free agent and seems unlikely to return, so the O’s have been in the market for a No. 2 catcher to back up Adley Rutschman. Anthony Bemboom and Mark Kolozsvary are internal candidates, but neither is on the 40-man roster.

Rule 5 Draft
The streak continued: For the 16th consecutive Rule 5 Draft, the Orioles selected a player during the Major League phase. This year, they used the No. 17 overall pick on right-hander Andrew Politi, who spent the first four seasons of his pro career in the Red Sox’s organization.

A 15th-round pick out of Seton Hall University in the 2018 MLB Draft, Politi reached Triple-A for the first time in ‘22. He recorded a 2.34 ERA in 50 games (two starts) between Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland.

GM’s bottom line
When Elias said it was “liftoff from here” for the Orioles following the Trade Deadline in August, many fans expected the team to open the offseason by immediately making big moves. That hasn’t exactly been the case, and Elias clarified this week that his statement was more about the organization’s improved standing.

“It’s not a specific proclamation for, ‘We’re going to do it all at once at the Winter Meetings,’ but that the next several years of baseball in Baltimore is going to be excellent,” Elias said. “And I think that the team is going to continually improve and we’re going to build the business of Baltimore baseball back up over the next several years.

“We’re on the upswing -- that’s what I mean when I say that. It’s a very exciting time for us. It’s been a long time coming and a lot of work getting to this point. But to be on the upward arc where we’re at, regardless of what we do or don’t do this winter, I think is very encouraging for all of us in this organization and for the fans and for the players.”