The Orioles’ latest business-side layoffs landed this week, and the move hit harder because it included the person who performs as the Oriole Bird. That detail is only part of the story, though. It also arrives with labor tensions looming, and the timing has plenty of people connecting dots the club would rather keep separate.
The Baltimore Banner’s sources said the layoffs were not tied to the coming lockout, but that explanation doesn’t pass the smell test. Every owner knows they are going to lock out the players on December 1.
The commissioner himself likened this negotiating tactic to shooting the players with a .45. In that context, trimming costs before baseball revenue gets interrupted looks less like a coincidence and more like leverage.
That’s the part that makes all of this feel so cynical. The people making these decisions know exactly what kind of disruption is coming, and they’re willing to spread it around however they can - on employees, on fans, on anyone else who gets caught in the blast radius.
It sucks that the team has done this. The motives behind it suck, too.
There’s also the season-ticket wrinkle, which fits the same pattern. This year’s plans were pushed to 20- and 40-game packages instead of the old 13- and 27-game options.
One of the supposed benefits is that you can sell back roughly a third of your tickets for credit next year. Conveniently enough, that means the Orioles already have the money in the bank whether games are played or not.
For now, there are still a few weeks of playoff baseball to occupy the spotlight, even if only briefly. The Dodgers blew out the Braves last night, and the hope here is simple: stop the three-peat chase as soon as possible.
Brewers-Padres finished after I went to sleep, so that series is either over or on its way to another game today, which leaves the American League in focus. Whoever comes out of that side needs to be ready to keep Los Angeles out of the World Series.
Cleveland stayed alive by winning on the road yesterday, beating the White Sox 9-3 to avoid a sweep. Chicago can still close it out today in the only game on the schedule, since the Yankees were eliminated in a sweep last night.
At one point, what looked like the tying run was erased on replay because of fan interference on a home run. Let us all shed a tear or two as we wonder what might have happened if this replay existed in 1996.
As for Orioles items worth your time, Jon Meoli’s reporting on the general manager search says the candidate pool includes “up-and-coming player development leaders from other organizations” - exactly the sort of direction that makes sense - and that the hire will help reinforce Craig Albernaz’s agenda of raising the standard. If that was the agenda, it did not go especially well in year 1 in the organization.
Steve Melewski also wrote about whether the Orioles’ problems are more about focus or talent. Veteran players on the team strongly suggested, without naming names, that the issue is focus rather than talent.
There’s also an MLB memo floating around on lockout preparation, and The Athletic reported that the league is making sure everything is lined up. No Christmas cards for players from teams this year, unless they get mailed around Thanksgiving, before the lockout happens.
On the prospect side, Orioles On The Verge says the early returns from the Arizona Fall League have been encouraging for Baltimore prospects. And Jim Palmer floated a possibility that prospect writers have been pushing for a long time: could Coby Mayo play in right field? The Orioles have never really tried to make that happen, but maybe that changes before next season.
Today also brings a couple of Orioles anniversaries. On this date in 2012, the Orioles evened the ALDS against the Yankees with a 3-2 win. Wei-Yin Chen pitched well, Chris Davis drove in two runs with a single, and Mark Reynolds delivered the eventual game-winner in the sixth inning to knot the best-of-five series at 1-1.
In 2023, things went the other way. Texas jumped Grayson Rodriguez and built a 9-2 lead after three innings before finishing off an 11-8 win, leaving Baltimore in a 2-0 hole in the ALDS.
Albert Suárez is the current Oriole with a birthday today, and he turns 37. Former Orioles born on this date include Manny Barreda, Keith Reed, Mike Morgan, Enos Cabell, and Bob Mabe.
And if it’s your birthday, happy birthday to you. Your birthday buddies include Eddie Rickenbacker, Frank Herbert, Jesse Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, and Bruno Mars.
A few other notes from this day in history: in 1871, fires swept across the Midwest after months of drought, including the Great Chicago Fire, which killed over 300 people and left as many as 100,000 homeless. In 1918, Corporal Alvin York led an attack on a German machine gun nest that resulted in 35 enemy soldiers killed and 132 captured, earning him the Medal of Honor. And in 1956, Don Larsen threw a perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series, helping the Yankees take a 3-2 lead over the then-Brooklyn Dodgers before the Yankees won Game 7, 9-0.
In Other News...
Zach Eflin Just Put Baltimore In An Awkward Rotation Spot
Zach Eflins season never really got off the ground in Baltimore, and now the Orioles have a much larger rotation question hanging over them. He underwent Tommy John surgery in early April after exiting his first start with elbow discomfort, a brutal turn for a pitcher the club had planned to count on as part of its starting mix.
Eflins future with the Orioles now looks uncertain beyond the injury timeline, too. Baltimore is expected to buy out his 2027 mutual option for $2 million, which likely closes the door on his current deal, while Eflin is projected to miss a significant chunk of next season during rehab before possibly exploring a two-year free-agent contract once hes healthy again. For a team trying to map out its pitching depth, it leaves one less sure thing and another spot to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face A Bullpen Puzzle That Could Spark Real Debate
Before the season even got rolling, the Orioles were already dealing with a bullpen that looked short on certainty. Keegan Akin and Andrew Kittredge landed on the injured list before Opening Day, and closer Ryan Helsley also spent time there, a rough set of early blows for a group that was supposed to help stabilize games late.
Looking ahead, the bigger question is how Baltimore sorts out a relief mix that could still feature Helsley, Flix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia, Josh Walker and Grant Wolfram in 2027. Some of those arms arrived via trade or new deals, which only adds to the intrigue as the Orioles try to figure out which pieces are part of the long-term answer and which ones are just keeping the inning alive for now. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Test Their Offseason
The Orioles are headed into an offseason that may ask more of their front office than any bullpen tweak in recent years. Baltimores relief corps has held up well enough to keep the club in the mix, but roster turnover is coming, and the late-inning group could look different before next spring. Around the league, teams like Tampa Bay have shown how a patchwork approach, built through trades, a Rule 5 Draft pick and a free-agent addition, can still produce meaningful bullpen depth when the pieces fit.
For Baltimore, the real challenge is not just replacing innings, but deciding how much certainty it can count on in a market that rarely makes relief pitching easy. Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin are both trending toward free agency, and Akin is also working back from Tommy John surgery from this past July, which adds another layer to an already unsettled picture. The Orioles have spent enough time chasing the margins to know how quickly a bullpen can change shape, and this winter may force them to prove they can do it again. [Read more 🡒]