![\"Examining](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/8jJvD8wW2UaJTXPb-egNJYKVHto=\/2x0:2879x1918\/1400x1400\/filters:focal(2x0:2879x1918):format(jpeg)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/28347309\/177507164.0.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWe\u2019re now less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, although the weather lately makes it feel like spring is approximately 100 years away. (The forecast for next Tuesday calls for a high of 21 and a low of four. Four! As in, degrees!)<\/p>\n
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I won\u2019t be holding my breath for the Orioles to make any significant moves between now and then, though of course they could always surprise us like they did with last year\u2019s Corbin Burnes trade on Feb. 1. A few notable free agents are still lingering on the market, including slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who looks increasingly unlikely to re-sign with the Mets.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t expect that the Orioles are interested in Alonso, but also…I wouldn\u2019t hate it if they came out of nowhere to make him a three- or four-year offer with a high average annual value. It would be kind of fun, wouldn\u2019t it? Alonso might not age well but the guy can still mash \u2014 226 home runs in just six major league seasons is a heck of a thing \u2014 and he seems like a good dude. The O\u2019s lineup could use someone to replace the 44 home runs that are walking out the door with Anthony Santander, and with Walltimore being brought in, Alonso could take aim at the left-field seats at Camden Yards.<\/p>\n
Signing Alonso would of course force the O\u2019s to unclog the roster elsewhere, probably by trading Ryan Mountcastle, which the Orioles may or may not be interested in doing. Most likely they don\u2019t intend to go to great lengths to sign a player who doesn\u2019t address a glaring roster hole, especially at the price tag Alonso would command.<\/p>\n
So yeah, it\u2019s not realistic at all. Just a what-if scenario. But as we slog through this cold winter without much real Orioles news to chew on, what-if scenarios are all we have to sustain us right now.<\/p>\n
Links
\nChallenging readers with two more Orioles questions – School of Roch
\nRoch Kubatko is a bit more optimistic about the state of the Orioles\u2019 bullpen than I am. I hope he turns out to be right.<\/p>\n
Orioles Claim Jacob Amaya, DFA Roansy Contreras – MLB Trade Rumors
\nFind someone who loves you the way Mike Elias loves tinkering with the fringes of the 40-man roster.<\/p>\n
With Mullins set in center, what do the corner OF spots look like for O\u2019s? – Steve Melewski
\nAt the moment the obvious alignment seems to be Colton Cowser in left and some sort of Tyler O\u2019Neill\/Heston Kjerstad time share in right. But there\u2019s still time for the O\u2019s to surprise us with an unexpected trade of Kjerstad or re-signing of Santander.<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s the face of the Orioles? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
\nI feel like the answer is Gunnar. Now if the question were \u201cWho\u2019s the baby face of the Orioles?\u201d, there would be plenty of candidates.<\/p>\n
Orioles birthdays and history
\nIs today your birthday? Happy birthday! And a happy posthumous birthday to left-hander Jay Heard (b. 1920, d. 1999), who in 1954 became the first African American player in Orioles history. Other former Orioles born on Jan. 17 are right-hander Rob Bell (48) and the late catcher and scout Dick Brown (b. 1935, d. 1970).<\/p>\n
On this date in 1970, the O\u2019s drafted infielder Doug DeCinces in the third round of the secondary draft (the now-defunct January draft for players who graduated in the winter). DeCinces went on to play 858 games for the Orioles, capably replacing the great Brooks Robinson at third base and hitting the home run that was considered the birth of \u201cOrioles Magic\u201d in 1979.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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