Author Archives: Domenic Vadala

Welcome to Birdland Crush! Yes folks, for the record it's a spin off of the popular summer beverage native to the Mid-Atlantic Region - "orange crush." Nevertheless, I've been covering Orioles' baseball since 2009 in some capacity, and it's basically the greatest gig of all time so far as I'm concerned! But for those who aren't familiar with my work or bio, I'm familiar with pretty much every sport out there. But baseball is king - we all know that. So my hope is that you come back and check in after every Orioles' game, and throughout the off-season. I'm always on duty!

Baltimore Orioles interested in Houston’s Collin McHugh?

Over the weekend MASNsports’ Roch Kubatko reported that the Baltimore Orioles were talking to the Houston Astros about a trade that would send Collin McHugh to the Birds. Despite being injured for much of last year, McHugh garnered a 3.55 ERA. He also went 5-2 on the season.

He’s also looking at the reality of potentially not having a spot in Houston’s rotation. The Orioles obviously need starting pitchers right now, so there could be a potential match there. The downside is what would the the O’s have to give up to get McHugh? And honestly, I’m not even going to speculate. It’s worth mentioning that the Orioles have quite a few outfield prospects that could be flipped, but I digress.

You’re going to have a portion of the fan base who’s not going to like a move like that because it would cost the O’s something. But those are the same folks who no matter who they sign and for how much, are going to say that they overpaid. You can’t please everyone.

But we’re getting to the point in the off season where Dan Duquette starts to kick into overdrive. Most of his big deals seem to occur in February and March. And with spring training games starting one week from this Friday, we’re getting down to crunch time to get players into camp.

Baltimore Orioles: Are chips beginning to fall?

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of MLB may be starting to see the very beginning of chips starting to fall in regards to free agency for the 2018 MLB season. RHP Yu Darvish yesterday signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs. The deal is a six-year contract worth a reported $126 million.

This is in reality the first big name free agent to fall this off season. And go figure, it was a pitcher. However mind you that there are still well over 200 free agents that are going to need to find a team for the upcoming season. And pitchers and catchers report this week.

However this tells us two things. First off, perhaps the idea of waiting this long to sign someone isn’t necessarily going to “get you a deal.” Previously teams used to think that if you waited until right before spring training or perhaps even once it’s begun, you’ll be able to get a player (potentially of Darvish’s quality) on a shorter contract worth less year-over-year. The deal that Darvish just signed is hardly “on the cheap.”

But the other thing it could tell us is that Chicago isn’t about to wait for Jake Arrieta. The Orioles of course traded Arrieta to Chicago in the middle of the 2013 season. Since getting there, his career has taken off. Might he be willing to return to his old team?

At the end of the day, it really matters as to whether his old team is willing to pony up the money to get him. But as I said, many teams used to think that if you waited this long to get someone the price would go down. That’s potentially been refuted by Darvish’s signing, however I suspect that if anyone’s still sitting out there after next Friday (Opening Day of spring training), the price will in fact go down.

Baltimore Orioles: Division rival getting a new park?

One of the two worst ballparks in which the Baltimore Orioles play each year is Tropicana Field. In fact, it’s probably one hair above having to play at the Oakland Coliseum, which in my opinion is the worst park in the majors. The difference is that the O’s play at Tampa nine times a season since they’re in the AL East. Unfortunately, it’s a ballpark they kind of know well.

However yesterday the Tampa Rays announced that they had settled on a site for a new ballpark, in Tampa’s Ybor City. The Orioles, along with the rest of the league, are probably looking forward to the Rays getting new digs. Whether it’s in Ybor City, or – anywhere really. As long as it’s not “The Trop.”

I have my doubts as to whether this will happen. Apparently the Rays have nine years left on their lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. My question would be whether or not their current situation is tenable for nine years. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, when they’re playing midweek evening games in front of 4,000 people, tell me that their continued existence there is possible for nine years.

Tampa’s never been a place where baseball should have expanded. And yes, I recognize that I’m calling out a division rival. However aside from their first game, they’ve had attendance issues from the start. And the fact is that there are a lot of northeastern transplants in the Tampa area. Miami also. And sure while some people might venture out to a game if they get tickets here or there, in reality those people are only going to go when their hometown team comes to town.

So it’ll be interesting to see if they’re able to work something out. However one thing is certain – neither the Orioles, nor any other visiting team, will be sorry to see the Trop go by the wayside.

Baltimore Orioles: Get in shape!

Pitchers and catchers report for the Baltimore Orioles next Tuesday. Roughly a week later all players will report into camp. At that point the focus becomes Opening Day, however also February 23rd. That’s Opening Day for the Florida Grapefruit League.

The Orioles will take on Tampa at Ed Smith Stadium that afternoon. In fact, their first two spring games are at home, which is good for the starters and veterans because they’ll get work in. These spring games are as much about guys getting into shape as anything else.

And literally, that used to be “a thing.” Nowadays guys work out almost the entire off season, so they don’t really fall out of shape. However you still need to work yourself back into the grind of a major league season. And while the early spring workouts are somewhat of a shock to the system in terms of getting into game shape, the spring games take it a step further.

Keep in mind also that some of these games will be like watching paint dry. There’s very little ebb and flow, and the regulars who see action in the games will only play a few innings – at least at the beginning. As time goes on they’ll get more and more playing time. Which means they’ll get more and more into shape.

It’s also worth remembering that with pitchers and catchers reporting next week (ahead of position players), they’ll be further along in their workouts than hitters once games start. So you may see elevated strikeouts, and bad strikeouts from Oriole hitters at first. But they’ll catch up – they always do.

Baltimore Orioles projected to finish last

I was amused yesterday when I read in USA Today that the Baltimore Orioles are projected to finish last in the AL East. They have the O’s at a 72-90 mark, with New York finishing in first place at 93-69. Boston is a close second at 89-73.

I don’t have so much of an issue with the top of those projected standings, because both New York and Boston are stacked. The only wild cards with them are their managers, both of whom are rookies. And it’s of course in the dugout where the Orioles have the big advantage, as Showalter’s arguably the best manager in baseball. But time will tell.

However my point would be that the Orioles have no reason to be predicted to finish behind both Tampa and Toronto. Both teams have lost big time members in the off season – the likes of Bautista, Longoria, and others. So…how exactly are they better teams than the Orioles?

The Orioles of course are questioned about their pitching. That’s really what it boils down to across the board. However I suspect that the team-wide offensive tailspin in September rides on the minds of analysts as well. And my point there would be that whatever happened at that point happened to a hapless team that was dead tired. Granted they have to work on their stamina and on ensuring that they can keep it going for 162 games, however that wasn’t the real Orioles team.

Furthermore, NOBODY has been signing free agents. Some blame the players association for that, and some blame the owners. All I know is that pitchers and catchers will start reporting next week. If guys are going to start signing so as to get in full spring training workouts before the season, it’s going to have to be soon.

The point there of course is that there are a lot of chips left to fall. My personal opinion is that the O’s will sign at least one free agent pitcher, and most probably two. That would fill four rotation spots, leaving one up for grabs in camp. Does any of that mean that the O’s won’t finish in the basement? Not necessarily. However as things stand right now, I do believe that they’re a better team on paper than Toronto or Tampa.

In other news, former Oriole Ryan Flaherty signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia yesterday. The 31-year old utility infielder will get an invite to spring training, and will compete for a big league job. I hope that Orioles fans will join me in wishing Flaherty well. He wasn’t a superstar, nor was he an everyday starter. But when he was in the lineup he was fairly solid, and he ALWAYS played hard.

Baltimore Orioles avoid arbitration with Jonathan Schoop

Jonathan Schoop was always going to be a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 2018. It was just a matter of how much he was going to make. The O’s avoided arbitration with Schoop yesterday by signing him to a deal where he’ll be paid $8.5 million.

Schoop made $3.475 million last year, and he requested $9 million for 2018. The O’s countered at $7.5 million. An arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Thursday of this week in Phoenix, however that’s not been scrapped since the sides agreed.

Schoop of course made some waves a couple of weeks ago when “on the advice of his agent” he decided to skip the team’s annual FanFest celebration. So I was somewhat surprised to see the O’s settle at a number that was closer to Schoop’s request as a result. But the O’s also know that they’d like to keep Schoop long-term, so perhaps this was a carrot they threw him as a gesture of goodwill.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Manny Machado still tradeable?

At a certain point, the Baltimore Orioles need to start getting ready for the 2018 season with regard to the roster. My personal belief is that they’ve already done that, under the assumption that Manny Machado will be an Oriole on Opening Day. But is that something that could still change?

Trades are occasionally made during spring training. I can’t ever recall a blockbuster deal, which is what anything involving Machado would probably be. However here’s the kicker; I suspect that his value would go down. That is if it already hasn’t gone down.

I’ve said from the beginning that Machado’s value wouldn’t start to go down until games started. And yes, I mean spring training games. Because at that point he would have missed time with his new team – in theory. Furthermore he’s gearing up to play shortstop, which means that while it’s his natural position he also needs to make sure to have a solid spring.

If the Orioles are still intent on trading him, they should probably wait until closer to the deadline. Because I personally believe that his value will surge back up a bit at that point. It also gives the Orioles the first half to figure out if they have a team that can compete. If they do, there’s obviously no compelling reason to trade Machado. Time will tell.

Baltimore Orioles: MLB can’t screw up a good thing

As I’ve said before, the Baltimore Orioles don’t seem to be signing anyone. But neither does anyone else. It’s a perennial tug-of-war between teams and players. However let’s keep in mind that MLB is in a good spot right now. And one of the only things that can ruin that is labor unrest.

And you have to hope that we aren’t headed in that direction. Unlike the NFL, baseball has strayed away from controversy of late. The NFL on one hand appeared to embrace players kneeling for the national anthem. And then on the flip side they wouldn’t accept a Super Bowl ad from a veterans group asking people to stand for the anthem – because they didn’t want to be political.

Regardless of where you find yourself on that issue, there’s no question that there’s the impression of taking one side over the other. And again regardless of your views, there should be no question that people don’t tune into a sporting event in order so that politics can be shoved down their throats. They tune in for the love of the game and in order to see their teams win.

Now in fairness, people might ask what else the NFL could do in that situation. If they had required players to stand, they would have been taking the other side. So maybe it was a bit of a Catch-22. But the fact is that the entire issue was mis-managed. And that’s taken it’s toll on a lot of fans.

Again in contrast, MLB has stayed out of political issues like this. Furthermore, baseball has a unique advantage in that the meat of it’s season comes at a time where there’s no competition. For the most part, from June until September it’s the only sport. Yes there’s the NBA and NHL playoffs, but those seem to drag on and on – and eventually it’s only the cities involved who are truly paying attention. And while the stretch run of the season and the playoffs go up against the NFL, September and October baseball is usually as compelling as it gets.

But only labor unrest could possibly ruin this. Players and owners alike should take that into account. I might remind folks that the 1994 World Series was canceled because of a players’ strike. The first part of the 1995 season was as well. And as a result when baseball did come back, many fans did not. It took a guy named Ripken going to work everyday to fully bring baseball back into our national discussion. Is there another Cal waiting in the wings to rescue the sport this time around?

Baltimore Orioles pause for Super Sunday

I always question why people are reading about the Baltimore Orioles on Super Sunday. I mean – IT’S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, people! I’m not putting much into this column today, so I would recommend you don’t either.

However I will point out that Baltimore has a history all on it’s own regarding NFL titles. Before the Super Bowl even existed, the Baltimore Colts (my Dad’s team) won numerous NFL Title Games, including of course the 1958 Championship Game. You know, the greatest game ever played, in which the great Johnny Unitas invented the two-minute drill, drew the play in the dirt, etc.

Incidentally, I hope that fans remember that this evening while watching the Eagles and Patriots. As great as Tom Brady is and so forth, it was Baltimore’s Johnny U who invented the modern version of the position. Now teams move up and down the field all the time with ease. But until that game, nobody had ever seen someone doing that…literally with no time on the clock.

The Colts of course lost in their first Super Bowl appearance to the NY Jets back in Super Bowl III. However they defeated Dallas in Super Bowl V to once again become World Champions. Not to be outdone, the Baltimore Ravens of course have their two Super Bowl victories as well.

Baltimore’s the only city in the world to boast an NFL Title, a Super Bowl championship, and a CFL Title. Throw in the Orioles’ three World Series titles, and needless to say Baltimore’s a special place. So I suppose you want me to predict a score while I’m at it, don’t you?! Philadelphia will keep it close in the first half, and possibly even have a slight lead at halftime. But Brady isn’t losing this game; 42-27, Patriots.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Austin Hays the future in the outfield?

According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, Austin Hays of the Baltimore Orioles’ system is slated to make a big splash in the big leagues this year. Hays of course had a cup of coffee with the O’s in the big leagues last September, and many people liked what they saw. Hays was ranked second of all prospects to make a splash this year in the American League.

I suppose the question is whether or not Hays makes an impact right away, or if we have to wait. And the fact is that there are a lot of moving parts. It really matters how the Orioles’ roster shakes down, and whether or not there’s an ultimate spot for Hays.

I suspect that the Orioles’ brass would prefer that Hays start the season down in the minors. Even though his big league clock has been started, some additional seasoning is never a bad thing. But assuming you have Jones, Trumbo, and Mancini as starting outfielders, you also have Rickard as a utility outfielder. So the question is whether or not there’s a spot for Hays.

The fact is that he’s on the roster right now. But whether that’s the case on March 29th remains to be seen. (He may well have been stashed on the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.) I do feel that Austin Hays is “the future” for the Orioles in the outfield. Namely, in center.

So does that mean that if he and Jones are at some point going to co-exist on this roster Jones might have to move to a different position? Yes, that’s exactly what that means. (Assuming Jones re-signs with the Orioles.) I’m not saying that would or should happen now, but potentially down the road. However needless to say, Austin Hays is a guy to keep an eye on. My personal opinion is that he has a promising future with the Orioles.

The Orioles did make some news yesterday in adding some catching depth. They added Andrew Susac via a trade with Milwaukee, for either cash considerations or a PTBNL. Susac is a career .232 hitter who’s thrown 25% of base stealers out over the course of four years (104 games) with San Francisco and Milwaukee.