Orioles holding out for development rights as lease deadline nears

With only weeks remaining on their lease at Camden Yards, Orioles officials are pushing back against the idea of signing a long-term lease without including development rights at the complex.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, talks have been fraught in recent weeks as the team and state attempt to hash out a deal after announcing a non-binding memorandum of understanding in September. The source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos is not inclined to make major adjustments to the MOU.

A Baltimore Sun report last week suggested the sides were “considering separating the complex — and potentially contentious — issue of stadium-area development rights from the pressing need to finalize a lease.” But the source said that was not the case and that Angelos expects the state to honor the terms of the MOU — which was already agreed upon by each member of the Maryland Stadium Authority board.

The negotiations between the Orioles and the state are ongoing, and there is an urgency surrounding the deliberations ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline, a source said. There’s still time, and negotiations often go down to the wire, but there are significant portions of the deal that need to be worked out over the next few weeks.

Commentary: Camden Yards lease agreement casts aside Stadium Authority’s good work

Now, under the memorandum of understanding executed by Gov. Wes Moore and Orioles Chairman and CEO John Angelos, the Maryland Stadium Authority as created 37 years ago will cease to exist. The rationale they use is a move toward more efficient operations, but what it really means is that hundreds of millions of dollars that belong to the citizens of Maryland will be given to the Orioles to spend as they see fit.

The decisions to spend that money for short-term benefit or to make sure the useful lives of the stadiums are extended for many decades will be made by the Orioles and not the Stadium Authority. The likely result is underinvestment in infrastructure and systems. At some point in the future, the team owner will say the team needs more money because the stadium is deteriorating. We see this with sports facilities all over the state and around the country where team owners have full control over their stadiums.

Seager makes playoff history with bat on his shoulder

The Rangers made a lot of noise with their bats on Sunday evening, putting up 11 runs on 11 hits amid an offensive outburst during an 11-8 win over Baltimore in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

They made less noise but were equally impactful on the basepaths, drawing 11 walks off the Orioles’ carousel of pitchers.

That part wasn’t as much of a team effort, though, as Corey Seager provided nearly half of them. The Rangers shortstop became the first player to tally five walks in a postseason game in AL/NL history.

“A great job from him,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “He’s not expanding [the zone]. … He’s getting on base. That’s what you’re trying to do: Get guys on base, put pressure on them.”

Baltimore Orioles agree to 30-year lease extension at Camden Yards

The Orioles will take over operations and maintenance at Camden Yards as part of a non-binding agreement reached with Maryland leaders over a lease extension that would keep the team in Baltimore for decades to come.

The Orioles announced during Thursday night’s game that the team, the state of Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Stadium Authority reached an agreement that will keep the club at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore for the next 30 years…

As part of the MOU, officials said operations and maintenance will shift from the MSA to the Orioles, saving the state more than $3 million a year. Officials said MSA will retain strict controls and oversight. As such, the team will not pay rent but will assume the costs of operations and maintenance.

Officials said no state money will fund the private redevelopment, which could include The Warehouse, areas north of Lee Street, Camden Station, among others. No specifics were given at this stage.

Orioles clinch AL East title with 100th win of season

“It was the AL Beast again this year, and we knew it,” outfielder Austin Hays said. “We had to battle ... but here we are. We did it.”

Dean Kremer (13-5) allowed two hits and a walk in 5⅓ innings, striking out eight, and the Orioles reached 100 wins for the sixth time in team history and first since 1980. Baltimore prevailed in a brutally tough division that relegated the Red Sox and New York Yankees to afterthoughts.

Now the Orioles—two years after losing 110 games—will enter the postseason as the top seed in the American League.

“There were so many rough nights in ‘19 and ‘21,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “There’s a lot of guys that were in that clubhouse that are celebrating right now.”

the Orioles are the 1st team in MLB history to go from a 110+ loss season to a 100+ win in a 3-season span

the only other team to even go from 100+ losses to wins in such a span is the 1967-69 Mets https://t.co/3g4Mz3v8kB

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 29, 2023

Hall of Fame 3B, Orioles legend Brooks Robinson dies at 86

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. He was 86….

Coming of age before the free agent era, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career with the Orioles. He almost single-handedly helped Baltimore defeat Cincinnati in the 1970 World Series and homered in Game 1 of the Orioles’ 1966 sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first crown.

Robinson participated in 18 All-Star Games and earned the 1964 AL Most Valuable Player award after batting .318 with 28 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBIs. He finished his career with 268 homers, 1,357 RBIs and a respectable .267 batting average in 2,896 career games.

But he will be forever remembered for his work ethic and the skill he displayed at the hot corner, where he established himself as one of the finest fielding third baseman in baseball history, whether charging slow rollers or snaring liners down the third-base line.

Baseball America: Jackson Holliday Wins 2023 Minor League Player of the Year Award

For a second consecutive season, a Baltimore Orioles player is Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year.

Shortstop Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is the 2023 Minor League Player of the Year. He follows in the footsteps of O’s shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Baseball America’s 2022 MiLB Player of the Year.

Holliday, 19, becomes the third Orioles player all time to win Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. Catcher Matt Wieters was the MiLB Player of the Year in 2008.

Holliday is the son of long-time MLB outfielder Matt Holliday. He currently ranks No. 1 on Baseball America Top 100 Prospects rankings.

Holliday also becomes the fourth player to win both Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year and MiLB Player of the Year, joining catcher Joe Mauer, outfielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

MLB playoffs 2023: Orioles clinch postseason berth

AFTER THE ORIOLES improved from 52-110 in 2021 to 83-79 last season—the ninth-biggest year-to-year improvement in MLB history—Baltimore fans expected, or at least hoped, that Elias would address the rotation. The Orioles had ranked 23rd in the majors in ERA, 26th in strikeout rate and 25th in FanGraphs WAR—not exactly a playoff-caliber rotation. The big moves were anticlimactic: The team signed veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $10 million contract and acquired Cole Irvin from the A’s. Thus, the less-than-stellar projections.

There are three ways to view the offseason:

(1) Elias saw the 2022 season as a bit of a fluke, viewed regression as likely and didn’t want to commit big money in free agency just yet, not until it was a sure thing the Orioles were serious contenders. Even though he had said in August 2022 that “our plan for the offseason has always been to significantly escalate the payroll,” this more conservative approach made some sense—even if Orioles fans wanted the club to go after Justin Verlander or Carlos Rodon.

(2) Ownership didn’t provide the checkbook. Definitely possible, especially in light of John Angelos’ comments to the New York Times in August: “The hardest thing to do in sports is to be a small-market team in baseball and be competitive, because everything is stacked against you—everything,” he said. Angelos went on to elaborate: “Let’s say we sat down and showed you the financials for the Orioles. You will quickly see that when people talk about giving this player $200 million, that player $150 million, we would be so financially underwater that you’d have to raise the [ticket] prices massively.” That doesn’t sound like an owner desiring big increases to the payroll—and blaming it on ticket prices.

(3) Elias was simply following the Astros’ blueprint he was once part of: Be cautious, trust your player development—and don’t overspend on big free agents. As the Astros rebuilt, they also had a surprise season, making the playoffs as a wild card in 2015. But that didn’t lead to an emptying of the coffers. When the Astros did need to make a big move, they did it via trades that brought in players with shorter long-term commitments than would have been required to sign a comparable free agent: Verlander in 2017, Gerrit Cole in 2018 and Zack Greinke in 2019. It helped that the Astros made three great trades in which the only significant major leaguer they traded away was Joe Musgrove.

So the Orioles played it safe—but it has worked out.

Adam Jones To Officially Retire

The Orioles announced that Adam Jones will retire as an Oriole on September 15. Presumably, he will sign a one-day contract and there will be some pre-game festivities, though those details have not yet been announced. Jones last played in the majors in 2019, heading to Japan for two years after that but didn’t sign anywhere last year. Now he will officially hang up his spikes with the organization where he spent the bulk of his career.

Jones, now 38, was selected by the Mariners with the 37th overall pick in the 2003 draft. He was initially used as a shortstop but moved to the outfield as a minor leaguer. He became a top 100 prospect and was able to get some brief major league time with the Mariners in 2006 and 2007, getting into 73 games over those two seasons. He didn’t quite establish himself at the big league level immediately, hitting .230/.267/.353 in that time.

Prior to the 2008 season, Jones was one of five players that the Mariners sent to the Orioles in the Erik Bedard trade, a move that would prove to be career-defining for Jones. The O’s were in a rough period at that time and were able to give Jones some regular playing time. He got into 132 games in 2008, hitting .270/.311/.400. That translated to a subpar wRC+ of 84, but he stole 10 bases and provided above-average center field defense, leading to a tally of 1.5 wins above replacement from FanGraphs.

A Great Team, an Ambitious Plan and an ‘Existential’ Issue - NO PAYWALL

“And if big markets like Boston and Atlanta are doing it, it becomes existential — how are we going to compete and keep pace? Everybody won’t be able to do it. But I think because of what’s here — the brand of this ballpark, this piece of property of 60-odd acres with other land around it that could be accessed, maybe bolted on, with the mass transit you don’t even have in Atlanta, with the great highway systems — we think it’s existential.”...

“It’s really about taking a brand-new Baltimore and pushing it higher,” Angelos said. “But you need that leadership, you need government and private coming together. I think we can really do something amazing. We’re so well located. The community is diverse and robust and growing. We can do it. We just need to think big. We did it before.”

John Angelos: Orioles have to raise prices ‘dramatically’ to keep young stars

The Baltimore Orioles are flying toward the playoffs with a bright young team, but owner John Angelos isn’t sure if it’s sustainable to keep the club’s core together long term.

Angelos cited his team’s small market as the reason it might be impossible to pay its core stars what they’re worth.

“The hardest thing to do in sports is be a small-market team in baseball and be competitive because everything is stacked against you - everything,” Angelos told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

Angelos added the Orioles would need to “dramatically” raise prices at the ballpark if they’re to keep the likes of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Grayson Rodriguez, among others, for the long haul.

Orioles ownership needs a reality check | STAFF COMMENTARY

People root for Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, not for ownership. It’s one thing to have disagreements over details of the lease, it’s quite another to attempt a fleecing of the taxpayers. Angelos has made all kinds of assurances about keeping the team in Baltimore and about committing to a long-term lease. The clock is ticking and patience has begun to wear thin. He needs to make good on those promises — and he needs to do it without taking shelter, food and other essentials from people who can’t afford to attend one of his games let alone stay at a fancy hotel, eat in a 4-star restaurant or buy a luxury condominium.

Rosenthal: Why the Orioles haven’t signed a new lease to stay at Camden Yards

Stadium authority chairman Craig Thompson responded to Cole by saying, “I can let you know that the discussions have been very productive.” Cole spoke with John Angelos the next day, and Angelos has continued his discussions with Moore over the past week, according to sources briefed on those conversations. But while Angelos and Moore released a joint statement on July 13, saying they are determined to reach agreement, “and soon,” a deal is not yet in place.

The problem is that John Angelos desires a lease that includes more than the commitment by the state to unlock $600 million in public funds for ballpark improvements. He also wants to develop an area around the park similar to The Battery Atlanta, a complex adjoining the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park, which opened in 2017.

Angelos declined comment, as did Cole. A spokesperson for Moore cited the previous joint statement the governor made with Angelos, which said in part, “we’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.”

Angelos and Moore visited The Battery in March. The necessary land for such a project around Camden Yards, however, does not exist. The ballpark sits in the middle of Baltimore, while Truist was built in a suburb 10 miles outside of Atlanta.

Reports: Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown removed for reference to struggles vs. Rays

Orioles play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Brown reportedly was removed from MASN broadcasts after he made a reference to Baltimore’s lack of success against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in previous years.

Before a game against the Rays on July 23, Brown noted that the Orioles had won as many games at Tropicana Field in 2023 as they had in the past three years combined. A graphic showing the Orioles’ struggles there accompanied Brown’s commentary.

Here's the clip of Kevin Brown's pregame comments on the Orioles' recent record against the Rays ahead of a series finale on July 23. Sources tell AA these comments led to Brown's current indefinite suspension from Orioles' broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/csURU04fJU

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 7, 2023

O’s call up their No. 2 prospect Colton Cowser

Next prospect up: Colton Cowser.

Cowser had his contract selected by the Orioles on Wednesday in New York, where the team has two more meetings with the Yankees to close out a four-game series. The 23-year-old outfielder is Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 overall prospect.

Cowser got the callup by the O’s nine days after they brought up infielder Jordan Westburg (the club’s No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 32 overall prospect). Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and infielder Joey Ortiz (O’s No. 5 prospect and No. 65 overall) have also gotten their first callups and made their big league debuts this year…

Cowser has been raking at Triple-A Norfolk all year. In 56 games, he slashed .330/.459/.537 with 10 doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 40 RBIs.

MASN bolsters broadcast team with former Orioles Brad Brach, Mike Devereaux

Mid-Atlantic Sports Network bolstered its Orioles broadcasts with the announced additions of two former Orioles and one local radio personality to the network’s in-game television experience.

For select games, the broadcast will include former outfielder Mike Devereaux and pitcher Brad Brach, the former an Orioles Hall of Fame member and the latter having earned his lone All-Star appearance as a member of the Orioles in 2016. Jason La Canfora, who hosts “Inside Access” on 105.7 WJZ-FM, is also joining.

MASN dispute ends for now with Orioles owing Nationals $100 million

For years, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been at odds, feuding over how much MASN—their shared broadcast partner—should owe in rights fees. As a concession to Baltimore for accommodating a new team in its local market (the Nationals relocated from Montreal in 2005), the Orioles received a majority ownership stake in MASN, effectively granting them control over Washington’s rights fees.

MASN offered $200 million for the Nationals’ TV rights from 2012-16 ($40 million annually), a sum they flatly rejected, countering at $475 million. The sides lawyered up, presenting their case before MLB’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee, which determined Washington should receive an additional $100 million. The Orioles fought to have that ruling vacated, arguing the decision be overturned on grounds that MLB and the Nationals had used the same law firm, representing an obvious conflict of interest.

Brady Anderson: Matusz is ‘a different human’

HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST…BUT ALL ORIOLE!

Orioles Hall of Famer Brady Anderson, making his first appearance since being appointed special assistant to executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, said today at FanFest that the difference between Brian Matusz a year ago at this time and Brian Matusz today is the difference between night and day.

“He’s like a different human as far as his mentality and his dedication and the raw numbers, what type of athlete he is, he’s not the same,’’ Anderson said of the left-hander.

...Also, if you’re not strong mechanically, you’re going to break down. Think about what they do for a living. Think about what pro athletes do for a living. You can’t do average things and expect to be extraordinary.”
“You’re asking a guy who’s 6-2, 190 pounds who throws the ball 190 miles per hour. You’re talking about very, very elite people and you train like an elite athlete.”

Camden Depot: Rick Peterson Breaks Fewer Pitchers?

Jon Shepherd takes a first look at Rick Peterson’s record in keeping pitchers off the disabled list.

Rick Peterson and his pitching lab will apparently be in full effect for the Orioles in 2012.  His analytical technique has been hailed as a major prevention tool against injuries.  I have disabled list numbers of starting pitchers from part of his tenure with the A’s and all of his tenure with the Mets, giving us a time line from 2001 to 2007.  I also have disabled numbers of Orioles’ starting pitchers in 2009 and 2010.

Kiwi teen signs with Orioles

Makes sense, the O’s can’t fly either.

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

[Wei-Yin] Chen gives Orioles left-handed starter

I didn’t see an NMA animation for this, unfortunately :-(

In the latest move of the ongoing effort to stabilize their starting rotation, the Orioles officially signed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen out of Taiwan on Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year contract that includes a club option for 2015…

“It’s a unique situation based upon his age, the fact that he’s left-handed, our need and the acquisition cost was really [just] the cost of the contract,” Duquette said of Chen, who was not subject to a posting fee because he was released by the Chunichi Dragons…

Chen spent the past four years with the Dragons in Japan’s Central League, going 38-30 with a 2.48 ERA in 117 games (88 starts). The lefty posted a 2.68 ERA in 25 appearances last season and will be the first Taiwanese-born player in Orioles history, as Duquette, who also signed Japanese pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada earlier this offseason, continues to ramp up the organization’s international efforts.

Chen works off a fastball that routinely clocks in between 92-94 mph, and he is lauded for his exceptional command and use of a “slurve-like” breaking ball for his out pitch. His signing, coupled with Wada and the club’s trade for Dana Eveland, gives the O’s depth at the starting pitching position, fostering competition among their young hurlers and ensuring that setup man Jim Johnson will remain in the bullpen… While Wada could also be moved to the bullpen depending on what happens in camp, Chen figures to be solely used as a starter.

Former Oriole Luke Scott signs one-year deal with Tampa Bay

Luke Scott: Rebirtherr.

Luke Scott, the outspoken, energetic slugger who spent four seasons in Baltimore and was named the 2010 Most Valuable Oriole, has agreed to a one-year deal with the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays that includes a 2013 option, according to an industry source.

Exact terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Scott, 33, was in his final year of arbitration after making $6.4 million in an injury-marred 2011 that ended in July, when he decided to have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. In December, the Orioles decided not to tender him a contract—he would have made at least $6 million and likely more—and allowed him to become a free agent.

There was talk that the club wanted him back on a lesser deal, but the Orioles never made a push this offseason to re-sign him.

Baseball America’s Top 10 Prospects: Baltimore Orioles

Bundy: From Ann Rule to Oriole Way…always with the damn restrictions.

1. Dylan Bundy, rhp
2. Manny Machado, ss
3. Jon Schoop, inf
4. Parker Bridwell, rhp
5. L.J. Hoes, of/2b
6. Nicky Delmonico, 3b/1b
7. Ryan Flaherty, inf/of
8. Jason Esposito, 3b
9. Xavier Avery, of
10. Dan Klein, rhp

Angelos is now on his eighth different GM since buying the Orioles 18 years ago. MacPhail lasted the longest, at four and a half years. Before him, Angelos ran off baseball icon Roland Hemond, who left after the 1995 season; Hall of Famer Pat Gillick, who fled after 1998 despite making the AL Championship Series twice in three years; Frank Wren, who lasted only one season and has found success as GM of the Braves; Syd Thrift, a recycling experiment similar to Duquette that lasted three years; and Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan, who served as a two-headed GM for three years before Flanagan did a year and a half on his own.

Angelos has done a poor job of creating a unified baseball operation pulling in the same direction toward a shared goal, instead fostering an atmosphere where departments seem to function as autonomous units. Duquette, of course, pledges to change that. Empty promises have remained one of the few constants with the Orioles during the last 14 years.

Rafael Palmeiro to the Hall of Fame: Let voters handle steroid issue

Rafael House: The first shelter for the HOF-less.

The 2013 ballot is expected to be a more accurate barometer of how the Steroid Era will be viewed comparatively to baseball history. Palmeiro acknowledges he’ll be curious, too.

“Next year, I think, will be the telling story about what all this means. It’s going to be interesting,” Palmeiro said. “You have guys that were all-time greats, and so we’ll see how the voters are going to look at all of us. The guys [newly eligible] next year will give us a better indication what the future holds for all of us, I guess.”

...“I am not sure what to make of that. I was surprised about Juan Gonzalez, that he totally dropped off the ballot,” Palmeiro said. “I think what McGwire did for baseball—going for the [season] home run record—I think he was one of the great players of our time. It’s just hard to see something like that happen to him, and for myself, for that matter. We’ll have to see what happens next year, whether I go up or down. I don’t have a clear picture of what the future holds, what it’ll mean for me.”

For his part, Palmeiro said he watched the Hall of Fame telecast Monday but wasn’t expecting a change in fortune from 2011.

“I didn’t really watch it that closely this time around. Obviously, I am disappointed again, but it is what it is. It is tough to think [87 percent] of the writers are not seeing me as a Hall of Famer,” Palmeiro, 47, said. “Maybe they will one day, I don’t know. At the rate that it is going, if it happens at all—and it may not – it looks like it will happen when I am an old man.”