Category: Sports News

On Monday, Colorado Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes met with media to answer questions. Below are a few takeaways from that conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

On trading for Jack McCarthy after noticing his athleticism in the World Series:

The (Arizona Diamondbacks) had a lot of outfielders — left-hand hitting outfielders, so that’s part of it. . . Their athleticism was on display every night, and he was a big part of that, so we wanted to add some more athleticism, versatility to our team. He makes contact. He can play all three positions. So those were some of the things we were looking for — and he certainly had — and he’s played very well for us.

On trading for TJ Rumfield:

I think it’s so hard to evaluate hitting in the big leagues. As much as he’d accomplished in Triple-A, I think watching him, we always said, “He’s a creative hitter. You’re going to face righties, lefties, north, south, east, west, and he just seems like he’s got a very good contact skill.” But he’s very creative, and sort of thinking through at-bats when the count’s in his favor, when it’s not, and the consistency of his production. It’s nice to evaluate a player from afar and what he’s done in Triple-A — until you have to go do this every day. I think part of what makes him really good, we probably didn’t know until after we got him. I think he’s just a creative hitter and really can compete against a variety of major league arms.

On Rumfield’s defense:

He’s been really good. I think, first of all, the wingspan, even infielders’ throws, he saves some errors with that, and he’s done a nice job on balls hit to him so he’s been good there, too.

On having Mickey Moniak back:

He’s been great. Obviously, we missed his production. But from a clubhouse standpoint — all of us coming in here (knew) what his career has been, from first pick to the stops before he got here — I think we sensed he was primed to really be productive, but also be a leader for our group and help us think through how we can win games and all that goes into it, the game planning. I think the production is important, but I think behind the scenes is really important, too.

On what he’s learned about this team at the halfway point:

I feel like I said it behind the scenes. I’m really encouraged by the progress. I think we still have a long way to go. I think we have to always maintain our standards as we climb out of this thing. For two months, series by series, we’ve been very competitive — probably could have won more games, and in May, we just weren’t very good. So I’m really encouraged that we’re making progress. I’m really encouraged by the effort level and how much guys want to be better individually and as a team. And we’ve just got to maintain what we’re really after, which is winning and playing in October. We don’t want to be delusional. We’ve just got a ways to go, but I’m encouraged by the progress.

On areas where he’d like to see improvement:

I think the game is scoring runs and preventing runs. So in April, we’re probably better at preventing than scoring, and in June, we’ve been better at scoring than preventing. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ve been tested with injuries. I think pitching is always going to be a challenge here when it’s tested over six months. And it’s our daily ritual of who’s available, who’s not. And it’s been done here before — build a pitching staff that’s playoff caliber and hopefully sustainable for several years. Not just the players, but the methods behind it. I think (that) is probably pretty high on the list for like what we’re trying to do.

On acquiring more pitching depth when it feels like there’s a lack of big-league-ready pitchers:

I think we need more upper-level pitching. We’ve found some in various ways. Andrew Baker is about to go to Triple-A, and we acquired him for international money. Blas Castaño was a waiver claim, etc. Eiberson Castellano was a minor-league free agent, so we’ve got to be always looking for that. And then, the bigger swings, if they materialize in a trade scenario or in the draft. But I would say in order to not be short there, which we probably are now, we just have to constantly be on the hunt for pitching, and hopefully up and down the organization

On MLB draft preparation and emphasizing pitching:

It’s not the roster-fill time of year. I think you’re just trying to add talent, and it takes shape as you get organized towards the big leagues. So I would say probably have a balance and just find the best players we can approaching the draft.

On the overcrowded outfield and the coming trade deadline:

We’re talking to teams constantly. I obviously won’t reveal too much about who or what we’re talking about, but I think teams usually make trades because they have depth there and can trade out of it, and then teams usually make trades because they’re “buyers” or “sellers.” I think some of that is pretty clear where our position is right now, so we’ve just got to touch the market, talk to people, and see if something makes sense to us.

On the value of plate discipline:

I think it’s a big ingredient with all things hitting. Really, for the last few years — majors and minors — it had been, like, 30th. And then you add in contact skills, so how hard you hit it. And then, you make good decisions, you make contact. So we’ve had to address that as best we could every day, every direction, and the players we got.

Even in June, we’ve been sort of average with respect to our chase rate and our contact skill across 30 teams, but we’re, like, third in runs scored. So if we get those in a better place, we can do more with them. They all fit together, and it is important to message it. It’s important to message it correctly but also to have guys come up from the minors — and we’re always tracking that. I think there’s been nine or so players who’ve made their debuts. Can you succeed at first when you’re first going through it? We’re trying to get these guys where when they come up here, they can compete and grow from there.

So, with Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) and Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP), they’ve done a nice job at that.

On what he finds encouraging:

First, the effort and enthusiasm, competitiveness is essential. The curiosity, how we’re going to make them better, and take it out on the field, and see some of the things we just talked about take shape. There’s improvement, and that leads to runs, or wins, or preventing runs. So, I think we’ve seen signs of that. I would still like to say it’s progress, not quite at the standard we’re going to need, but I think progress is a good thing. So that’s where we are now, and all of us are excited about the progress. We’ve just got to keep adding to it.

On what it would mean for fans to have a competitive Rockies team:

I just got off the phone with another GM about an hour ago, and he remarked on that — the sort of level his team had played here. The fans are here, they’re loud, they’re into it. I mean, we know from TV, social media, all that. I think it’s amazing, to be honest. The fanbase here is tremendous. I think they’re very optimistic and waiting, and the most important thing we can do is deliver a team they can root for, a team that wins, a team that plays in October. So, I think it’s added motivation. Our fans are here if we do our part, so it doesn’t go unnoticed.

On how Warren Schaeffer is doing:

I think he’s been outstanding. First and foremost, leadership, communication, the human being, but also the puzzle every day to try to win a game, injuries, bullpen availability, how he’s used our roster and communicated that to players, which is hard. I think he’s just done a terrific job of it. So I’m very, very impressed with what Schaeff’s done.

On what he’s learned about baseball in Colorado:

A lot of hits fall in. I guess I knew that, but when you’re seeing it, and your bullpen is a little short that night, “Are we gonna throw a few more pitches to get out of this?” I actually think that’s the most — aside from how pitches move or a fly ball carries — I think it’s just the amount of space, the availability of hits changes the game enough, and what that really means to you in terms of everything we’re talking about, like pitchers you choose or planning for your bullpen or fast outfielders who can catch a few of them, or in McCarthy’s case, any ball that touches the outfield grass is probably going to second. I just think the space affects the game almost constantly, so I would say that’s probably the main thing,

On valuing positional versatility:

Almost everybody — Ryan Ritter, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), you gone on down the list, Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP), all these guys — I think being able to play multiple positions at a good level, it’s good for you, it’s good for us. Let’s do it. And it requires some work, but for the most part, with some of those examples, it’s going very well.

On how he approaches promoting prospects:

It’s one of the things with players, I’m always, “Where’s he been?” “Where’s he now?” “Where’s he going?” And you sort of see him on a timeline. So where is he now? And if you’re in Triple-A and you think you should be in the big leagues, I often say to players, “You’re not a human being if you’re not a little, ‘Why am I not getting a shot?’” That’s a human reaction. We can explain a lot of it. There’s a lot that’s individual player’s readiness. What’s going on with the roster. There’s a lot of reasons, and I almost always say, “Maybe we’re right. Maybe we’re not. Your instinct is you’re ready. We’re saying not quite yet.” But I think the other thing, even talking to the teenagers in our system, we’re going to teach you and develop you based on major-league standards, not like passing this test or shooting for this field. From a player’s journey, only one promotion matters: This one. (He gestured at Coors Field.) Communicating that to them and what our thought process is is important.

Takeaways

For me, I thought Byrnes’ most interesting comments were about pitching and the “space” at Coors Field — and how the latter affects decisions they make with the former.

There’s a lot here, and I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

Former Virginia Tech standout joins select MLB company with the Colorado Rockies | The Fighting Gobbler

Look, if you can link to a site called “The Fighting Gobbler,” you absolutely have to do it. In this case, the Gobblers in question are the Virginia Tech Hokies, Alma mater of Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield. Scott Roche reviews Rumfield’s trip to Colorado and notes some of his accomplishments in purple pinstripes.

Never use an ABS Challenge in this one weird count | FanGraphs

We’ve been talking on the Purple Row board about the best strategy for using an ABS Challenge. Kiri Oler did some math — and Willi Castro and TJ Rumfield are mentioned.

Rockies’ crowded outfield will lead to tough roster decisions | Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry asks the question we all have on our minds: What will Paul DePodesta do with all those outfielders? Here’s where he lands for now: “Here’s a potential scenario: Moniak and Doyle return to the Colorado roster with Thompson and catcher Braxton Fulford sent back to Triple-A. Beck finishes his rehab assignment with Albuquerque and stays with the Isotopes until he is no longer limited to being a platoon bat.”

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Brian Murphy at MLB mothership has an update on Bobby Witt Jr’s recovery.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s sprained right knee kept him out of the Royals’ lineup for the third straight game Monday. But prior to the team’s series opener against the Rays, the star shortstop went through what manager Matt Quatraro called a “very encouraging” workout.

Witt — who has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 1 MCL sprain during Thursday’s game against the Cardinals — hit in the batting cage, ran the bases and fielded ground balls on Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

He did his on-field activity while wearing a brace over his injured knee, which Quatraro said Witt is still getting used to.

“We’re hopeful that in the next couple days, he’s available,” the manager said.

Jaylon Thompson at the KC Star also covered Witt’s workout.

“Felt good,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, he’s been getting accustomed to wearing a brace. So we are trying to get used to that a little bit, but was very encouraging what we saw today.”

Entering Monday, Witt had missed the last two games and was not expected to play in Monday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, the Royals didn’t rule out a potential return this week. The club is hopeful Witt will play during the upcoming seven-game road trip.

Brian also covers Carter Jensen’s hot streak.

When his streak began on June 6, Jensen had elevated strikeout and whiff rates (30.2% and 32.6%, respectively). Since then, those numbers have plummeted to 15.5% and 18.4%. Meanwhile, Jensen’s hard-hit rate, which was 40.2% prior to the streak, is 53.3% over these past couple of weeks. And that rate went up when he smashed a cutter from Rasmussen back up the middle at 109.2 mph to drive in Nick Loftin.

“I think it all starts with just swinging at my pitches,” Jensen said of his recent success at the plate. “Not getting antsy at the plate to swing at everything or try to get the hit in the first two pitches of the at-bat. I think the strong thing that I do pretty well is take good at-bats. I think earlier in the season I was just trying to do too much with pitches that I couldn’t handle, such as pitches out of the zone.”

Pete Grathoff takes a look at the decision to bunt in the ninth inning of the 12-10 loss to the Cardinals.

But O’Brien got his first out when Kameron Misner’s sacrifice bunt put Massey and Thomas in scoring position. According to Baseball Reference, the Cardinals’ win probability had dropped from 98% to 67% when Misner stepped to the plate. The bunt pushed St. Louis’ win probability 4% higher. O’Brien then struck out pinch hitter John Rave, who was batting for Nick Loftin, and induced a groundout from left fielder Isaac Collins to end the game.

Sam McDowell examines two homers from Jac Caglianone’s recent outburst.

Royals second-year outfielder Jac Caglianone ripped a line drive 110.5 miles per hour and 404 feet into the back of the Cardinals’ bullpen Friday — which is directly to the opposite field.

It’s the kind of thing you rarely see: A left-hander hitting the ball the opposite way that hard and that far.

Except that Caglianone did the exact same thing the night before. On Thursday, he also blasted a home run 110.0 miles per hour, also the opposite way.

Witt remains the top AL SS vote-getter for the All-Star game.

SHORTSTOP

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 1,701,407
2. Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays: 894,926
3. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: 460,075
4. Jeremy Peña, Astros: 357,049
5. Colson Montgomery, White Sox: 352,828

Witt is having another fantastic season as he is tops in the AL with 28 stolen bases and 4.4 FanGraphs WAR. However, a recent right knee sprain has his status a little up in the air right now. Barring a late surge from the rookie McGonigle or others, it looks like Witt will take on Giménez in Phase 2. Giménez was the AL’s starting second baseman in the 2022 Midsummer Classic, representing the Guardians. Witt is looking for his first All-Star start.

David Lesky takes a second to note that the recent offensive outburst is taking place without the main players we thought it might before the season.

It’s especially interesting because they’re doing so much of this damage without a good chunk of the crew we expected them to do any damage with. Vinnie Pasquantino is out for a bit. Maikel Garcia has been in and out of the lineup and hasn’t done much, at least power-wise, since April. Bobby Witt Jr. missed each of the last two games, and we have no idea how many more. Salvador Perez has played and had some big moments, but the numbers overall remain putrid. No, they’re doing a lot of this with some players we maybe didn’t expect, or, if we did, not this much. From that perspective, it’s been nice. Of course, it would be nicer if they were doing this with last year’s pitching staff because they’d sure have a lot more wins.

John Schreiber was apparently spitting fire last night. I totally missed that in the recap.

Jacob Milham writes about a few minor league players who may be the next guys up.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray may be open to a trade.

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel returned from the IL.

The Brewers placed Luis Rengifo on waivers.

Possible trade scenarios for Tarik Skubal.

Lionel Messi now is the sole holder of the World Cup goals scored record.

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals yesterday as he tries to catch up to Messi’s new record.

Norwegian Erling Haaland also scored two goals in yesterday’s win over Senegal. Not to brag, but my son picked his number 9 for soccer.

Kansas City doesn’t seem to be experiencing any sort of small business boon.

The Milwaukee Bucks have finally traded star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Trae Young is signing a 4/$212M deal to stay with the Washington Wizards.

The Timberwolves are trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets.

Michigan basketball coach Dusty May is reportedly set to become the new Dallas Mavericks head coach.

How the Chiefs can adjust their run scheme to accommodate star RB Kenneth Walker.

Oklahoma won the Men’s College World Series with a 13-2 victory over North Carolina yesterday.

Linda Cohn is leaving Sportscenter.

A running list of tech company layoffs in which the company cited AI. The list is not comprehensive.

The Steam Machine goes on sale soon with a $1049 price tag.

Your song of the day is Thank You Scientist with Everyday Ghosts. Buckle up it’s a long one.

If you didn’t know any better, if you hadn’t been watching the rest of the 2026 Orioles season, you could be tempted after a game like this one to conclude that things are definitely going to be okay with the Orioles. Maybe we are in the middle of where they’re finally doing it. Maybe. They certainly need games like this one to happen more often than they have been. Kyle Bradish had a masterful outing against his former organization, pitching eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts to help push the Orioles to a relatively easy 6-1 win over the Angels.

The Orioles led this game from their very first batter. Taylor Ward, who hit 36 home runs for the Angels a year ago, greeted his former team with a 419 foot home run over the center field fence. Ward, traded for Grayson Rodriguez over the offseason, has not been homering at such a mighty rate for the Orioles. This was just his fifth long ball of the season.

One run was nearly enough for Bradish to do the thing on its own. That’s not to say that it always looked that way. The Angels threatened to get the run right back in the bottom half of the first after a couple of one-out singles. We’ve seen many a game this year where the defense or the pitcher or both just collapse and give up the lead they just got.

On Monday night, Bradish did not do the collapse. He rocked. That first inning was the closest they ever got to scoring against him. He rolled through the next seven innings, never allowing more than one runner to reach in any other inning. The only time he let the leadoff batter reach base, he induced a ground ball double play immediately afterwards. And, crucially, he was fairly efficient with his pitches, the real thing that let him get through eight. In all, Bradish tossed 101 pitches. It wasn’t a complete game, but it was the kind of start the O’s have been sorely lacking from him and others this year.

While Bradish was dominating, the Orioles offense did not do that thing where they score early and then fall asleep. Well, mostly. Angels starting pitcher Sam Aldegheri did retire nine straight Orioles after giving up the leadoff homer to Ward. That streak came to an end as Gunnar Henderson drew a walk leading off the fourth inning. Pete Alonso muscled a soft liner that floated over the shortstop’s head into left field.

We’ve seen the Orioles blow plenty of “two on, none out” rallies this season. Coby Mayo ended any question about that happening by connecting on a bottom-of-the-zone changeup and driving it out into the seats in left field. It didn’t clear the fence by too much, but enough is enough. This would have been a home run in 28 stadiums, but not Camden Yards. On the road, count it as an Earl Weaver special, with the Orioles now holding a 4-0 lead.

The offense continued to add on for Bradish with a run apiece in the fifth and seventh innings, not that he needed it. In all, it was a strong, 11-hit effort. Henderson collected three of those hits, dragging his on-base percentage back over .300 for the first time since, if you can believe this, April 15. That’s another guy that the Orioles need to be able to have “back” if they’re going to sustain good things this season. Each of the top four hitters in the lineup scored at least one run and drove in at least one run.

Unfortunately, the win did not come without a cost, as there was an in-game injury that caused more than a little bit of chaos. Starting third baseman Blaze Alexander fouled a ball off of his knee on the way to striking out in the second inning. An inning later, Alexander was unable to take the field and the Orioles had to put in a sub for him.

Problem: With Jackson Holliday apparently not available due to groin tightness, with recent Orioles roster decisions leaving them bereft of any further bench infielders, and with Mayo already in as the designated hitter, that meant it was emergency substitute time. I’m talking Leody Taveras playing third base level of emergency, the first time Taveras has ever played anywhere on the infield in a professional career that spans back to 2016. Naturally, the very first ball in play after Taveras entered the game was a grounder to third. He fielded it and threw it to first. Alonso had to make a nice save to stop it from being an error, but still, the chance was completed.

After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said that Alexander suffered a contusion from the foul ball and it locked up on him an inning later. The Orioles don’t seem to be concerned about a long-term injury problem here, but unless Alexander and Holliday can play tonight, they might need to make a roster move for an infielder so they don’t have to get weird again. Taveras only got the one ground ball chance before the Orioles gave up the DH to shift Mayo to third in the eighth inning.

The Angels finally got on board in the ninth. Jorge Soler hit a leadoff homer against Rico Garcia. That continues a tough June for Garcia, as he’s allowed five earned runs in seven innings pitched. Even so, his ERA remains low at 1.95, and in Monday’s game that was the only guy he let on base, so the game never got too dramatic there towards the end.

This is the sixth time this season that the Orioles have won three straight games. They have failed to win a fourth straight the previous five times. Is this the time they can change that, facing the team with the worst record in the AL? Tuesday’s game will answer the question one way or the other. Shane Baz is set to start the 9:38 Eastern game for the Orioles, with the Angels sending Ryan Anderson to the mound. Anderson has a 12.83 ERA in five games. It’s time to finally do this thing, Orioles. It’s long past time.

**

It is the longtime tradition on Camden Chat to choose the Most Birdland Player after each victory. What is “Most Birdland”? It cannot be explained. You just have to feel it. Sometimes, this is the most valuable player of a game, and other times, it is not. Let us know your pick for this excellent victory in the comments below.

After a rousing review of everyone’s favorite Mariners conspiracy theories last week, I decided to come back to a familiar topic: how much we, as Mariners fans, dislike the rest of the AL West. I asked everyone rank the other AL West teams from most hated to least hated in order to get the pulse of the general Mariners fan consensus these days, and the results had a few surprises!

I’ll throw some hot take rankings on the results using my patented and very scientific Mariners Hot Take Ranking System:

Okay, let’s get into it.

THE RESULTS:

• Most votes for #1 most hated rival: the Houston Astros
• Second most votes for #1 most hated rival: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Most votes for #2 most hated rival: the Texas Rangers
• Least amount of votes for any of the top 3 most hated rival spots: the West Sacramento Athletics

ANALYSIS:

Gonna go ahead and give a BEAVAN to ranking the A’s as the least hated rival. We all could have guessed this. Most of us still feel bad for all the fans who had their team sold and moved on them, only to have to suffer the further injustice of seeing the A’s play in a minor league stadium for at least two seasons a few hours away from the Bay Area in Sacramento. It’s a lousy situation all around and the final scores at that lil’ bandbox stadium reflect that. Whatever is going on in West Sacramento right now is none of our business as Mariners fans, even when the Mariners play there. I hope A’s fans find peace.

The Texas Rangers got a lot of votes for number two most hated rival, inserting themselves between the Astros and Angels in some fashion for most. I feel like hatred for the Rangers has increased in last 8 years or so due to their World Series run and their continued refusal to not have a pride night (the only team in MLB!), among other dubious choices and political signaling which I will not be getting into further. In fact, I can’t say any of the other things I despise about the Rangers without inviting commentary that will break the site guideLLines and make Sweezo want to Albert Belle me at the next softbaLL game (details coming soon!). Anyways, I give this one an IWAKUMA.

Ultimately I figured the Astros would continue their legacy of being hated for the top-to-bottom shitbirds they are, but the currently 32-48 (!!!) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim getting so many most hated votes surprised me a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I loathe them. They are a stain upon all that is good and just in the world of baseball. They are the last stop on countless players’ career journeys and have proven repeatedly to be extremely hazardous to pitcher health, even downright hostile. And that’s without even diving into the tragic death of Tyler Skaggs. Nevertheless, I thought that the Angel’s complete nosedive in irrelevancy (more so that usual even!) would have spared them some hatred, but nope! Mariners fans do not forget.

Speaking of not forgetting, ha ha oh yes the Astros. Boy, do we still hate the team that still fields players from the 2019 cheating scandal who were never actually punished. And we should because while MLB fined and suspended the owners, executives, and coaches, it’s still up to the court of public opinion to let these players know that a line was crossed and we still do not approve.

Giving these rankings of the Angels and Astros a BOSIO because to me there is nothing more workmanlike than clocking in to hate these bastards on any given day.

What did we miss? Any other personal pet peeves about the AL West rivals? Disagree with the rankings? Let’s hear it in the comments!

Good morning Birdland,

These Orioles are gonna make me believe in them again, aren’t they? Their 6-1 win on Monday night in Anaheim made it three in a row, and they did it in impressive fashion. Kyle Bradish tossed eight scoreless innings, Taylor Ward and Coby Mayo hit home runs, Gunnar Henderson had three hits, and it never really felt like the Angels had a shot. That final wild card spot in the AL remains just two games out of reach.

There was some bad news yesterday. Blaze Alexander had to leave the game with right knee discomfort. That sounds ominous. Jackson Holliday missed the game entirely with a groin issue. That forced Leody Taveras into action as the team’s third baseman for much of the game. He did alright, even making the very first play of the third inning after he was subbed in!

I blame myself for Alexander’s injury. You can’t just praise a player like that and expect the baseball gods to let him stay healthy for a full 24 hours after it’s posted. Never again.

The fact that Holliday was unable to play in that situation is a bit worrisome. Perhaps it happened too early in the game, and Craig Albernaz just wanted to give him a bit more time on the bench. Whether he plays today will be a big tell, especially with a righty (Ryan Johnson) on the mound for the Angels. Alexander may need an IL stint. We don’t know much about his injury right now.

A roster move that already happened was that the team selected Chadwick Tromp and added him to the active roster. Michael Siani was DFA’d to make room. Tromp gives the Orioles three catchers on the roster, alongside Samuel Basallo and Sam Huff. Adley Rutschman will be on the concussion IL for at least a few more days. Hopefully the addition of Tromp is not an indication that Rutschman could still be a ways away.

Links

‘Who wants to play third?’: Desperate O’s put career outfielder Taveras at hot corner | MLB.com
This was fun! It would have been less fun if he made a crucial error. But that didn’t happen. Maybe Taveras will get more involved in infield drills moving forward.

What’s evolved with four Orioles | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles that take the field right now look quite different from the team we expected back in February. Injuries have been to blame to some degree. Underperformance is another factor. And in some cases, it’s because guys have actually made the case for more playing time. Few expected Alexander and Brandon Young to make such an impact in 2026.

With the Orioles or in his backyard, Blaze Alexander never lost his childhood joy from baseball | The Baltimore Banner
It wasn’t just me that gave Alexander some love on Tuesday. We all must be mean to him now so that the universe is balanced and his knee heals quickly. That’s how these things work, right?

Orioles Select Chadwick Tromp | MLB Trade Rumors
In case you missed it, Tromp is back with Baltimore. How much will he play? Hopefully not much, but clearly the Orioles felt like they wanted more flexibility in the catcher’s role for the next few days while Rutschman recovers.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Jorge Mateo turns 31 today. The speedster was a waiver claim that turned into an extremely useful utility player for the Orioles from 2021 through ’25. His best season was 2022 when he became the Orioles everyday shortstop, led the league in stolen bases, and played terrific defense.
• Mark Hendrickson is 52 years old. The 6-foot-9 lefty spent parts of nine seasons with the Orioles from 2009 through 2011 to wrapped up his decade in MLB.
• The late Lorencito Fernández (b. 1939, d. 2020) was born on this day. His only MLB experience came in a 24-game stint with the Orioles in 1968.

This day in O’s history

1954 – The Orioles and Red Sox set a new AL record by playing a game that takes four hours and 58 minutes to complete. They also tie a major league record by combining to use 42 players in that game. The Orioles win the 17-inning affair 8-7.

1964 – O’s catcher Charley Lau ties a major league record by having two pinch hits in the same inning as the Orioles score seven runs in the eighth inning to beat the Yankees 9-8.

1973 – Orioles pitcher Jesse Jefferson throws 10 innings and allows one run in his major league debut, beating the Red Sox 2-1.

A week before Christmas, St. Louis and Dustin May agreed on a 1 year bounce back opportunity for the once highly touted right-hander. After a myriad of injuries that plagued his early 20’s and a freak esophageal tear that nearly cost May his life, he appears to be unlocking his big talent in the gateway to the west. The Cardinals entered 2026 hoping for health and consistency from May in the middle of their rotation, and after his first 2 starts, it looked like a potential flop.

Since April 10th, Dustin May has a 2.54 ERA and a 2.68 FIP across 74.1 IP. Striking out 23.5% of batters, limiting hitters to a .206 BAA, and a 0.98 WHIP. Over that time, May ranks 9th in ERA, 7th in FIP, 26th in K%, 14th in BAA, and 9th in WHIP. Really, really impressive stuff over that time.

The swing and miss in May’s profile is still improving, and some of the quality of contact numbers are still a little inflated from his truly disastrous first couple of starts of the season. The other element to note for Dustin May is that he has raised his arm angle 12 degrees from last year!

So, with this success, the Cardinals now find themselves in one of those good problems. What do they do? They can make the obvious decision to trade him and recoup assets that will help continue the rebuild, they can try to agree to an extension before the deadline and keep the good times rolling as he nears 30 years old, or they can ride it out through the season, and when he inevitably declines the mutual option, the Cardinals can provide a qualifying offer likely in the 23-24 million dollar range.

Consider this, since the April 10th marker, these are some of the other names expected to be available at this year’s trade deadline (minus Skubal, who will obviously be the top trade chip). I find FIP to be a more enlightening stat to help guide these types of conversations because you can say, “This is what player X does in a neutral environment.” Dustin May might be the 2nd most valuable rental arm available at the deadline, and when contenders are desperate for pitching reinforcements at the deadline, that will greatly improve the Cardinals’ chances at a really good return.

The next option could be to extend the big right-hander. The Cardinals might be tempted to offer a Sonny Gray-type deal for Dustin May at 3 yrs 75 million. That would minimize the long-term risk for the Cardinals and allow May to stay somewhere he’s healthy, happy, and contributing. I would be skeptical that May would settle for such a deal if his representation convinces him he could get over 100 million on the open market, assuming he maintains health and production through the conclusion of the season. The other element to consider here, is that if May IS traded midseason then he is not eligible for a qualifying offer and to be a high octane starting pitcher under the age of 30 with no draft pick compensation attached to him, he might be one of the top 2nd tier pitchers on the market this offseason outside of Skubal and that would land him a really nice payday and some fierce leage wide competetion for his services. He may look at all of those elements as a business decision and whats best for his family, and you can’t argue against that, and testing the open market.

Speaking of the qualifying offer, if the Cardinals can maintain their foothold in the WC standings come August 3rd, it wouldnt be out of the question for St. Louis to hold May and try to make a run with him at the top of the rotation, leading the way. Now, before you scoff at the notion of simply offering him a QO at season’s end. Consider these names to have been drafted using the comp pick over the last 8 years.

2025

Patrick Forbes (AZ) 50 FV

Caden Bodine (BAL) 50 FV

Wehiwa Aloy (BAL) 55 FV

Brady Ebel (MIL) 50 FV

2024

Kyle DeBarge (MIN) 50 FV

2023

none

2022

Sterlin Thompson (COL) 40 FV

Sal Stewart (CIN) 50 FV

2021

Jay Allen II (CIN) 50 FV

2020

none

2019

Brennan Malone (AZ) 55 FV

Drey Jameson (AZ) 50 FV

2018

Shane McClanahan (TB) 55 FV

Nick Schnell (TB) 50 FV

Jackson Kowar (KC) 55 FV

Daniel Lynch IV (KC) 50 FV

Ethan Hankins (CLE) 50 FV

The Cardinals would have the ability to draft a really high upside player still in the range of the recouped comp pick. It’s easy to blow off the idea of a comp pick when it’s framed as “a random draft pick.” It might change a few tunes when you start seeing the names McClanahan and Stewart. Those being the best case scenerios, sure. But, simply having the opportunity to bring in another 1st round quality prospect in whats expected to be a really strong draft in 2027 isn’t insignificant. If the Cardinals were to trade May, acquiring teams would have to at minimum surpass the value of a comp pick player. The Cardinals would also give themselves at least a fighting chance for a playoff spot when most of us assumed this was a 75-win team at best coming into the season, and still recoup assets as they try to capitalize on a surprise playoff bid.

Ultimately, Chaim Bloom is going to have a very difficult decision on his hands as to what he should do with a valuable asset like May by August 3rd, and the decision between now and then might fluctuate 7 or 8 different times as the ebbs and flows of a season remain a continuously fluid day-to-day evaluation.

(stats and graphs courtesy of Baseball Savant and Fangraphs, and FV values from MLB Pipeline)

-Thanks for reading