Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) celebrates with third baseman Ramon Urias (29). Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, everyone! We here at Birds Watcher hope your weekend is, as the kids say, bussin’ fr fr. It’s time for the best part of your daily morning ritual, the Orioles news roundup, and we’ve got plenty to catch you up on. Let’s get right into the good stuff, shall we?
Orioles News 12/17/22 – Predicting the Orioles Opening Day starting infield plus more MLB news
Infield, party of four
Right now, we know two things for certain about Opening Day 2023: an Orioles pitcher will take the mound (although we don’t know who), and Adley Rutschman will be catching him if able. But what about the infield starters?
It will likely include familiar faces at the same positions they played in 2022, but a few new variables will be tossed into the mix: the signing of second baseman Adam Frazier, and the handful of Orioles infield prospects on the cusp of being MLB ready. Will Frazier send reigning AL Gold Glove winner Ramon Urias to the bench? Will Gunnar Henderson play third base or shortstop? The defensive utility of the Orioles infielders is immensely helpful from a team building standpoint, it sure makes predicting the starting defense difficult.
MLB News
Transaction Bonanza!
Friday was an incredibly active day as far as transactions were concerned with various teams getting in on the action.
- Joey Gallo agreed to a one year, $11 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. Could the end of the shift as we know it lead to a career rebirth?
- The Chicago White Sox and free agent OF Andrew Benintendi finalized a five years, $75 million contract
- The Philadelphia Phillies held a press conference for their newest signing, SP Taijuan Walker
- The Oakland (for now) A’s, who have actually spent more money than the Orioles have so far this offseason, agreed to a deal with reliever Trevor May
- The Boston Red Sox designated 1B Eric Hosmer for assignment