Orioles righty Bryan Baker stands as one of many extra attention-grabbing out-of-options gamers in spring coaching this yr. The 30-year-old righty is on the roster bubble in Baltimore after an unpleasant 5.01 ERA in 23 1/3 massive league innings final season, however Baker averaged higher than 96 mph on his heater and posted sharp strikeout and stroll charges even amid that rocky exhibiting. He’s thrown three good innings to this point this spring and, regardless of final yr’s ERA blip, carries a profession 3.76 ERA in 139 MLB frames.
Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes that scouts across the league have been “monitoring” Baker all through the spring and that the “marketplace for him is creating.” Nevertheless, Andrew Kittredge’s well being standing might create a clearer path to the roster for Baker. The veteran Kittredge, who inked a one-year deal value $10MM in Baltimore this offseason, has been coping with a knee problem and is looking for a number of opinions.
Baker is one in every of six potential Orioles relievers who can’t be optioned to Triple-A, however he’s the least established of the bunch. None of Kittredge, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Cionel Perez or Albert Suarez is a candidate to be despatched to the minors or jettisoned from the 40-man roster. The opposite spots in Baltimore’s bullpen are earmarked for Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano and returning nearer Felix Bautista. Akin and Cano each loved robust 2024 seasons. Bautista was one of many sport’s high relievers previous to present process Tommy John surgical procedure in October 2023. If Kittredge requires an IL stint, that’d give the O’s a straightforward option to delay any robust selections on Baker, but when the complete reduction corps is wholesome come Opening Day, Baker could possibly be in a troublesome spot.
Elsewhere in camp for the O’s, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez downplayed his struggles and diminished velocity in his most up-to-date begin. Through Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Solar, the right-hander averaged simply 93.2 mph on his heater in yesterday’s begin in opposition to the Twins — three miles per hour shy of his 2024 common. Weyrich notes that Rodriguez hit 100 mph in his first spring outing final yr, and the right-hander defined that he felt he got here out too robust final yr and felt some soreness consequently, so he’s build up extra progressively.
Rodriguez famous that he felt “sluggish” and “flat” and struggled to spin the ball as he usually can, however he wasn’t involved in regards to the dip in velocity. That’s reassuring for Orioles followers, as Baltimore can ailing afford any sort of step again from the 25-year-old. Rodriguez began 20 video games final yr and recorded 116 2/3 innings of three.86 ERA ball, fanning 26.5% of opponents in opposition to a 7.3% stroll price. The O’s, after all, misplaced Corbin Burnes in free company and didn’t add a big-name arm to switch him, as an alternative opting to fill these innings with one-year offers for 41-year-old Charlie Morton ($15MM) and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano ($13MM). The Orioles’ rotation of Zach Eflin, Rodriguez, Morton, Sugano and Dean Kremer could possibly be strong, however there are many query marks among the many group as effectively.
Burnes mentioned his determination to signal with the D-backs earlier within the offseason, however the right-hander chatted with Jack Vita for the Baltimore Solar earlier this week and spoke extremely of the Orioles group, touting their long-term outlook and noting that the membership made a robust effort to re-sign him.
The previous Cy Younger winner described the O’s as “positively fairly aggressive early on” as his free company course of started. Whereas Burnes has beforehand said that the Orioles didn’t submit a proper provide — simply “some verbal stuff” — his feedback this week strongly suggest he nonetheless knew the place they have been prepared to go in an effort to hold him. He instructed the O’s have been “within the ballpark” and “aggressive” of their pursuit, however Burnes once more was clear in stating that the D-backs have been his choice all all through free company, given his household residence in Arizona and the flexibility to be dwelling along with his spouse and three younger kids.
