Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles outperformed preseason predictions in 2022, finishing above .500 with a 83-79 record, and if their approach to this offseason is any indication, the club appears poised to lean heavier on the formula that got them there.

The O's are reportedly listening to trade offers for Jorge Mateo, the talented utility player with an ability to fill in at shortstop, second base or in the outfield, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

His plate discipline was nearly nonexistent in 2022, when he struck out a staggering 147 times. What he does offer potential suitors is the athleticism that allowed him to tally a career-high 35 stolen bases this past season. That the 27-year-old is an above-average defender and really shined in that area only enhances his appeal to clubs.

Mateo is the latest in a long line of players the Orioles have brought on board for little, given a platform to showcase their ability and then entertain offers based on the potential shown in Baltimore.

Elsewhere in Major League Baseball's free-agency period, the Birds have remained fairly quiet. They signed versatile defender Adam Frazier, formerly of the Pirates, Padres and Mariners, and brought Mychal Givens back into the fold two years after trading him to Colorado.

Neither of those acquisitions broke the bank nor filled a hole on the team's roster. The Orioles resisted the urge to jump at any of the top-tier free agents available this offseason, with their only real link being to pitcher Carlos Rodón, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. That connection fell apart when it became clear that the eventual Yankee signee wanted a longer-term contract and would get a monster deal from one of the more prominent free-agency wheeler and dealers.

And why wouldn't they?

The Orioles bounced back from one of their worst seasons ever in 2021 in one year, thanks to the emergence of 2019 draft picks Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.

Cedric Mullins, a 2015 draft pick by the organization, went on to win the Silver Slugger Award in 2021 and gained a spot on the AL All-Star squad. He finished ninth in MVP voting.

Rougned Odor followed a different path to Baltimore, having played the majority of his career in Texas before a stop with the Yankees. He enjoyed his best batting average (.207) since 2018 last season.

Manager Brandon Hyde has put his players in a position to play winning baseball, and the front office resisted the urge to take a risk on a high-priced free agent and potentially ruin the chemistry that made the O's one of the most intriguing watches of the year.

Whether they can replicate the magic of last season in a division with a Yankees team that appears much improved and a dangerous Toronto Blue Jays squad remains to be seen.

The team knows what it is, understands what it wants to be and does not appear to be interested in jeopardizing that, even with "big fish" free agents available. If 2022 taught Hyde and general manager Mike Elias anything, they are heading in the right direction.

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly among the teams pursuing free-agent pitcher Carlos Rodón.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Orioles have joined the New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants in the mix for the lefty.

Rodón, who turns 30 on December 10, spent the 2022 season with the Giants. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 237 batters in 178 innings pitched.

The Mets are expected to be active in the free-agent pitching market after losing Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers. Heyman reported the Mets' top focus at the moment is Justin Verlander, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them get more aggressive with Rodón in the aftermath of deGrom's departure.

The Yankees have been more intently focused on Rodón as they attempt to shore up their rotation behind Gerrit Cole. It's likely they will lose Jameson Taillon to the open market this winter, and Rodón would be a significant upgrade in that rotation slot. The Yankees also remain intently focused on retaining AL MVP Aaron Judge.

The Orioles are coming off a solid 83-79 season and could see the playoffs on their horizon if they find consistency in the rotation. Baltimore finished 21st in starter ERA last season, and Jordan Lyles was the only starter who topped 150 innings pitched.

Rodón has some major injury concerns—the 2022 season was the first time since 2016 he'd topped 150 innings—but his top-of-the-rotation stuff is undeniable. Landing him would be a major coup for the Orioles and would strike a blow to the rival Yankees' offseason plans.

Amid ongoing lawsuits between the Angelos family, the Baltimore Orioles hired Goldman Sachs to assess the franchise for a potential sale.

Per The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan, the team "quietly" made the hire because of the "ongoing bitter lawsuits between members of the Angelos family."

Kaplan noted the future of the Orioles ownership is "up in the air" with Peter Angelos currently ailing at 93 years old.

Tim Prudente and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner reported in June that Louis Angelos is suing his brother, John, and mother, Georgia.

In the lawsuit, Louis claimed his father intended for the two brothers to control the Orioles together, but John manipulated his mother and restructured Peter's trust to gain full power and potentially move the franchise to Tennessee.

"John intends to maintain absolute control over the Orioles—to manage, to sell or, if he chooses, to move to Tennessee (where he has a home and where his wife’s career is headquartered)—without having to answer to anyone," the lawsuit states.

John issued a statement on June 13 denying that relocation was a possibility, saying the Orioles will "never leave" Baltimore.

In a separate statement released two days later, Georgia said John "has my full faith as well as the trust and confidence of Major League Baseball, commissioner Rob Manfred, MLB’s executive leadership group and the control persons of the 29 other MLB clubs who voted to approve John as the Orioles control person."

Last month, Steve Lash of the Daily Record reported Georgia filed a lawsuit in Baltimore County Circuit Court accusing Louis of "bitterness or his misplaced resentment" of his older brother.

Georgia's lawsuit seeks to confirm her as sole power of attorney for Peter and to have Louis removed "as a successor agent and hold him liable for breach of fiduciary duty, financial exploitation of Peter, an older and susceptible adult, and conversion."

According to Kaplan, there's no certainty that the Orioles will be put up for sale, but John and Georgia are "definitely evaluating options."

A status conference hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28.

Peter Angelos and a group of investors purchased the Orioles from Eli Jacobs for $173 million in 1993. He established a trust with his wife and two sons in 2017 after suffering a heart issue.

John is listed as chairman and CEO of the franchise on the Orioles' official website.

Trey Mancini's goodbye to the Baltimore Orioles medical staff meant more than the typical farewells from a player to an organization after he is traded.

Mancini was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 but returned to the field and won the 2021 American League Comeback Player of the Year. After Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported he was traded to the Houston Astros as part of a three-team deal, the slugger thanked the Orioles medical staff and the Johns Hopkins doctors that helped him.

"I think they saved my life," he said, per Zachary Silver of MLB.com.

Joe Trezza of MLB.com detailed what Mancini faced as he sat out the entire 2020 season, noting he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and needed chemotherapy for months.

"There were times early on when I wasn't entirely sure I’d be playing baseball again," Mancini said. "I'd be lying if I'd say that was the first thing that came to mind. The whole time I just wanted to be healthy long-term and live a long life. And baseball definitely was on the back burner when I was going through all that."

Yet he eventually returned to the field in 2021 and slashed .255/.326/.432 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI. He finished second in the Home Run Derby that year and was embraced by fans who offered their support.

"It meant the world to me, the support I got from my teammates, and all the fans here," Mancini said. "The fans in Baltimore have always been so amazing at rallying behind their players. It didn't surprise me in the slightest bit, the support I got. It meant so much and really helped me get through and get really excited to get back to playing baseball."

Mancini's return was the biggest storyline of the Orioles' 2021 season, but they have been more competitive this year with a 51-51 record. They are just three games back of the final American League wild-card spot, although that didn't stop them from trading the 30-year-old, who could become a free agent after the 2023 season.

ESPN's Jeff Passan provided the full details of the deal:

Mancini is slashing .268/.347/.404 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI this season. He joins an Astros team that is in first place in the American League West at 67-36 and figures to be a realistic threat to win the World Series when the playoffs begin.

While his championship chances improved with the trade, Mancini wanted to thank those with the Orioles who helped him get back to this point.

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly trading veteran Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported it's a three-team deal, with the Tampa Bay Rays getting outfielder Jose Siri from Houston.

The Orioles are finally beginning to turn the corner in their long and painful rebuild. Flirting with a .500 finish (51-51) is a welcome departure for a franchise that owned MLB's worst winning percentage (.379) between 2017 and 2021, per Stathead.

To the point Baltimore was going to be active ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, though, it figured to be more of a seller rather than a buyer. This might have been the last time to cash in on Mancini as a trade asset since he has a $10 million mutual option for 2023.

The 30-year-old's raw numbers aren't great.

Through 92 games, the first baseman/outfielder has 10 home runs, 86 strikeouts and a .268/.347/.404 slash line.

Mancini's advanced numbers better display how he's performing relative to his peers. He has a .330 wOBA and 114 wRC+, according to FanGraphs, and he boasts a .268 expected batting average and a .468 expected slugging percentage, per Baseball Savant.

His home run total might look a little different as well if the Orioles hadn't pushed back the fence in left field.

The 2019 season will probably remain an outlier in Mancini's MLB career. He hit 35 homers and had a .535 slugging percentage that year.

However, the 2021 American League Comeback Player of the Year—he won the award after a cancer diagnosis in 2020 and returning to the field—has shown he can be a dependable hitter and get on base at a healthy clip.

The right-handed Mancini should have a positive impact on Houston's offense over the stretch run, and his $10 million salary for 2023 isn't a bad investment in the event he wants to return.

Fifteen years after seeing his father play in the World Series as a member of the Colorado Rockies, Jackson Holliday's Major League Baseball journey has begun.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Holliday with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft on Sunday.

Holliday is the oldest son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday. Matt was a seventh-round draft pick by the Rockies out of Stillwater High School in 1998. He spent five full seasons in the minors before getting called up to The Show in 2004.

Jackson's path to the big leagues figures to be more expedited, as long as he develops as expected. The 18-year-old was named Oklahoma's Baseball Player of the Year after a historic 2022 high school season.

Per MLB.com, Holliday is the No. 2 overall prospect in this year's draft with above-average tools across the board, including a plus hit tool:

"Holliday has an advanced approach, no surprise given his roots, and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. He usually makes consistent hard contact, though he didn't during the summer when he let his simple left-handed stroke get too long. After getting bigger and stronger, he's hitting the ball with more authority than ever this spring, and he also looks more relaxed at the plate and is letting his considerable power come naturally."

There will still be a steep learning curve for Holliday as he transitions into pro ball, but he's got a smooth swing from the left side of the plate that will carry him a long way as he develops his other skills.

It's unclear at this point if Holliday will be able to remain at shortstop as he gets older. He's got excellent speed and some twitchiness to handle the position, but a lot will be determined by how he changes physically as his body continues to mature.

The Orioles are certainly trending in the right direction, though there remains a lot of work to do at the MLB level.

Adley Rutschman, the No. 2 overall prospect in MLB coming into the season, made his big league debut in May. Right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (No. 6 overall prospect) could make his debut later this season.

The Athletic's Keith Law had Baltimore's farm system ranked as the 10th-best group in MLB coming into this season. Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson, D.L. Hall and Jordan Westburg could join Rutschman and Rodriguez in forming the nucleus of the next great Orioles team.

Adding Holliday to the mix will go a long way toward ensuring that Baltimore's farm system remains strong as many of those prospects start to graduate within the next year or two. He will eventually join them in the big leagues, as the Orioles look to load up in an attempt to build a consistently dominant team capable of competing with the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

Baltimore Orioles chairman John Angelos released a statement through the team Monday saying the MLB franchise will "never leave" Baltimore.

Angelos' comments come after his brother, Louis Angelos, filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging John was trying to seize control of the organization from their parents, Peter and Georgia Angelos, and would eventually move the club to Tennessee, per ESPN.

The Orioles franchise has been located in Baltimore since 1954 after previous stops in Milwaukee and St. Louis. They've played at one of MLB's most iconic stadiums, Camden Yards, since 1992.

Peter Angelos placed the franchise in a family trust in 2017 while dealing with a heart issue.

Louis alleged in the lawsuit John has attempted to "squeeze" him out of the picture in order to gain full control of the organization in the future and argued his 92-year-old father would "vociferously reject any effort by an adult child presuming to override his will," per Daniel Chavkin of Sports Illustrated.

The lawsuit also alleges John has been successful in manipulating Georgia, 80, by preying on their mother's "fear of abandonment," according to The Athletic.

"John intends to maintain absolute control over the Orioles—to manage, to sell, or, if he chooses, to move to Tennessee (where he has a home and where his wife's career is headquartered)—without having to answer to anyone," the lawsuit states.

Louis' allegations also include a claim John transferred "tens of millions of dollars" in assets from his father to an LLC in his own name without informing other members of the trust. He seeks that money restored to his father along with John and Georgia being removed as co-trustees, per The Athletic.

John didn't respond directly to the various allegations in Monday's statement.

In March, Forbes estimated the Orioles are worth $1.32 billion on its annual list of MLB team values, which ranks No. 23 among the league's 30 franchises.

Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun reported in 2020 there were "at least three people" with interest if the Orioles were put up for sale, but so far, the Angelos family has publicly shown no intention to sell.

John said in February the focus was extending the club's lease with Maryland, which runs through the end of 2023 following a one-year extension.

"I would say that the Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority have never at any point in time, from the first minute I got together and sat down with [MSA chairman] Tom Kelso, neither one of us has ever said anything other than, 'We can't wait to extend and renew this public/private partnership,'" Angelos told reporters.

Baltimore owns a 26-35 record during the 2022 season. The Orioles play in the hyper-competitive AL East and last made the playoffs in 2016.

The two sons of longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos are headed to court to decide the future of the franchise, as well as their father’s law firm and the family fortune.

According to Tim Prudente and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner, Louis Angelos is suing his brother John and mother Georgia in Baltimore Circuit County Court. Louis contends that John seized controlling power for the Orioles despite their father's intention for the two of them to control the team equally.

Louis also insinuated that if John maintains control of the Orioles, he could look to move the team out of Baltimore.

"John intends to maintain absolute control over the Orioles—to manage, to sell, or, if he chooses, to move to Tennessee (where he has a home and where his wife's career is headquartered)—without having to answer to anyone," the lawsuit states.

After suffering a heart issue in 2017, Peter Angelos established a trust with his wife and two sons appointed as co-trustees. Louis Angelos' attorneys Jeffrey Nusinov and Paul Raschke released a statement explaining the goal of their client's lawsuit.

"The purpose of this lawsuit is simple," it read. "Peter Angelos created a trust for the express purpose of ensuring that his sons would share equally in decision-making and inheritance of all family assets, including the Orioles. John Angelos, however, has been working secretly to undermine his father’s intentions and to gain unilateral control. Lou Angelos is compelled to bring this action to set things right."

John Angelos was able to assume controlling power of the Orioles amid his father's declining health. In 2019, MLB inquired who was running the team and requested that a "control person" be identified.

Louis was working in a principal role in their father's law firm, and John "took a more prominent role in running the business" of the Baltimore franchise. In November 2020, John was approved as "control person" by other MLB owners.

The lawsuit states that Georgia had been trying to sell the team for quite some time, but John nixed a potential deal. Louis claims that John has been "openly displaying his disregard for his father’s prerogatives as the managing partner" of the team.