On the verge of another season, some things are new.  John Harbaugh had served as the Ravens Head Coach since 2008.  He is now gone, and replaced by first-time Head Coach Jesse Minter.

That transition of leadership – accompanied by Minter’s incoming staff – has some things feeling fresh as a new year begins.

Some things haven’t changed.  The Ravens are entering the season as one of the prohibitive favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy next February.

There are expectations for this team to perform, and pressure for the organization to get over the proverbial hump and do significant post-season damage with Lamar Jackson under Center.

Here we look at the roster, and give some thoughts on what we like and currently question.

Like – Starting with the most obvious, we like #8.  Somehow we’ve reached Year 9 of Jackson’s career, and liking or believing in Jackson is still a discussion point for some.  You can wish that Jackson and the Ravens had accomplished more in the post-season during his career to-date. You can rightfully point out that 2025 was the third time in five seasons that Jackson was limited to 13 games or less. But it has to be acknowledged that the 2x MVP is inner-circle elite when talking about the games best QB’s. When available, Jackson elevates those around him, and gives the Ravens an opportunity to win any game he plays.

Question – Is this a year where Jackson plays 16 or 17 games, or is he limited to 12 or 13?  Jackson has had high praise for new Ravens OC Declan Doyle so far in camp.  Under this new system, and with hopefully better health than he experienced in ’25; do we see Jackson’s numbers rebound closer to his astounding 2024 production?  If the lower-body aliments are behind him, will Jackson run more in 2026?

Like –  Let’s get another obvious one out of the way – Derrick Henry is still a monster.  I know RB’s have a short shelf-life, and at 32 years old; I know some are expecting this is the year he falls off.  I’ve seen people point to his Yard Per Carry average dropping from 5.9 in ’24, to 5.2 as an indication of a precipitous drop coming for Henry in ’26, but that seems silly to me. That 5.2 ypc was still above his 4.9 ypc career average, and it tied James Cook for the most ypc of any RB in the league with 250+ carries for the year. Jackson wasn’t as good in ’25 as he was in ’24, and the blocking in-front of Henry wasn’t as good either. I’d be highly surprised if Henry wasn’t again excellent. I know some are concerned that Henry has 7 fumbles ( 1/3 of his career total ) over the past two seasons, but I can’t get there.  Feels more fluky to me vs. something to worry about.

Question – Justice Hill was limited to 10 games last year. That reduction in availability led to his catches dropping from 42 in ’24, to 21 last year.  Are Hill and Rasheen Ali only on the field on 3rd down? Are they productive enough in their time where the Ravens could potentially give Henry less than 300 carries? Should holding Henry to under 300 carries even be a goal for the Ravens? Or is the team best served vs. using Henry’s physicality over extended carries? Better to continue to feed Henry and have him eat at the will of opposing defenses?  Does 5th rounder Adam Randall push Ali?

Question – Are the Ravens going to miss Patrick Ricard more than some think? The 3x All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowler followed Harbaugh to the Giants. I understand a salary cap exists in the NFL and you can’t keep everyone. I understand FB’s are generally not in-vogue around the NFL and have been devalued. I think the Ravens have long-benefited by taking a contrarian view compared to most of the NFL, and continuing to feature a traditional blocking FB. Think it’s helped not only the running game, but the QB’s as well. And of course further accentuated the physicality the Ravens like to play with. Lucas Scott is in camp trying to earn a spot. FB is his 5th position in 5 years. I’m rooting for Scott to make the roster, and hopefully be good enough to contribute.

Like – I liked the selection of Vega Ioane. The 14th overall selection of the 2026 Draft checks all the boxes in-terms of bringing immediate strength, power, and young legs to the Ravens O-Line. I’m hopeful that Roger Rosengarten is ready to take a bit of leap in his 3rd year. Ethan Pocic was a pretty good late addition at Center, at-least in-terms of upside. He was a College All-American, and a 2nd round pick of Seattle in 2017. He had earned a contract extension with Cleveland in 2023. If he stays available, he should help.  I also like that in Danny Pinter they have a decent option behind Pocic. John Simpson was brought back to the Ravens, and will take over at LG.  Simpson stays on the field, is strong, and plays with an edge. Those are all positives. If he can be league average at Guard, that’s probably a win for the Ravens.  Year 11 is arriving for Ronnie Stanley, and you can generally still feel good about him at LT.  Emery Jones and Andrew Vorhees with Pinter is some solid line depth.  This group might not be an upper-echelon O-Line, but I generally like what Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has been able to accomplish here. I expect Ioane to be good immediately. If Rosengarten is stronger, and better in the run-game this year; that would go a long way to this being a productive unit.

Question – I liked the addition of Pocic. But he did turn 31 earlier this week, and is coming off of a Achilles suffered in Week 14 last year. He’s also never played in all 17 games of a season, though he has been pretty durable the last few years in Cleveland before the injury last year. While I generally feel pretty good about him, there has to be some question of if he will stay available. It also needs to be said that even in a best case scenario from Pocic, he doesn’t figure to be as good as the departed Tyler Linderbaum. Simpson brings some positives to the table at LG, but there also issues. He typically has graded as slightly below average at Guard, and has previously accumulated a lot of penalties. Can he curb the amount of flags he typically sees?   Stanley’s 2024 Pro Bowl season was really good. The biggest difference between Stanley’s ’24 and his ’25 season, is that Stanley’s production in pass-protection dropped. Can Doyle get the ball out of Jackson’s hands a bit quicker more often? That would figure to help Stanley and his fellow lineman in-general. Of course Jackson being able to extend plays, and create opportunities for the offense is part of his greatness so it’s a push-and-pull situation.

Like –  In the Draft the Ravens added WR Ja’Kobi Lane in the 3rd round, and WR Elijah Sarratt in the 4th round. They also added TE Matthew Hibner also in the 4th round, and fellow TE Josh Cuevas in the 5th. Lane is having a big Training Camp, and that reduces some of the anxiety which would otherwise exist. I liked Sarratt at Indiana. We’ve seen the big play potential of Decontez Walker in his first two years in the league. Durham Smythe should get a lot of time as a more traditional blocking TE opposite of Mark Andrews.  Obviously Zay Flowers is a quality weapon, and I thought he was deserving of the contract extension he just signed. Glad he will continue to be in the fold. Andrews is coming off a rough year (for him), but I’m still glad to have him. Don’t expect him to get the 113 targets he had in ’22, but won’t surprise me if his 8.8 yard per catch average in ’25 goes back up near his 12.3 yard per catch career average in ’26. The ankle injuries Rashod Bateman had last year resulted in a completely lost season for him. There is still ability there.

Question – There is still ability there with Bateman, but there are major questions too. The ankle injuries Bateman had last year were real, but there can’t be another season where he gives the Ravens nothing. That lost year also came after he signed a contract extension last Summer. In ’24, Bateman played in all 17 games, and had 72 targets. He averaged 16.8 years per catch on his 45 grabs, and had 9 TD’s. Can he match that production? I’d don’t need him to match the ’24 ypc average. I’d be happy if he stays available weekly, and can consistently help move the chains. Become a threat on 3rd down. Make some contested grabs. I like the Walker, Lane, Sarratt trio. I think there is potential there for them to help. I’d like to slow the breaks on the camp hype from Lane a bit.  It’s good that he’s opening eyes, and that it looks like he can give you something immediately. Going into the Draft, the ’25 Honorable Mention Big Ten WR saw a lot of scouting reports which questioned his ability to play through contact. My question overall with the WR’s is that outside of Flowers, who can you rely on? Who is going to show-up consistently? Given what exists around them, I’m glad to have Andrews back. Had it been a choice of one or the other, I would have liked to have been able to retain Isaiah Likely over him though. Won’t surprise me if Andrews has 50 catches and 600 yards; but I wish I wasn’t going into the year with lingering questions about why his production dropped so much last year. There were lots of weeks he was basically invisible last year. Does that happen again in ’26, or can he again be a presence? I was disappointed that the Ravens weren’t able to keep Charlie Kolar.  Smythe is coming off back-to-back seasons where he had a total of 13 receptions. He did have a four year stretch (’20-’23) where he averaged 27.5 receptions per year. Maybe he gets a bit more involved with the Ravens than he has the last two seasons with Miami and the Bears. As long as he can block as advertised, I’ll be happy there. Everyone likes Flowers.  I think everyone would like him that much better if he was your 2nd WR.

Like – One of my favorite likes so far – Welcome back Nnamdi Madubuike!  It was feared his career was over, and instead the All-Pro is back available. That’s huge. Travis Jones earned the contract extension he signed last December. Calais Campbell is back with the Ravens, and entering Year 19 in the NFL. The future Hall of Famer endured horrible personal tragedy this Summer with his family, and we feel horrible for him with that. But keeping this with the Ravens, I was excited about his addition. Maybe that excitement sounds a bit much considering Campbell turns 40 September 6th, but the 6’8 300 lb has long been known not just as a great talent, but also a fantastic individual that adds to any roster. Another adult in the room. Another coach as a player. That’s a quality add, that can help situationally. Keep him healthy and available for games in January. After the Maxx Crosby saga, the Ravens pivoted to Trey Hendrickson. All of the talk in March was that Hendrickson doesn’t set the Edge like Crosby. Okay, that counts, that’s fair.  He can rush the QB. He had back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons in ’23 and ’24.  Tavius Robinson has flashed the last two years as a pass rusher. Zion Young was the Ravens 2nd round pick out of Missouri. John Jenkins and Broderick Washington give the DL additional beef and depth. Mike Green had 3.5 sacks as a rookie. In Year 2, it feels like he could really emerge with the attention Hendrickson figures to command. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Roquan Smith from Ravens fans the last two years. NFL Executives and Coaches recently ranked him as the 2nd best Off-Ball LB entering ’26.

Question – Hendrickson missed 10 games during ’25, and had a core muscle surgery in December. Obviously the Ravens need him consistently available. Madubuike being back at all is a win. The question right now is what level is he at? He was awesome in ’23. ’24 was a bit of a step back. In ’25 he was limited to 2 games. Can he stay available? How good is he right now? How many snaps a game is realistic?  It’s Year 4 for Trenton Simpson. There is an opportunity for him to step-up, will he take it? Teddye Buchanan had a very nice Rookie season last year, and then suffered an ACL tear in December. The Ravens seem to be very enthusiastic about Buchanan getting back sooner than later, but we will still need to see it.

Like – The Ravens starting Secondary is Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, and Marlon Humphrey.  Hamilton is the best there is. Starks and Wiggins both have pedigree and upside.That’s a strong group, which will only be better if there is a more consistent pass rush in-front of them as expected. Jaylinn Hawkins, and TJ Tampa are good depth. Keyon Martin, and Chandler Rivers will fight for time at the Slot Corner.

Question – Humphrey struggled often during ’25, targeted often by opposing QB’s and he was picked on. Part of that was nagging injuries, and part of that was him just being that much older. This is year 10 for Humphrey. Generally, I feel like he’s been under appreciated. He’s a 2x All-Pro (the last being ’24), and a 4x Pro Bowler. He doesn’t have to lead this group at this point of his career, but he can really elevate this group overall if he rebounds from last year. Year 2 for Starks, I want to see him fully emerge this year.  Similarly it’s Year 3 for Wiggins. In ’25, his snap count went way up, and he had moments where he looked good. He also had times that like Humphrey he was picked on. Came out after the season that he spent most of the 2nd half of ’25 dealing with a nagging groin-injury. By all accounts, he’s having a quality Training Camp. He’s supposedly added some needed strength. He doesn’t have to be Deion Sanders or Darrelle Revis locking down half the field; but you need him taking the challenge of matching-up against the best opposing WR each week.

Question – Prior to ’25, game-day kicking footballs were kept under lock and key by game officials and handed to special teams units right before kickoff. Those balls were stiff. Before the ’25 season, a rule change allowed for teams to get 60 balls before the season to break in. This created a ’25 season where kickers had the average distance of field goal makes rise considerably. This will continue in ’26.  Basically there is a before and after in evaluating kicking from ’25 on.  Tyler Loop joined the Ravens last year as a Rookie, having to replace the greatest ever Kicker in the pre 2025 environment. That was hard enough. During his rookie campaign, he generally looked uncomfortable. He was 30 of 34 on FG attempts, and made 8 of 9 attempts from 40-49 yards, but was just 1 of 3 from 50+.  The miss from 40-49 was the 44 yard attempt vs. Pittsburgh in Week 18. Beyond the misses, after years of watching Tucker hit attempts down the middle, it was a bit eye-brow raising to see Loop look less accurate. He also missed 2 extra-points. Part of me wants to give Loop the benefit of the doubt. Believe he was in a tough position replacing someone that was historically great. Figure he will be better going into Year 2.  The other part of me thinks he’s one bad miss early in the year from completely losing the fanbase.  That’s not a great situation. Also, when the entire league is now attempting and hitting from greater distances; more needs to be asked of him this season.  We will see how he responds. At Punter, Jordan Stout had a Pro Bowl season and left to join Harbaugh in New York. The Ravens replaced him with their 6th round selection Ryan Eckley.  How good Loop and Eckley are will directly influence multiple games.

Like – In 2024 the Defense finished 6th in Defensive DVOA, and in ’25 they finished 16th. Even coming off of that ’24 ranking, there weren’t a lot of local backers for former Ravens DC Zach Orr. As the team production dropped in ’25, Orr absorbed most of the criticism. Fair or not, I like that the Ravens moved on. Not just because I think the new staff will be better, but because it allows the fanbase to turn the page as well. Minter is going to be the primary defensive play-caller. So, not only are you getting his strengths as a Coach – the buck falls on him.  Harbaugh had / has his strengths, but it was tiring over the years to hear how many times he absolved himself from the decision making process of his Coordinators. Minter has a great reputation as a defensive coach. The Ravens saw that first hand when he was here during his first stint as an Assistant. What he did at Michigan, and with the Chargers as their DC speaks for itself.  Bringing on Anthony Weaver (former Raven player and Coach) as the DC, with a focus on the Front 7 seems like a win. As does bringing on Mike Mickens for the Secondary.  Everything you read says the Ravens Defense is going to be ‘fast, violent, aggressive.’  Their going to be hunting turnovers. Their going to be more advanced schematically. And they have the players to be versatile.  On Offense, Doyle was the Coordinator last year for Chicago and had success. Love seeing the reports about how players are raving about his attention to detail.

Question – I’m excited about the Coaching changes.  But the flip-side does have to be mentioned. You went from long-term stability to a first time NFL Head Coach. Being great at X’s and O’s (which Minter is regarded as) doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be great at leading men.  A Coordinator’s job is more about scheme.  A Head Coach’s job is more about keeping everyone rowing in the same direction. When it’s Training Camp, and everyone is excited about a new season, it’s relatively easy to stand in-front of the Press.  When you’ve had a tough loss, that job will become harder.  When/if the team faces real adversity, how do you respond? My sense is that 43 year old Minter will handle things well. I expect he will be able to connect with the locker-room. But there will be questions that are unanswerable until you see them unfold. I’m not going to be rooting for the Ravens to lose 4 of 5 games, or for Minter to make a poor decision with the clock. But if something like that happens, and the public becomes a bit antsy; is Minter able to keep the team focused?

The post Ravens: Likes And Questions As The Season Nears appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Fact: The Orioles have traded away Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Dean Kremer, and Tyler Wells in-exchange for Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, Carlos Narváez, Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore, Harrison Kreiling, Jhomnardo Reyes, and Michael Forret.  They also made smaller deals for Christian Franklin, Codi Heuer, and Rece Hinds.

Opinion: I can make a logical argument for each move individually. I acknowledge that Orioles General Manager Mike Elias added ceiling, depth, and control to the Orioles system. I still don’t like the decision making process when you look at the moves collectively.  Obviously the primary discussion point here is Rutschman.  Elias extracted value from Boston.  And the Red Sox likely paid more now, with Rutschman having 1.2 years left of team control; then they or another team would have paid this Winter for him. My feeling is the O’s would have still been able to trade Rutschman this Winter if need be, and I don’t think that hypothetical return would have been 50 cents on the dollar compared to the deal they did make.

What I said yesterday was, “Don’t think losing Rutshman, Ward, or Kremer in a vacuum, means a lot; but taken together, it’s a tough look even if you can reasonably understand each individual move.
Kremer is a 5th that was struggling his last 4 starts, and Bassitt is a reasonable answer to replace him, and Elias obtained a kid with helium and control. Ward hasn’t hit for the power expected, and is a below average LF.  The O’s can replace him in the lineup with Beavers, Kjerstad, Taveras, etc… and get similar production. Maybe the relievers obtained help. Rutschman – like Wieters – didn’t match the hype, but also like Wieters was a good player. A 3x All-Star. Your rep this year. He had the 3 stints on the IL this year, but they were largely fluky. I thought he had a better offensive approach this year vs. the last 2 years.  When he hasn’t been around, it’s been noticeable with the lineup. I haven’t seen the return, but I expect Elias extracted some value from Boston. And with Rutschman, you could argue now was the time to trade him if you weren’t going to reach an extension.”

After sleeping on it, looking at the returns, and adding the Wells trade; I feel the same.
The most valuable commodity in baseball is team control; but the most valuable thing in baseball is holding a Championship trophy and unfurling a banner.
I was okay with Elias trading off Trey Mancini and Jorge Lopez at the 2022 Deadline, because that team was ahead of schedule.
I can’t get on-board the same way here in 2026, because the ’26 O’s are behind schedule.
The AL is not overwhelming this year, and despite being 4 games under .500 entering tonight, the O’s were 15-8 in July.
I believe post-season baseball is largely a roll-of-the-dice. The goal is to get there and take your chances.
FanGraphs is giving the O’s a 12% chance of reaching the post-season, so not great odds, but not nothing either.
Entering play tonight, the O’s are 2.5 games back of the 3rd Wild Card (Cleveland), and 5 games back of the 2nd Wild Card (Boston). Minnesota, Texas, Seattle, all ahead of the O’s, all 1-2 games back of Cleveland.

I generally think the play was improving, and that the O’s had a reasonable chance to get to October.
They still might.
If they do, you could say, “They still reached the post-season, and they fortified the system.” 
If that happens, that would be a very fair comment.
I think if they reach the post-season, my take will be that I would have liked having Rutschman available.

My overarching thought is, I would have rather seen the O’s either keep the roster as is, or add along the fringes to help the existing ML roster, vs. again deciding not to try.
Elias decided the odds weren’t good enough to try now, and the more prudent decision was adding more to the overall arsenal to try again tomorrow.

Part of me respects that.
You should want multiple bites at the apple vs. going all in once.
And while I might have enjoyed it in the moment, I don’t think I would have really supported going all in with major acquisitions of players with expiring team control utilizing the existing prospect pool.
I would have supported continuing with the current group for the remainder of ’26 and giving them a bit of help.
Another reliever capable of contributing in leverage situations. A defensive 4th OF.

Fact: Via MLB Pipeline, Eyanson becomes the Orioles top overall prospect, with Forret, Witherspoon, and Azocar also now in the Orioles Top 10.

Opinion: The system was pretty tapped before the trades and draft last year. Now with the 2026 Draft completed and these trades; the system strength is again pretty strong. Maybe not overwhelming quality at the top, but a good amount of guys that could possibly directly contribute to the ML roster, or give you the organizational depth necessary to make other trades.  If you were going to make the trades, I like the returns.  Elias added some legitimate talent.  Once you moved Rutschman, I certainly get moving Wells at that point. Getting Forret back in the organization was a nice move.

Fact: Carlos Narváez has a .535 OPS in a 171 ab’s this year for Boston.  He also had a .726 OPS in 403 ab’s last year, with 15 homers, and 27 doubles. He’s regarded as a strong defensive Catcher, and he is under team control through the 2031 season.

Opinion: If he can rebound offensively, you’ve got a nice pairing with him and Basallo long-term at Catcher.

Fact: Christian Franklin is starting in LF tonight for the O’s.

Opinion: The 26 year old Franklin had a .735 OPS in 426 plate appearances this year for AAA Rochester. Obtained from the Nationals for Joe Glassey. This year with Rochester he had 35 games in RF, 31 games in LF, and 17 in CF.  Presumably when he does play, he will be a better LF than Ward.  Obviously not a high bar there. Still, I think we would all enjoy seeing improved defense down the stretch. Curious to see how much playing time he gets.

Fact: Holliday, Mayo, Cowser, and Beavers are all in the lineup tonight.

Opinion: When we get to the off-season, and we start thinking about 2027; our optimism for believing the O’s can be more of a factor next year is going to largely be tied to how these guys finish out 2026.  Holliday had a .921 OPS in July. What can he do for encore here in August?  Plenty of playing time available for the other three as well. How do they perform these last two months?

Fact: Elias reported July 31st that Blaze Alexander’s bone is still healing (non-displaced fracture in left-hand). No timetable currently for his return.

Opinion: As I start thinking more about ’27, I envision Alexander penciled into Super Utility duty, with Jordan Westburg getting every opportunity to reclaim 3rd once he shows he’s healthy.

Fact: The O’s have given recent extensions to Basallo, Baz, Bradish, and Cano.  They obviously signed Alonso before this season.

Opinion: I think you can safely assume that if Orioles Owner David Rubenstein had taken ownership earlier, that Elias might have pushed for deals into the free agent seasons with Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Holliday.  There is some talk to be found the the O’s did offer Rutschman extension offers in the last year plus which were rejected. Presumably Henderson will want to reach Free Agency, but after a down for him ’25 with the shoulder injury, and this disappointing ’26 season; the deal he ultimately signs somewhere is not going to be as lucrative as it figured to be after the ’24 season.  I’d still be pushing for a deal with him now, offering him very significant money. Hoping he’d consider it with the way his ’26 has gone. My guess is Henderson would decline such a deal, and bet on himself to rebound in ’27.  If he rebounds in a big way, he probably prices himself out of a possible deal with the O’s.  If he rebounds and the team doesn’t, I think the O’s will have to look to trade him next Summer like they did with Rutschman yesterday. If the team rebounds, you probably ride out ’27.  Then maybe you deal him after the ’27 season (he’s a Free Agent after ’28).  I know some people are not super excited about Holliday at this point, but he’s not 23 until December, and the potential is still there. He’s not a Free Agent until after 2030. If you could get a deal done now that takes you through 2032 or 2033, that would be great.

Westburg is also a Free Agent after 2030. He will miss all of ’26, and was limited to 85 games in ’25. He’s 28 next February.  Given all the time he’s missed, could you tack on a year or two now? Is that a good risk given his age, and the injury history? Does the existing injury history make a deal viable?

Fact: Trevor Rogers was not traded yesterday.

Opinion: I didn’t want to see Rogers moved, but was surprised after Rutschman was dealt, that Rogers didn’t find a new home. Rogers was quoted leading up to the deadline saying he wants to stay in Baltimore. He’s a Free Agent to be.  I’d like to see a deal happen there. If you get a deal done before the off-season, you could go into Winter believing you had four spots (Bradish, Rogers, Baz, Young) in the rotation filled. I don’t see a scenario where the O’s obtain two starters with better upside than Rogers. Getting to the Winter and feeling like you have to fill two spots doesn’t seem ideal.

The post Facts & Opinions On The Orioles – August 4th appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Believe he’s capable of building a Championship team.

Can acknowledge that he was threading a needle here between a team that is 2.5 games out of the 3rd Wild Card, and also 4 games under .500.

Don’t think losing Rutshman, Ward, or Kremer in a vacuum, means a lot; but taken together, it’s a tough look even if you can reasonably understand each individual move.

Kremer is a 5th that was struggling his last 4 starts, and Bassitt is a reasonable answer to replace him, and Elias obtained a kid with helium and control.

Ward hasn’t hit for the power expected, and is a below average LF.  The O’s can replace him in the lineup with Beavers, Kjerstad, Taveras, etc… and get similar production. Maybe the relievers obtained help.

Rutschman – like Wieters – didn’t match the hype, but also like Wieters was a good player. A 3x All-Star. Your rep this year. He had the 3 stints on the IL this year, but they were largely fluky. I thought he had a better offensive approach this year vs. the last 2 years.  When he hasn’t been around, it’s been noticeable with the lineup. I haven’t seen the return, but I expect Elias extracted some value from Boston. And with Rutschman, you could argue now was the time to trade him if you weren’t going to reach an extension.

But…

Kremer could potentially help you now. The 18 year old you obtained can’t. Twins 1.5 games up on the O’s in the WC race.

Rutschman made the O’s better now, and you’ve traded him to a division rival.  A team above you in the playoff race.

Ward traded to Seattle, a team a .5 game up on the O’s in the WC race. You’ve removed a guy that has a high on-base %, and has been in the lineup everyday. Is that a great message to the clubhouse?

Collectively, just a very tough look.

And as someone that genuinely likes Elias, I can’t justify it overall, even when I can make the individual arguments.

The fanbase isn’t going to get over this.

Hell, even if Bassitt is good, Kremer is bad, the in-house options seamlessly replace Ward…  and the O’s get past losing Rutschman and still make the post-season….    even if that all happens, once there the feeling will be…  “The O’s lineup would look better with Adley there.” 

Time to go.

Potential Replacements For Elias:

Jon Daniels – Former Rangers General Manager.  Currently a Senior Advisor with Tampa Bay.

Kim Ng – Former Marlins General Manager.  Currently outside the game entirely.

James Click – Former Astros General Manager.  Now VP of Baseball Strategy with Toronto.

Michael Fishman – Yankees VP / Assistant GM under Brian Cashman.

Amiel Sawdaye – Diamondbacks SVP / Assistant GM under Mike Hazen.  Baltimore native, Graduate of Pikesville High, and University of Maryland.

Cal Ripken Jr. –  The HOF, has an Ownership share, and is doing some Player Development work.  Obviously the name would sell, and the Ripken Way still carries weight. Especially with the current fundamental issues with the ML team.  Feels like Ripken would need to surround himself with a lot of Front Office experience.

The post Yeah, Time For Elias To Go appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

2.5 games out of the 3rd Wild Card, you can argue that the O’s have a viable path to reaching the post-season.  FanGraphs gives the O’s a 21.2% chance of making the playoffs currently.

Conversely, with the O’s still 4 games under .500, and a number of on-going injuries; you could argue that there isn’t much reason to believe the remaining 53 games will be demonstrably different than the first 109.

There are 6 games between now and the Deadline next week. Every game matters at this point.

The Atlanta Series

Against the NL East leading Braves, the O’s played in three 1 run games this last weekend. With the bases loaded and none out in the 10th yesterday, the O’s were on the precipice of a series win. Alas, things went awry. So close, so far away.

It was a competitive series against a quality team, but it was frustrating to not get the series W.

Going by current records, the O’s have one of / if not the strongest remaining schedule.
So if the Birds reach the post-season, they’ll have earned their way there by playing well against quality teams the rest of the way.
There is a reminder there that the O’s didn’t do enough earlier on, when the schedule was a bit lighter.
With the remaining schedule dwindling daily, losses that were possibly wins feel especially compounded at this point of the season.

Unlike football, there isn’t a lot of time in baseball to celebrate wins or tough losses.
There isn’t a week in-between games, there is another game the next day.
In that sense, yesterday is over, and the O’s are on to Detroit, and I agree with that mentality.

Realistically though, the Orioles have to play at a consistently elevated level these last 53 games.
If a win is there for the taking, they can not squander those opportunities.

My only other note from watching the Braves for a couple of days, was that even with Atlanta making a couple of unusual unforced errors; that’s a quality defensive team that is typically not going to force their pitching staff into recording extra outs.

Certainly a juxtaposition with the O’s when looking at how the Orioles defense regularly gives opposing offences additional opportunities.

The O’s are 12th overall in Runs Scored, and 12th overall in ERA.

Does this feel surprising to you?

Both numbers continue to trend upwards for the O’s.

Overall run differential continues to trend towards even.

Taken together, I think the O’s are generally a bit better than how most O’s fan would grade them – but the defensive liabilities are limiting.

The Bradish Extension

Loved that deal, and was frankly surprised it wasn’t significantly higher.  Kyle has had a solid year, and he’s been strong the last month (2.96 era, 24.1 ip), but he hasn’t been overly sharp overall after missing all but 14 total starts over 2024 and 2025. There have been control issues, which can often be the last thing to come back after surgery.  Still, I would have expected the soon to be 30 year old to get a larger deal in an extension. These total dollars are very workable.  Already I think it looks like a steal.  If he finishes strong, and continues to look more-and-more like his 2023 self, than the contract just looks that much better.

This deal, the Basallo extension, the Alonso signing, the Baz extension; it’s been fun to see the O’s locking up multiple pieces.

Trevor Rogers

Rogers is set to hit Free Agency after this 2026 season.

Unless the O’s collapse over the next 6 days, it would be surprising to see the O’s trade him by the deadline.

As I’ve said before a few times now, I’d pay for him to be a 3rd starter, and maybe not expect him to be that – but would have some reasonable hope he could be more than that.

If you can get a deal done with him – and the Bradish contract provides a viable framework – then you’ve got the makings of a pretty solid rotation locked in.

He had a 2.05 era over 5 starts in June, and he’s followed that up with a 1.48 era over 4 starts in July.

You can probably expect some up-and-down fluctuations from him going forward, but he’s not yet 29 and he’s very impressive extended stretches last year and this year.

If he were to leave in Free Agency, I have zero expectations of the O’s adding someone with equal or better ceiling.

Brandon Young

Where would the O’s be without Brandon Young?

He started the year as the O’s 8th starter, and he’s 8-2 with a 3.13 era.

Over 97.2 ip, he’s allowed 92 hits, 9 homers, 34 walks, and has 80 k’s.

He’s been remarkably consistent, and he’s one of the primary reasons the O’s can still dream of playing games that matter in October.

Updating The Injuries

Adley Rutschman – The O’s 2026 All-Star rep is on the IL for the 3rd time this season. Per The Baltimore Sun, he was seen throwing the ball Saturday at Camden Yards, but has yet to resume catching the ball. Rutschman played 2 games (catching one) in Houston after the break, and then went on the IL with a wrist injury. Those wrist injuries are usually extended inflammation. My guess is that it didn’t just flair up after the one start catching vs. the Astros. Which makes me wonder if he should have spent the entirety of the All-Star break with no baseball activity?  He is eligible to return to action Wednesday July 29th, but that currently doesn’t seem likely.

Sam Basallo – The O’s shutdown Basallo from baseball activities for a few days to let his shoulder calm down. He is eligible to return to the O’s this Friday July 31st, but as with Rutschman – that doesn’t seem likely.

Blaze Alexander – It was reported 10 days ago that there was no time table for Alexander’s return. He was placed on the IL retroactive to July 13th, and his non-displaced fracture typically takes 6-8 weeks to heal.

Ryan Helsley – Was transferred form the 15 day IL to the 60 day IL 8 days ago. After being placed on the IL, the soonest he could return is August 29th.

Definitely a different looking O’s lineup without Rutschman and Basallo.
The O’s really needed Helsley to be an All-Star caliber closer this year, and he’s largely been unavailable.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand

CES has given the lineup a boost in his first 7 games with the Orioles.

Encarnacion-Strand started the 2024 season as Cincinnati’s 1st baseman.  2024 and 2025 was marked by injuries and non-performance.

This year he has a productive 274 ab’s at the AAA level before his promotion to Baltimore.  We wondered who would step-up when Alexander went down, and at-least temporarily Encarnacion-Strand has answered the call.

Dylan Beavers 

Beavers is 13 for 44 so far in July, slashing .295 / .380 / .364.  The game winner Saturday was nice.  When he’s going like this, he puts up a bunch of good ab’s which is fun to watch. Doesn’t overswing, finds contact. There are definitely things to like about his game.

Tyler O’Neill 

TON has a .983 OPS in 38 July ab’s, with 4 of his 6 homers on the year coming this month.  People might not like seeing his name in the lineup, but have to ride that hot hand.

Tyler Wells

For the season, Wells has appeared in 41 games.

Have to feel good for him, after he was limited to just 7 combined starts over 2024 and 2025.

In those 41 games, he has a 2.82 era, with 51 innings, 53 hits, 12 bb’s, and 53 k’s.

Over the last 30 days, he’s 1-1, with a 1.88 era, and 3 saves.

His Baseball Savant page shows a lot of red.

Up Next?

The O’s are beginning a 3 game series in Detroit.

The O’s are 2.5 games back of the 3rd Wild Card (Cleveland), and the Tigers are 3.5 games back of the Guardians.

Detroit is 6-4 over their last 10, but has lost their last 2.

The Tigers are 21st in Runs Scored, 22nd in On-Base %, and 18th in Slugging.
Detroit is 5th overall in ERA.

The scheduled pitching match-ups are:

Bradish vs. Montero
Kremer vs. Melton
&
Rogers vs. Skubal

The trade rumors around Skubal are getting a lot of attention. 

The post Closing In On The Deadline appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The O’s are now 46-51 as the All-Star Break arrives.

10 Quick Thoughts

1) The O’s entered today in last-place in the AL East, and the season still isn’t ‘over.’  The 97 games played so far weren’t an enjoyable watch, but opportunity still awaits in the 34% of the season that remains. I still like the O’s talent, and believe the AL is too jumbled to justify trading off a ton before the August 3rd Trade Deadline. Maybe the O’s will come out of the All-Star Break, and have another poor stretch that seemingly officially closes the lights on the 2026 season. If that happens, and the O’s decide to part with Adley Rutschman, Trevor Rogers, Taylor Ward, etc; that would be understandable. But as of today, they’re 2 games out of a Playoff spot, and their talent compares well with the 7 different teams (Cleveland, Seattle, Minnesota, Houston, Boston, Toronto, Detroit) that will be competing for the last 2 Wild Card’s in the American League. Of that group only Cleveland is currently above .500.  If you think the O’s are toast, and should be trading any assets not tied down for prospects and team control – you’ll have to explain to me why the O’s are done, but those other teams are not.

If the argument is solely that you’ve watched these initial 97 games, and don’t believe in the O’s – that’s fine, and fairly understandable.
But that argument falls apart to me if you believe the O’s chances are dramatically different than any of the other aforementioned teams above.

2) Tampa Bay is 56-37, and leading the American League East.  The Yankees are 53-42, and the lead Wild Card in the American League. Per FanGraphs, both of those teams have over a 96.5% chance of making the post-season. Given the gap between those teams, and the O’s currently – we can put those teams out of our mind at this point.

Scoreboard watching can be fun, but I’m not going fixate on the Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Tigers either.
Cleveland is 3 games ahead of Seattle and Minnesota, who are tied for the 3rd Wild Card.  Houston, Boston, Toronto, Detroit, and the O’s are all within 2.5 games of the Mariners and Twins.
Basically it comes down to which 2 teams are going to play the best over the last 10 weeks of the season? How do these teams perform head-to-head?
The Red Sox are a good example of this.
They’ve largely been down for most of the season so far, but are riding an 8 game winning streak. With this stretch, they’ve pulled within 3 games of .500, and now have a 37% chance of making the post-season.
So, who gets hot?

3) Are the O’s capable of getting hot over an extended stretch?  They entered today 12th in runs scored (12th in on-base %, and 17th in slugging %), and 20th in ERA. Their a below average defensive team. Closers might be overrated by analytics, but I think fans and players alike feel better knowing you have a reliable closer to finish games off.  If the O’s are going to go on a run, they’ve got to slug better. They’ve actually got the on-base % up to a decent level, but now their not putting enough balls in the seats.  I feel pretty good currently about Bradish, Rogers, Baz, Young, and Kremer; but if the O’s aren’t trading away at the deadline; than GM Mike Elias needs to prioritize adding a high leverage reliever to add to the mix. You could also argue for adding a reserve OF and/or UTI IF that could be a positive defensive replacement at multiple positions.  If you wanted to aggressively pursue one of the better SP’s available with some of the O’s Top 10 prospects (outside of Wehiwa Aloy) before the 2026 MLB Draft; I could get on-board with that. If that were to occur, I’d expect Kremer would be part of the package leaving.

To get to the playoffs, the O’s likely have to win 85-90 games.  With 46 wins currently in 97 games, that means the O’s would need to win 39 to 44 of their last 65.

4) Coming into action Sunday, the O’s leaders by fWAR were Alonso (2.3), Rutschman (2.1), and Henderson and Baz were tied at 1.9.   I can’t imagine a scenario where the O’s get hot, and Henderson doesn’t play at a dramatically improved level than we’ve seen from him over these initial 97 games.  I feel good for Rutschman, making his 3rd All-Star team.  His slash line this year .253 / .327 / .436 looks a lot like his career averages .254 / .342 / .415; but better than the past two years.  The biggest difference to me is the doubles.  He had just 37 doubles in 893 ab’s during ’24 and ’25.  This year he has 18 in 241 ab’s. To me, that show’s he has had much better approach this season.

5) If you were doing the 2026 Most Valuable Oriole voting today, Blaze Alexander*, Brandon Young, and Sam Basallo have to be getting votes somewhere on your ballot. The tough watch we’ve seen would’ve been an absolute nightmare without their contributions to date. Basallo hit homerun #16 today.  The most impressive thing to me about Sam isn’t his ridiculous power, it’s the adjustments he’s shown he’s able to make including in-game depending on situation. He’ll be 22 in a month, and he seems like he could finish the year with a floury.

*EDIT: Per MASN’s Roch Kubatko, Alexander has a non-displaced fracture on his left hand after being hit with a pitch in the 7th. That takes the wind out of the sails quite a bit.

6) If you believe or don’t believe in the O’s chances of putting a run together, it probably largely comes down to how you feel about Bradish and Rogers going forward. Over the last 30 days, Bradish has a 2.12 era over 34 innings of work. Rogers is at a 1.19 era (30.1 innings) over that same 30 day stretch. If you think Bradish is going to hit a wall and tire out, or you believe Rogers is just too inconsistent – than you’ll be down on the O’s chances of finishing strong.  If you believe these two are capable of sustained excellence, you are probably a bit more enthusiastic.

7) Alonso has a .854 OPS for his career, and he entered today at .825 for the season. He’s on-pace for 35 bombs, and 29 doubles. He’s largely held-up his end. Ward is playing everyday (96 games played), and despite being a below-average LF, he’s been a league average-ish LF overall with his .385 on-base %.  Last year with the Angels he had a .317 on-base %, and a .475 slugging % (69 xbh’s, including 36 homers). This year he’s slugging .361, and is on-pace for just 10 homers (32 doubles). At some point I’d think the obp would come down, and there would be more big flies.

8) Cowser had a .891 OPS in May, and a .725 OPS in June.  He’s now 1 for 17 in July, and 11 for his last 58 (entering today). The O’s need his glove in CF, so they can’t afford him to again become a black-hole in the lineup. Mayo has 12 homers, and is on-pace for 20. The other day he reached the 2nd deck in LF, which has rarely happened in the history of OPACY. He’d really benefit himself and the team if used the whole field more. He’s got just 9 doubles in 223 ab’s, which is pretty inexcusable for a guy with his power. He just has to commit to making more contact (80 k’s) and taking more pitches the opposite field. We know Mayo isn’t going to spend a lot of his career at 3rd going forward, but that’s where the O’s had availability for him in ’26 after Westburg’s injury.  Alexander isn’t a fantastic fielder himself, but he’s better than Mayo, and with the way he’s betting hitting since May 1st – he’s going to get most of the playing time at 3rd. But Mayo is still going to find opportunities the rest of the year.  He’s talented enough to contribute, and too talented to not be embarrassed by that that current sub .200 batting average.

9) At 22 years old, Jackson Holliday doesn’t have to-be a finished product. Also shouldn’t expected to-be one. After starting the year on the IL with his hamate bone surgery; Holliday has played in 45 games this year and has 119 at-bats. He had 60 games and 190 ab’s as a rookie in ’24, and 586 at-bats over 149 games last year in his first full season.  In ’24, he had a .565 OPS. Last year that improved to ,690.  He’s at .703 right now. His current batting average (.210) is lower than last year (.242), but that’s just the difference of a productive week with so few ab’s for the year yet.  His on-base, and slugging match his production from last year, but his BB% is significantly higher (14.3% vs. 8.6%). His K’s are also up.  Like to see his average climb the remainder of the year.  He hit for high averages (at-very young ages) at the A, and AA level.  That slowed some at AAA in ’23 and ’24 before his MLB promotion, but he still had quality averages (again, particularly for his age) at the AAA level.  When you start thinking about how the light could come on for the O’s, he’s one of the ways.

10) The O’s schedule out of the break, up until the Trade Deadline is:

@ Houston July 17th – 19th
@ Boston July 20th – 22nd
Atlanta July 24th – 26th
@ Detroit July 27th – 29th
Philadelphia July 31st – August 2nd

Atlanta and Philadelphia are 1st and 2nd in the NL East.
Houston, Boston, Detroit also in the AL WC mix.

The O’s are 18-26 on the road so far, and 3 of those series are on the road.
Come out of the break, and get pummeled in these series’, and maybe there is clearance sale leading up to August 3rd.

If you want to feel like a contender at the Deadline, you’ve got to start stacking series wins.
if the Birds could manage to win all 5 series, going 2-1 in each, they’d be 56-56 with 50 games left; and then things could get fun.

A more realistic 8-7 showing in that stretch, would likely leave me feeling like I do today.
In for a penny, in for a pound.

Going into the break on their first four game winning streak is a positive.
The fact that opportunity still exists for this season is a positive.

We will see if they’re able to build from here, and put together an extended quality stretch.

The post The All-Star Break Arrives appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

I’m disappointed in the 2026 Baltimore Orioles to-date, because I did have expectations for this season.

When Opening Day arrived, I thought they looked like a 90 win team.

I expected a playoff ticket to be punched, and once there; you see what happens.

I hoped Jordan Westburg would return to start June, and thought he’d be missed in the time he was unavailable.
I thought too much was riding on Trevor Rogers again being a front-end starter as he had been over 18 starts in ’25; but I believed things would work with the roster overall.

I didn’t like the defense, but felt the lineup would be productive power wise, and the rotation had solid usable depth.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from 1st year Manager Craig Albernaz, but my default position was (and remains) that MLB Manager’s in 2026 have fairly minimal impact.
If anything, I thought if the team rebounded like I expected they would – he’d get a large portion of the credit.
I did think maybe he’d help the team with day-to-day focus, and details.
Mainly I thought after having only two players reach 90+ games played in ’25, that the roster would look more locked in with improved health and availability.

The Orioles have not been an enjoyable product to watch this year, but I’ve generally maintained my optimism for the roster.
I last wrote about the O’s a week ago, when they had reached the true half-way point of their ’26 season.
Going into play that night, they were 38-43, 2 games out of the 3rd Wild Card, and 3.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card.

Part of the optimism I still had last week was tied to the rest of the American League.
A post-season run was still well within reach, if the O’s could just put some consistently positive play together over the remainder of their season.
After winning today, they’ve gone 2-5 overall since then.
Now 40-48 overall, they’ve fallen back to 8 games under .500, and are 5 games out of the 3rd Wild Card.

The O’s have been a hard watch, but I genuinely still like / believe in large swaths of the roster.
Which is again part of the reason the year has been disappointing.
I think the results should be better than they are given what exists.
Stubbornly, I still believe the roster compares pretty favorably talent wise to the rest of the American League sans New York.
At 38-43 last week, I still thought the O’s were capable of a 2nd half run (getting to the 85-90 overall wins they’d need to be in the playoff hunt).
I did say they had dug a hole.
I did say they were a bad week away from being in an even more precarious position.
I did say they’d have to play .580+ ball the rest of the year (at that point, with 81 games remaining) to finish in a possible playoff position, and that only 4 MLB teams were currently at that level.

Now?
At 40-48, they’ve had that bad week, and their backs are up against the proverbial wall even more.
At this point, they’re wearing the mask, and the firing squad is aiming at them.
They’ve got very minimal margin for error.
To get to 85 wins, they’d have to go 45-29.  (A .608 winning percentage over the last 74 games.)
To get to 90 wins, they’d have to go 50-24.  (A .676 winning percentage over the last 74 games.)

There are currently two teams in MLB with a winning percentage over .600.

Do I think the O’s are going to win 45-50 of their last 74 games?
No, I can’t say I do.
I think there is enough talent on the roster, that they’re capable of a scorching stretch; but capable of and believing they will are two different things.
The Orioles simply haven’t done anything collectively to believe the year will turn on a dime.
It would certainly be a pleasant surprise.

Acknowledging that, allows me to watch the remaining O’s games this season in a different light.
With no remaining expectations for this year, my attention turns more towards what comes next?

Before looking ahead, some thoughts on why this year hasn’t gone to plan.

I believe talent typically wins out.
Each year there are reasonable ranges of expectations for players and teams.
The greater history you have, the more detail you have; those ranges shrink.
When you have results outside of standard deviation points, you have the outlier seasons which make watching sports worthwhile.
If every result came down to a cold calculation, and there was never a surprise, there wouldn’t be a whole lot to watch.

Each year does bring surprises.
Some welcomed, some not.

The ’26 Orioles are on-pace to win 74 games.
My expectation was 90 wins.
Somewhere between 78 wins and 93 wins would have felt to me like reasonable expectations for the O’s on Opening Day.
I was on the high-side, but I saw a path where things could go wrong, and they could finish slightly under .500.
Also saw a path where they could be better than I expected.

74 wins is outside of that expected range to me, which forces other questions.
Is it a complete over-estimation of the talent by me?  That’s possible.
Is the baseline talent good enough, but there are other things going on, and if so, what would those other things be?

Not enough leadership?
Fractions within the clubhouse?
Players unhappy with their contracts?
A team of complacent, mental weaklings?
A lack of self-discipline?

There are lots of things outside of talent, which matter in life and sports.
Other aspects which determine why people and players succeed or fail.
Drive, intensity, work ethic.  An ability to work with others.  Hustle, desire, competitiveness, enthusiasm, grit.

If you told me you could choose between two players of near comparable skill, and Player A apparently had all of the intrinsic gifs you would seek in an individual, while Player B had known character questions; sure sign-me for Player A, even if Player B grades as the slightly better talent.

But while there are tests, and certainly human interactions, which can help you determine how someone grades with soft-skills, aptitude, and motivation; those results aren’t readily available on FanGraphs, and Baseball Savant.

As such, I’m uncomfortable attributing character grades to individuals I don’t know.
There can be glimpses of things that show through the TV, and make me like a player more.
BJ Surhoff had an intense focus, readily apparent to all, and you didn’t have to be holding a microphone in-front of him to know that.
Nolan Reimold busted has ass down the line everytime.
Adam Jones went cleats up into 2nd base, looking to wipe out a potential double play.

Those things stood out.

What did we know about Nick Markakis?
He showed up ready to play most days, so we appreciated the work-ethic and consistency.
He had a reputation of being a clubhouse leader, but not because he was boiling over with intensity, or known for fiery speeches.
Teammates loved him apparently because he posted up.

It helped that the O’s were good around him.
Otherwise, more might have been asked of him.
Go back to 1988 and how Eddie Murray was covered locally at that point.
Murray’s on-track then for a Hall-of-Fame career, but the O’s had gone from ’83 World Champions, to the worst team in baseball in ’88.
The steady, consistent, quiet approach that was respected and revered in ’83, is now viewed as stand-offish and a character flaw 5 years later.
Did Eddie change?
Or was he a convenient scape-goat and target for the Media and an angry fanbase?

Again, my point here being there are things outside of talent which matter to the success of teams and players, but grading those things are difficult.
There are things we as fans can observe from our seats and couches, but most of our arm-chair analysis of such is circumstantial at-best.

Could there be existing issues outside of talent, which are impacting the O’s team performance?
Maybe?
I’m certainly not in a position to judge that.

Let’s say you are world’s preeminent Sports Psychologist, and the O’s have brought you into the clubhouse to evaluate.
And you’ve determined there are issues outside the field, which are impacting play on-the-field.

Okay.

Now what?

Can you quantify that?
How much of the O’s performance would you attribute to those issues?

Again, I can’t answer that.
I don’t know that those issues exist, and if they do – I certainly don’t know how much weight to give it.

Call me crazy, but I think the O’s primary issues are:

• Their 22nd in ERA.
• Their not as brutal defensively as some say, but it’s being kind to say defense isn’t a strength.
• Nor is their baserunning.
• The bullpen is missing at-least one needed high-leverage arm.
• Their best player is having a down year.
• The rotation needed Rogers and Kyle Bradish to be consistent front-end starters; and they’ve got 13 Quality Starts in 32 outings.

If you want to point to character questions, I don’t know what do with that.

If you want to discuss the talent just not being good enough, that’s a discussion we can have.

Sometimes, players and teams over or underachieve expected results, and I’m not sure there is always a great reason for it.

Gunnar Henderson is one of the most talented players in baseball, and he’s having a pretty pedestrian season.
Are there deep underlying reasons for that, or is that just baseball?
Why does Cal Ripken Jr. have his 2nd MVP season in ’91, and follow that with a very mediocre ’92?
I’d suggest the answer is that baseball is a game predicated around failure and adjustments.
More often than not, you are going to fail.
Sometimes even the best aren’t able to make the necessary in-season changes.

Sometimes things just don’t work out.

If you determine there are talent, or character issues with the roster, and believe those issues need to be reconciled with needed wholesale change; have at-it.

My determination is that the talent is largely good enough to win with.
I’m not in position to judge if there are character questions.
And if there are character questions, I don’t know how to quantify.
As such, I’d be largely inclined to run things back with tweaks vs. larger changes.
More cosmetic changes (paint job) vs. demo work.

Early Thoughts On 2027

• If I’m Orioles Owner David Rubenstein, the first determination to make is about Orioles GM Mike Elias. Is he the right fit for the job or is he not?  The majority of Birdland would probably vote no right now. I’d vote yes. The only vote that really matters is Rubenstein’s.  If Elias is going to be back for ’27, the O’s should announce that and take that ambiguity off the table.
• What is the organization doing with Adley Rutschman? The O’s are 8 games under .500 with 24 games until the Trade Deadline. Rutschman is under team-control through ’27. If the O’s are seemingly out of Wild Card contention at the deadline, there has to be consideration to trading Rutschman. He’s more valuable to another team (and thus should extract more return) with 1.2 years of team control remaining vs. being traded this off-season, or sometime next year. Adley is 28 years old.  He’s been on the IL twice this year. When he has been available, he’s having his best offensive year since ’23.  If the O’s didn’t trade him, and just kept him under control through next year, he hits the Free Agent market in October 2027 at age 29, preparing to turn 30 in February ’28.  I like having him and Samuel Basallo together. I’d think Rutschman would also enjoy having someone he can split time with behind the plate vs. a normal backup.  I’m sure Rutschman would like a 7-8 year deal which would take him to his late 30s.  I’m sure the O’s would prefer a 5 year deal. Rutschman is a good, not-transformative player. With Basallo, I’m more open to a Rutschman extension than I have been previously.  An in-season deal might not be realistic. Rutschman might also want to get to Free Agency and the open market vs. doing any deal.  If I’m the O’s, I’m pushing extremely hard right now for an answer. “We’d like to find a deal that works for both sides, is that possible?”  If he’s not open to doing a deal now, or if what he would want is outside of what you are prepared to do; then trading him by August 3rd needs to be in-play.  That doesn’t mean I would definitely trade him though. He’d bring back more if traded now vs. the off-season, or next year sometime; but I don’t think he’d bring back a huge return regardless.  If you make him available, and you love the offer, you can pull the trigger.  If you don’t like the offer, you live with that, and have him available for next year.
• Rogers is a Free Agent after the year. Free Agent pitching is expensive obviously. He showed an ability to pitch like an ace over 18 starts last year. That upside means something. So does the lack of consistency in his career. Can both sides work an extension at 3rd to 5th starter prices? I’d sign up for that. Id pay for him to be a 3rd starter – maybe not expect him to be that – but would have some reasonable hope he could be more than that. If he isn’t traded in season and pitches we’ll during the remainder of the year, a deal probably becomes unlikely unless he wants to remain because of a comfort factor. If the O’s believe in him, they should pursue a deal now.  Make him a reasonable offer now. Make him take it or turn it down.  If he turns it down, then you probably have to trade him at the Deadline and get something back for him.  An extension is ideal for the O’s. If he’s gone, you are going to want to replace him in the rotation. Would be costly in dollars (Free Agency) or trade (player capital).  Is an extension ideal for Rogers?  Would someone give him a deal for more than 3rd starter Free Agent money?  Maybe?  After his year last year, and turning things around over the last month here in ’26; is he comfortable in an O’s uniform?
• So, when I’m starting to think about ’27, I’m starting with Elias, Rutschman, and Rogers.  It seems to me you’d need answers with those items before turning attention to anything else.
• Once you’ve answered those questions, you can decide what do with Taylor Ward. Like Rogers, he’s a Free Agent after this year. If you’ve moved Rutschman, and Rogers, then you probably move Ward as well. If you’ve found deals (again, realize in-season deals with either Rutschman or Rogers is unlikely, and probably highly unlikely to do deals with both) with Rutschman and/or Rogers, I might be inclined to also try and find an extension for Ward now too. A Ward extension would be a 1 or 2 year deal. I’d look at him as an average everyday regular.  You could try and upgrade the position. We will look at possible Free Agents later. Maybe someone catches the eye. You could let him go, and there are multiple ways you could make up for his current production. Hell, you could just bring back Leody Taveras for another year, and have a Taveras, Cowser, Beavers OF penciled in for ’27.  But he played 156, and 157 games the last two years with the Angels, and has played nearly everyday with the O’s. The homers are drastically lower than anticipated, but the on-base % is way higher than expected. He’s a legitimate everyday player, despite his defense being a bit below average in LF. He’s also turning 33 in December which is part of why an extension would be a 1 or 2 year deal.  I’m not in love with Ward, but he feels like another adult in the room.
• Blaze Alexander has been my favorite Oriole to watch the last few months. I also remain a big fan of Westburg, and will be anxious for him to get back next year; and hopeful he can put his injuries behind him. If Westburg stays available, and claims 3rd, then Alexander is either a Super Utility guy, or potentially could end up competing for time with Jackson Holliday at 2nd.
• If Rutschman is back for ’27, you’ve got him and Basallo holding down C and DH.   Obviously Pete Alonso has 1st for sometime.  Westburg staying healthy enough to hold down 3rd will remain a question. But if he does, and Rutschman is back; it becomes harder to find potential ab’s for Coby Mayo.  I would think the O’s would want Westburg to prove his health before moving Mayo.  Mayo is never going to be a good 3rd baseman imo, but I do think he made strides towards serviceable this year.  And despite the sub .200 batting average, we’ve seen some glimpses of the bat.  The power plays obviously. He needs to commit to going to RF more.  I thought he looked extremely stiff in his ’25 audition. He looks like he has better flexibility and plate coverage this year; but the results have been inconsistent. He’s 25 in December. I think there is too much offensive potential (and team control) to give him away until you feel comfortable about Westburg’s health, but also think he’s looking at needing injuries in-front of him to stay an Oriole and find regular playing time in ’27.
• Cowser’s April was below what you’d expect from him. His May better than you’d expect. And is June was more in the ballpark. He’s slashing .227 / .319 / .373 right now.  My July 1st guess is that he’ll be one of the starting OF’s on Opening Day 2027, but he’d really benefit from finishing strong these next 3 months. How we feel about Cowser as an everyday player at the end of ’26, will certainly impact some of our perceptions on what’s possible for the ’27 O’s.   Similar take for Beavers.  The O’s (Albernaz) has said he believes Beavers can be a plus fielder.  Would like to see more of that the next few months.
• Basallo looks like will be an offensive force.  The arm is strong defensively.  Even as a part-time catcher (if Rutschman is back), he needs to refine his work behind the plate.  If Rutschman is traded, one of my concerns would be how will Basallo’s offense be impacted if he’s forced to catch more?
• After 14 combined starts during ’24 and ’25, Bradish has not consistently reached his ’23 levels (4th in the AL Cy Young balloting). His command has been an issue.  But we’ve also seen numerous games where he looked like his old-self. The optimistic take on the year so far is that he’s stayed available to make 17 starts.  Can he sprint to the finish?
• Holliday is 23 in December.  Last year was his first full season in the bigs. He had improvement in ’25 vs. his ’24 big league audition. This year started with the hamate bone surgery. Right now, he’s batting .196 through his first 102 ab’s of ’26.  He was the 1st overall selection of the ’22 Draft, and became the top overall consensus player in the Minors. I don’t need or expect the 22 year old to be a finished product. I do expect a player of his pedigree to start being more consistently additive than we’ve seen so far. Do think he’s getting closer to average defensively at 2nd. Better around the bag, movements more natural. I really disliked that the O’s were giving him time at 3rd in the Minors on his rehab. As if he needed something else to worry about.  Again, you start thinking about next year, part of that thinking will be determined by how Holliday finishes ’26.
• Shane Baz, Dean Kremer, and Brandon Young figure to make up 3/5s of the O’s ’27 Opening Day rotation.
• Ryan Helsley joined the O’s on a 2 year contract.  Albernaz said after the game today, he’s dealing with elbow discomfort and will get further testing. Not to jump to conclusions, but that feels a bit ominous. Hopefully he’s okay. He already missed roughly 6 weeks of this season.  Felix Bautista is hoping to rejoin the O’s in September.  A dream scenario would be having both healthy, available, and performing next year. The odds of that don’t feel great.
• Here is MLBTR’s Top 10 Free Agent’s To Be Power Rankings. Michael King, Casey Mize, Adrian Morejon, and Ian Happ all look like guys the O’s could possibly pursue.  A larger look at the Free Agent class is here. 
• Going back to Ward, would you prefer a larger investment in someone like Happ?  Cowser and Beavers in CF, and RF; with Enrique Bradfield and Nate George possible internal candidates to push for time at some point in ’27? Bradfield played 108 MiL games in ’24, followed by 76 last year. So far this year, he’s played just 40. There are no questions about his glove and speed. There are plenty of questions about his bat. Now you have to question his ability to stay on the field. Even if you wanted to hand CF to him for his glove, you’d be hard pressed do so, given his inability to stay available.

Alternative Scenario

Let’s say Rubenstein wants to move on from Elias, who are possible alternatives?

Jon Daniels – Former Rangers General Manager.  Currently a Senior Advisor with Tampa Bay.

Kim Ng – Former Marlins General Manager.  Currently outside the game entirely.

James Click – Former Astros General Manager.  Now VP of Baseball Strategy with Toronto.

Michael Fishman – Yankees VP / Assistant GM under Brian Cashman.

Amiel Sawdaye – Diamondbacks SVP / Assistant GM under Mike Hazen.  Baltimore native, Graduate of Pikesville High, and University of Maryland.

Cal Ripken Jr. –  The HOF, has an Ownership share, and is doing some Player Development work.  Obviously the name would sell, and the Ripken Way still carries weight. Especially with the current fundamental issues with the ML team.  Feels like Ripken would need to surround himself with a lot of Front Office experience.

The post Early Thoughts On 2027 And An Alternative appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

With the loss, the O’s are 38-43, putting them on-pace to win 76 games this year.

Some thoughts on what we’ve seen through the initial 81 games, and what awaits over the next 81.

Hasn’t Been Fun, But Not Dead Yet

The first half has been a difficult watch for Orioles fans.

Not just because they are 5 games under .500, but because the mediocrity seen so far this year is seen as a continuation of failed expectations which have plagued the O’s since the second half of the ’24 season.

They are in 4th place in the American League East, 10.5 games back of division leading New York.

That’s a big enough deficit to believe a division title is likely out of reach; and thus can be forgotten about at this point.

But at 2 games out of the 3rd Wild Card, and only 3.5 games back of the 2nd Wild Card; obtaining a playoff spot remains a reasonable goal.

Certainly one of the most significant reasons that we can still envision a run to the post-season as possible is because only the Division leaders and first two Wild Cards are at or above .500 currently in the American League.

Still, while the O’s have yet to play well for any extended stretch, they’ve done an admirable job of not being knocked out either.
There have been a couple of times the team was teetering, but they’ve been able to avoid complete disaster.

What’s It Going To Take?

The two teams which ultimately claim the 2nd and 3rd Wild Card spots in the American League will probably win between 85 and 90 games.

To finish with 85 wins, the O’s would have to go 47-34 the rest of the way.  That would be a .580 winning percentage over the next 81.
To finish with 90 wins, the O’s would have to go 52-29 the rest of the way. That would be a .642 winning percentage over the next 81.

There are only 4 teams in baseball right now that have a winning percentage at or above .580.

After the All-Star break in ’24, the O’s were .500 down the stretch.
Last year they they finished with 75 wins.
As we said above, their on-pace for 76 wins here in ’26.

Clearly they’ve dug a hole.
And they are in a position where a poor week of play could prove to be too much to overcome.

Mathematically they’re not facing some insurmountable hole.
Are they capable of 47 to 52 wins in these next 81 games?
I think answering that comes down to perspective.

If your perspective is that the O’s are 146-163 in their last 306 games and this is just who they are – that’s understandable.
The end of ’24 was disappointing.  ’25 was a mess.
There are similarities and differences with those rosters and this team.
My take is that I like the talent on the roster currently, and I think they’re pretty well positioned to take off here in the 2nd half.

What Is There To Be Optimistic About?

I’ll answer by asking the inverse, what has gone so right in the 1st half, that we can’t reasonably expect that to continue in the 2nd half?

Rico Garcia has pitched like an All-Star this year.
He might be able to bottle this up and continue this run for a few more months; but what he’s done is so far beyond expectations, it shouldn’t be a surprise if there is regression.

Yennier Cano is having his best year since 2023.
I feel pretty good about his ability to sustain this, but maybe he comes back to Earth some.

I liked Brandon Young as extended rotation depth to begin the year, I wouldn’t have expected him to have made 12 starts so far, and certainly wouldn’t have anticipated him being this good.
If you tell me he’s more likely to be a 5th starter going forward, or fall out of the rotation vs. maintain this current production – I get the argument.

If the answer is these three have been so good, it’s not reasonable to expect them to continue to produce at these levels – that’s off-set by the players we can expect more from.

In ’24, Gunnar Henderson slashed .281 / .364 / .529.   So far this year, he’s slashing .230 / .301 / .429.
Players have off years.  Maybe this will be a fully lost year for Henderson, similar to Ripken Jr’s ’92 after his 2nd MVP season in ’91.
Or maybe Gunnar will shake this first half funk and put up a second half closer to expected levels.

Adley Rutschman is having his best offensive year since ’23. He’s also now on his second IL stint.
Maybe he stays more available in the 2nd half?

The O’s offense has been fairly inconsistent, and not hot for any extended stretch.
Their still 8th overall in Runs Scored, including 3rd overall in the American League.

They’ve got four starters (Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Young) currently pitching well.
They’ve got reasonable other options in Trey Gibson, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, and Chris Bassitt (with Kremer, Povich, Bassitt all getting closer to working their way back).

Ryan Helsley has returned to the bullpen.

Blaze Alexander has shored up the defense at 3rd, and been on fire offensively since the calendar turned to May.

Biggest Wild Cards To Obtaining A Wild Card?

A month ago today, Rogers had a 6.96 era.
He’s been able to drop that to 5.30 after his 7 shutout innings in LA vs. the Dodgers Saturday.
He’s been strong in June. If he’s able to sustain this and look the part of a front-end starter for the remainder of the year, obviously that’s transformative to the roster as a whole.

Sam Basallo has had a good start to ’26.
He’s talented enough he could just ‘Hulk’ out the rest of this year.

How about Jackson Holliday?
The 22 year old 2nd baseman has a .674 OPS in his first 85 ab’s this year (.690 last year).
Maybe he’s not ready to be more than this.
Maybe he really emerges in the 2nd half and breaks out?

Biggest Questions? 

• Kyle Bradish has been strong the last couple of turns. Will he hit a wall at some point after not pitching much the last two years?
• There are 32 games between now and the August 3rd MLB Trade Deadline. If the O’s are at-least 16-16 in this stretch, will O’s GM Mike Elias look to move some of the current Top 10 Minor League prospects for help to the Major League roster?  At the minimum, it seems likely the O’s bullpen will need to obtain a high leverage reliever.
• Again, I think Rogers is the biggest Wild Card for the current roster. If he can match this last month going forward, that’s the front-end starter production the O’s need. He probably has to continue to ascend if the O’s are going to like their post-season chances as the Deadline. If for some reason he falls off, but the O’s still like their overall position – would Elias be able to obtain a starting pitcher of note?
• Dylan Beavers is getting closer to return.  When he does, how does playing time sort out between himself, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras?
• What does the next 5 weeks look like for Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin, and Tyler Wells?  Helsley’s return should help the pen. As should the rotation improving in-front of them. We talked above that maybe we see Garcia, and Cano fall back a bit. O’s need this Kittridge, Akin, Wells trio to help.  Wells has struggled vs. RHH, but has yet to allow a run (7.1 innings) here in June.

The Alternative

I’ve struck a fairly positive tone here given that the O’s are 5 under .500, and 17 under for the last 306 games.

I think the O’s are in a good position to take off, but as I also said above; they are also in a position were another poor week could bury them.

So, if they continue to be middling or things go completely off the rails between now and the Trade Deadline, what happens then?

The biggest question would be what do you do with Rutschman?  This is the best he’s looked offensively in sometime.
Assuming this latest IL stint (concussion) is more precautionary vs. serious; he’ll be back soon.
This version of Adley is felt when he’s not in the lineup.
He’s under team control through the ’27 season.
You’d get more for him now with a 1.3 years of team control vs. trading him this off-season, or next year.
You could a build a winning 2027 team without Rutschman, but most people would probably think the O’s were waiving the white flag on ’27 if he’s moved this August.
You could of course bring him back for ’27, but again, you’d get less if you attempted to trade him later.

In a scenario where the O’s wind-up trading Rutschman this year, you’d have to think that Taylor Ward, and Rogers (both Free Agents to be) would be moved.

Helsley is under contract through ’27. If there is a sell-off, maybe he goes? Probably not.

Garcia would be moved.  Honestly I think there is a chance Garcia is traded even if the O’s believe their a contender come August.

If Kremer or Bassitt get back and are competitive, either of them could be attractive to someone. Bassitt a Free Agent to be.  Kremer under contract through ’27.

If the O’s are not feeling good about where they are at the Deadline, then Henderson likely hasn’t turned things around.
If he hasn’t, then there wouldn’t be any thought of trading him then with perceived value ‘down.’
You still have him under control through ’28.  At the minimum, the O’s would look to retool for ’27, hoping for a Gunnar rebounding leading to either ’27 contention, or his value swinging back-up for a trade.
On the other-hand, his ability is recognized by everyone. If he was made available now, with 2.3 years of team control remaining, there would be plenty of suitors making big offers.

If the O’s get to August, and trading off Rutschman was a legitimate option, Orioles Owner David Rubenstein would likely be forced into some type of public pronouncement regarding Elias.
Presumably Ownership wouldn’t sign-off on Elias moving Rutschman if Elias wasn’t going to be at the helm for the ’27 season.
And if the O’s are in a selling position at the Deadline, Elias’ status going forward will need to be clarified to the public.

The MLB Draft

The 2026 MLB Draft is July 11th – July 13th.

In many Mock Drafts, the O’s continue to be connected with Georgia Tech CF Drew Burress with the 7th overall pick.

So What Happens Here In The 2nd Half?

The Yankees are 10 games ahead of the O’s.  NY is 4th overall in runs scored, and 2nd in ERA.
If you want to say NY has proven to be a better team, that’s fair.

I don’t see anyone else that’s definitively more talented than the O’s in the AL.

I respect the other divisional foes – Tampa and Toronto –  but the Rays have little power, and the Jays have a below offense overall.

Seattle can pitch, the Athletics can hit.

Chicago, Cleveland, Minnesota, Texas, Houston all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

A couple of these teams will kick things into a higher gear, and to be fair to the Rays; they’re already 10 games over .500.

But put the O’s roster up against any of them, and I don’t think it’s orange colored glasses to say the O’s are as talented as any of them.

As I’ve said, I think they’re pretty well positioned to make a run.

Now we will see if they can find their stride.

The post 81 Down, 81 To Go appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The first three of those eight straight losses being by a combined 10 points against Washington, Nebraska, and UCLA.

Once the wheels came off, MD wasn’t able to get back on-track, and the losing snowballed.

Now here in June, we’re a couple of months out from the 2026 season.

The seat is hot for Head Coach Mike Locksley as he enters Year 8 at the helm.

If expectations were rising after three straight bowl years in ’21-’23, current expectations for MD are minimal after back-to-back 4-8 seasons.

There is some legitimate talent on the roster.

If Coach Locksley is going to continue to lead the program; it’s imperative that the roster talent translates into results this year.

Let’s take a look at the roster that exists, and review some of the questions we have for this program as the season nears.

OFFENSE
QB: 1. Malik Washington, 2. Cardell Williams, 3. Cal Wither, 4. Nathan Bernhard
RB: 1. DeJuan Williams, 2. Iverson Howard, 3. Henry Dalton II, 4. Terrez Worthy, 5. Liam Wilson
WR-X: 1. Kaleb Webb, 2. Jordan Scott
WR-Z: 1. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, 2. Ryan Manning
WR-H: 1. Chris Durr Jr., 2. Zymear Smith
TE: 1. Dorian Fleming, 2. Preston Howard
LT: 1. Rahtrel Perry, 2. Michael McMonigle
LG: 1. Jaylen Gilchrist, 2. Ryan Howerton
C: 1. Michael Hershey, 2. Trevor Szymanski
RG: 1. Tellek Lockette, 2. Amory Hills
RT: 1. Isaiah Wright, 2. Carlos Moore

DEFENSE
SAM: 1. Sidney Stewart OR Zion Elee
DT: 1. Eyan Thomas, 2. Lavon Johnson, 3. Armon Parker
NT: 1. Bryce Jenkins, 2. Joel Starlings, 3. Jayvon Parker
JACK: 1. Zahir Mathis, 2. Nahsir Taylor
MIKE: 1. Trey Reddick, 2. Stephen Dean III
WILL: 1. Daniel Wingate, 2. Carlton Smith
FCB: 1. Jamare Glasker, 2. Lloyd Irvin III
BCB: 1. Dontay Joyner, 2. Sean Johnson
NICKEL: 1. Amari Jackson, 2. Jayden Shipps
FS: 1. Gavin Edwards, 2. Darrell Carey
SS: 1. Lavain Scruggs, 2. Messiah Delhomme

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: 1. Sean O’Haire
P: 1. Bryce McFerson, 2. Philip Noyes
LS: 1. Luke O’Hare
KR: 1. Iverson Howard, 2. Ricardo Cooper Jr.

QB:
Malik Washington: Sophomore, Completed 273 passes, 2,963 yards, 17 td’s.
Cardell Williams: Senior, Sacramento State transfer, threw for 1,651 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025 while also rushing for 382 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Cal Wither: Laurier (Canada) transfer. 1st team All-Canada last season. He threw for 2,472 yards for the Golden Hawks in 2025, with 26 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions.
Nathan Bernhard: Freshman, 3 star, Class of ’26.

RB: 
DeJuan Williams: RS Sophomore, In ’25, 9 starts, led MD with 927 all-purpose yards. 4 star. Saint Frances.  Chose MD over Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State.
Iverson Howard: Sophomore, 3 star, ESPN 300, 4 star per ESPN,  led MD in kickoffs in ’25.
Henry Dalton III: RS Freshman, 3 star, USC transfer.
Terrez Worthy: Senior, 3 star, Temple transfer. Known for big speed, had a JUCO season before joining Temple.
Liam Wilson: Junior, Started 23 games for Maryland’s Baseball team in 2025.

WR:
X: 1. Kaleb Webb, 2. Jordan Scott
Z: 1. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, 2. Ryan Manning
H: 1. Chris Durr Jr., 2. Zymear Smith

Webb: RS Senior, Tennessee transfer before ’25, 4 star.  Played all 12 games in ’25.
Scott: Senior, FSU transfer before ’25, 3 star  Was #2 JUCO per 247. 6’7, 220.

Abdul-Rahim Gladding: Junior, ODU transfer, 3 star.
Manning: RS Jr, 3 star, Saint Frances, Top 100 WR in the Nation.

Durr: Junior, Wyoming transfer, 3 star.
Z. Smith: RS Freshman, 4 star, ESPN 300, chose MD over Bama, Penn State, and South Carolina.

Ejani Shakir: Junior, Independence CC transfer, 43 catches, 724 yards, 6 TD’s last year.
Jayden Kitchens: Freshman, 3 star, 24th overall player in MD.
Sean Williams: RS Junior, was a Top 5 player in DC in HS.
Josiah Teasley: Freshman, 3 star, 23rd overall player in VA.

TE: 
Dorian Fleming: RS Jr, 25 HM Big Ten. Georgia State transfer before ’25, 2024 All Sun Belt Conference,
Preston Howard: RS Senior, Auburn transfer (former Terp), 3 star.
AJ Szymanski: Senior, was in all 12 games last year, with 3 starts.
JT Taggart: Sophomore, was in 11 of 12 games last year. Out of HS was a 3 star, ranked 31st amongst all TE’s. Son of Willie Taggart.
Damon Hall Jr: Freshman, 3 star, ranked 31st amongst all TE’s. Recruited by Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Michigan.

O-Line:
LT: 1. Rahtrel Perry, 2. Michael McMonigle
LG: 1. Jaylen Gilchrist, 2. Ryan Howerton
C: 1. Michael Hershey, 2. Trevor Szymanski
RG: 1. Tellek Lockette, 2. Amory Hills
RT: 1. Isaiah Wright, 2. Carlos Moore

Perry: RS Senior, Central Connecticut State transfer before ’25, 2024 All NEC 1st Team, started all 12 games for MD in ’25.
Gilchrist: RS Freshman, 4 star, ESPN 300, 80th overall, injured in the ’25 Opener.
Hershey: Junior, Started all 12 games in ’25. Academic All Big Ten.3 star, Chose MD over Charlotte, Yale, Delaware.
Lockette: RS Senior, Phil Steele had him 1st team All Sun Belt entering last year. Finished the 25 season as the top graded OL in the Group of 5, according to PFF.
Wright: Graduate, Started all 12 games for MD in ’25.

Moore: RS Senior, 3 star, Elon transfer before ’25, started 10 games in ’24 with Elon.
Howerton: RS Soph, 3 star per 247, 4 star per Rivals, UA All-American Game invite.
Watkins: RS Soph, 3 star, 24th overall player in MD.
Hills: Soph, 3 star, 26th overall player in MD.
Bennett: RS Soph, 3 star, action in 2 games last year. Academic All-Big Ten.
McMonigle: RS Freshman, 3 star.
Beymer: RS Freshman, 3 star.
Szymankski: RS Soph, 3 star, Chose MD over Pitt, VaTech, Syracuse.
Robsock: RS Soph, 3 star, 33rd overall player in PA.
Folivi: RS Senior.

D-Line:
SAM: Sidney Stewart OR Zion Elee
DT:  Eyan Thomas, Lavon Johnson, Armon Parker
NT: Bryce Jenkins, Joel Starlings, Jayvon Parker

Stewart: Sophomore, was Freshman All-American in ’25, out of HS 3 star, Top 40 player in MD, Chose MD over WVU, Boston College, Indiana
Elee: Freshman, 5 star

Thomas: RS Jr, Saint Francis (PA) transfer before ’25, 2nd Team All NEC.
Johnson: Senior, Texas transfer, former Terp, 3 star.
A. Parker: R-Senior, Washington transfer, played in 8 games last year. 6’3, 320.

Jenkins: Sophomore, 4 star, ESPN 300, 2nd ranked player in DC.
Starlings: RS Jr, 3 star, saw action in 11 games in 2025.
J. Parker: R-Senior, 24 games across 4 years with Washington. 2024 Academic All-American. 6’3, 330.

Derrick LeBlanc: RS Jr, UCF transfer, out of HS was a 4 star, Nation’s 51st overall recruit.
DD Holmes: RS Sophomore, saw action in 9 games, including 1 start in ’25.  Out of HS was ESPN 300, 4 star, and rated 2nd best player in DC.
EJ Moore: Junior, saw action in 11 of 12 games. Before MD was a Phil Steele 2024 FCS Freshman All-American.
Joshua Simmons: RS Sophomore, 2025 Academic All-Big Ten.
Delmar White: RS Freshman, 3 star, Top 40 player in Maryland.
JaMarcus Whyce: Freshman, 4 star, 17th ranked player in Ohio.
Cam Brickle: Freshman, 3 star, IMG Academy.
Jianni Davis: Freshman, 3 star, 31st overall player in Maryland, son of Vernon Davis.

LB:
JACK: Zahir Mathis, Nahsir Taylor
MIKE: Trey Reddick, Stephen Dean III
WILL: Daniel Wingate, Carlton Smith

Mathis: Sophomore, Freshman All-American in ’25, out of HS 4 star, ESPN 300, # 1 player in Pennsylvania, 2025 UA All-American, Choose MD over OSU, FSU
Taylor: Sophomore, saw action in 11 games, and had 2 sacks. Was 3 stars out of HS, 32nd rated player in Maryland.

Reddick: Junior, 3 star, 5th on team in tackles and TFL’s in ’25. 14th ranked player in VA, Chose MD over Wake, UNC, Penn State. .
Dean III: R Senior, 3 star, VMI transfer. Had 117 tackles (including 9.5 for loss) last season.

Wingate: Senior, 2025 HM Big Ten. Top 25 player in MD, Top 100 LB in the Nation, Choose MD over BC, WVU, Penn State.
C.Smith: Sophomore, 3 star, 3rd on team for tackles in ’25.

Darius Grimes, RS Jr, saw action in all 12 games in 2025.
Travares Daniels, RS Freshman, 3 star, Top 100 player in Florida.
Kaden Carter, Freshman, 4 star, rated as 7th best ILB in the ’26 Class.
Kellen McConnell, RS Sophomore, Academic All-Big Ten.
Keyari James, RS Sophomore, Academic All-Big Ten. 3 star.

Secondary:
FCB:  Jamare Glasker, Lloyd Irvin III
BCB: Dontay Joyner, Sean Johnson
NICKEL: Amari Jackson, Jayden Shipps
FS: Gavin Edwards, Darrell Carey
SS: Lavain Scruggs, Messiah Delhomme

Glasker: RS Senior, Wake Forest transfer before ’25, started 9 games in ’24.  3 picks in ’25.
Irvin III:  RS Sophomore, 3 star, 26th overall player in MD, Chose MD over BC, VaTech, West Virginia

Joyner: Senior, HM Big Ten in ’25. Arkansas State transfer before ’25, played in 24 games, 3rd highest grade at CB in Sun Belt in ’24 via PFF.
Johnson: Freshman, 3 star

Jackson: RS Senior, Boston College transfer, 3 star
Shipps: Sophomore, 3 star

Edwards: RS Jr, 3 star transfer before ’25
Carey: Freshman, 3 star

Scruggs: 3 star, 21st overall player in MD, played in 12 games last year, started 4 in ’24. 4th on team in tackles in ’25
Delhomme: Sophomore, 4 star, ESPN 300, 2nd ranked player in Virginia. 2 blocked kicks, 6th on team in tackles in ’25.

Mekhai White: RS Sophomore, was in 11 games. Was a 4 star recruit out of HS, made switch from WR to CB in ’25.
Ricardo Cooper: RS Jr, was in all 12 games, had a pick, named MD’s Special Teams Player of the Year.
Judah Jenkins: RS Sophomore, Academic All-Big Ten. Appeared in all 12 games in ’24, and zero games in ’25.
Alex Moore: RS Jr, was in 11 games in ’25.

Special Teams
K: Sean O’Haire: RS Sophomore, 21 of 24 on FGs.
P: 1. Bryce McFerson: RS Senior, 2025 2nd team Big Ten

What Do We Like?

Washington is back for a second year, and he gained extensive experience as a Freshman.
ESPN looked at the QB situations for all 138 FBS schools, and has Washington in their Tier 8. 

Talent and experience under center is a good starting point.

I liked the addition of Lockette in the portal.
The starting O-Line looks capable, with some upside capability if Gilchrist is productive.
There would be a noticeable drop off if any starters were lost to injury, but there does appear to be growing usable OL depth.

I like Fleming at TE, and was happy to see Howard return.

The RB depth seems like it was solidified in the portal.
I like Williams, and Worthy seems like he has the speed to really factor.
MD hasn’t done enough in the running game the last few years, I’m hoping we see a tick up here.

I like the starting Secondary, and Delhomme.

The kicking and punting game is in excellent shape.

As excited as I am about having Washington back; what I like best about this team is the defensive Front 7.
Stewart, Mathis, and Wingate were excellent last year.  Looking forward to seeing how Elee is added to the mix.
Also excited about Jenkins, LeBlanc, Reddick. Dean was a late addition, and moving up a level; but a lot of experience and production.

What Questions Do We Have?

I like a lot of the experience of the WR’s, but we will have to wait and see both how electric that room is, and who shows up consistently.

Clint Trickett is the new OC, and I’m looking forward seeing what that offense looks like.
BSL Terps Analyst Zack Kiesel said on our message board that, “Trickett is an Air Raid guy, from the Dana Holgorsen tree after playing for him at West Virginia. That offense has evolved a lot from what it was initially under Hal Mumme and Mike Leach, and incorporates a lot more of the run game without the traditional wide offensive line splits. But it’s certainly very different from the pro-style scheme that Maryland ran last season. His Jacksonville State team put up the most yards in Conference-USA last season.”

It’s a new system for Washington, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts.
I’ll be happy if there is plenty of play-action, and quick reads to get the ball out of Washington’s hands.

I was disappointed that CB Kevyn Humes left the program for Rutgers, and OG Alliou Bah left for LSU.

The primary questions are what would constitute a good year, and what’s realistic?

Maryland’s 2026 schedule is:

Hampton (FCS)
@ UConn
Virginia Tech
UCLA
@ Nebraska
@ Ohio State
Rutgers
Illinois
@ Purdue
Wisconsin
@ USC
Penn State

Clearly they’ll beat Hampton in the opener.

UConn has been improving under Jim Mora Jr, going 9-4 last year, and didn’t lose at home.
I think MD fans have been counting this as an automatic W, and it’s not.
When ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor goes up for the game, I’d guess MD is given a 55-60% chance of winning.
It might not be an auto-win, but it’s a game MD has to win.

Virginia Tech at home vs. James Franklin will be interesting.
These schools were scheduled to also play in ’27 and ’28, but VaTech bought out those games. (Maryland replaced the Hokies with Baylor in ’27 and ’28.)
Franklin’s direct history with MD, coupled with his time at Penn State doesn’t have him particularly popular in College Park.
These programs will compete for lots of the same players going forward.
Franklin hit the ground running and brought in a strong recruiting class.
Virginia Tech was a proud program under Frank Beamer; it’s not difficult to see them emerging again under Franklin.
This will probably be a pick’em type game; but again – it’s a game MD needs to win, particularly because it’s at home.
Probably plenty of Virginia Tech fans there.

There will be varying odds, but the home games vs. UCLA, Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin are winnable.
The Badgers might come to College Park as 10 point favorites, but MD winning any of those games would not be some astronomical upset.
The road game at Purdue also feels winnable to me.

It would be surprising (but not impossible) if they won at Nebraska, or at USC.
It would be pretty shocking if MD beat Penn State.  New Nittany Lions HC Matt Campbell has something like 50 transfers, so who knows what they’ll look like – but he’s a quality HC, and I’m going to assume PSU will again have plenty of talent. The Nittany Lions will also travel well, and fill a good portion of the stands.

Ohio State is 9-0 vs. MD, and only 2-3 games have been competitive.  It’s a pretty easy guess that the Buckeyes will be too much for the Terps.

So, 1 (Hampton) automatic win, and 2 (Ohio State, Penn State) automatic losses.  7 games (@UConn, VaTech, UCLA, Rutgers, Illinois, @Purdue, Wisconsin) where ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor will likely give them anywhere been a 41 to 60% chance to win.  2 games (@Nebraska, and @USC) where they’ll probably be given a 30-40% chance to win.

How good are they in those pick’em games?
Are they able to pull an upset anywhere?

A high quality year would be 8 wins, and a decent bowl.
The young players (Washington, and the Defensive Lineman) all have big years; feel good about their progression as a team in ’26, and decide to run it back 1 more year.
There are a lot of upper classman in the 2 Deep.  Another part of a quality year would be further emergence of other Freshman and Sophomores.
MD is probably not in a position where they can beat Ohio State; but you can’t get run off the field at this point of Locksley’s tenure either.
MD has some real ability on the DL, and experience on the O-Line. They should not be getting manhandled in the trenches vs. their fellow Big Ten teams.

What’s a good year? A good year would be not letting the talent on the roster go to waste.
Play solid complimentary football, with a strong defensive Front 7, and excellent Special Teams.
Get a ground game going.  Keep Washington up-right and available.

Locksley is fighting for his job, and his players should be playing with a chip on their collective shoulders.
They all have something to prove.

The post An Early Summer Look At 2026 Maryland Football appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

They’re 2 games behind Toronto and Texas who are tired for the 3rd WC, with the Athletics also a game and a half ahead of Baltimore.

The O’s have been outscored by 35 runs, and have lost their last 4 games.
They are 7th overall in runs scored, 11th in slugging, and 13th in on-base %.
Baltimore is 24th overall in era.

Including tonight, the Orioles have 44 games scheduled before the August 3rd Trade Deadline.

Last year, the 2nd AL Wild Card won 89 games (.549 winning percentage), and the 3rd AL Wild Card won 87 games (.537 winning percentage).

The O’s will have played 112 games by the deadline (68 games played already, 44 games remaining).
To be on a 88 win pace (a .542 winning percentage) by August 3rd, the O’s will have to be 61-51 on August 3rd.
That means the O’s would need to go 30-14 ( a .681 winning percentage) over these next 44 games.

Now you can rightfully argue the O’s wouldn’t need to be at a 88 win pace on August 3rd.
They could go 57-37 (a .606 winning percentage) the rest of the way and arrive at the same year end 88 win level.
A .606 winning percentage over the next 44 games would have the O’s going a more reasonable 27-17 for that stretch.

But they’re at a point where they would have to put together a scorching 40-50 games, or sustained high quality over the remaining 94 games to be in position to earn their way to the post-season.

Some quick hits on the roster, and Front Office.

Gunnar Henderson

We’re nearing the middle of June, and the 24 year old has an OPS under .700.
Over the weekend, WBAL Radio said he was 2nd in baseball in 3 pitch strikeouts.
Clearly the year hasn’t gone to plan for the young SS.
As Gunnar’s struggles have extended, I’ve started to think about Nick Markakis.
Markakis had an outstanding career with the O’s and Braves. 15 years, just under 2,400 career hits.
Outstanding RF, and clubhouse presence.
He belongs in the Hall of Very Good.
I’m not disparaging Markakis at all, to say that as good as his career was; I had higher aspirations for him after his first 2 or 3 seasons.
In those first few seasons he looked more like a star vs. a very strong complimentary piece.
And I’ve thought about Nick, because I’m wondering if my expectations for Gunnar will also prove off – or if this subpar stretch will be a blip on his career record?
In 2024, Gunnar put up a 7.9 fWAR season. He made the game look easy.
Now he’s facing some adversity for likely the first time in his whole baseball playing career.
All of me believes he’s too talented to not be productive.
He dealt with right-should impingement in 2025, never looked right, and still posted a 4.8 fWAR season.
He’s generally struggled so far this year, and his current 1.6 fWAR still is 51st amongst all MLB position players.
The floor to me is that he gets out of this funk, and is a regular All-Star caliber player for years.
Does he get back to ’24 levels, and look like a guy that will perennially be in the MVP consideration?
We will see.
In the immediate, the O’s need him to flip a switch, and give the team more now.
One of the things about Gunnar that stood out in ’23 and ’24, is that he just looked like a guy that loves to play.
Right now, he looks like he has the weight of the world on him.
That is the burden of expectations – both externally and internally.
He’s the O’s best overall talent.
If he puts up a strong 44 games, the O’s will be in better shape at the deadline then they are today.
And if this rough stretch continues for him, it will be difficult for the O’s to overcome that.
If he agreed to an extension offer now, would that help ease the burden he is carrying in his shoulders?
Would he consider negotiating now?
Is he fully committed to reaching Free Agency and testing the market after the ’28 season?

Pete Alonso

The O’s locked Alonso up through the 2030 season.

He’s 31 now, 32 in December.
With a natural / expected aging-curve; 2026 is probably the best version of Alonso we see in an O’s uniform.

The defense has been better than advertised.
The players have pointed to his leadership.

The numbers aren’t horrible by any means, but they’re also not enough.
He’s carrying a .756 OPS into the game tonight (.850 for his career).
April was rough, May was good, June so-far a slight step-back.
The O’s could really use him to get on an extended run.
Also could use him to start giving the O’s more vs. LHP.

Adley Rutschman

Over 48 games, and 180 ab’s, he’s got a .832 OPS.  That’s a big jump from the last 2 years, and slightly above what we saw from him over ’22 and ’23.
After 37 doubles combined over the ’24 and ’25 season, he’s got 14 currently.
He did hit into some bad luck last year, but I think his approach has been improved here in ’26.
He’s missed the last 2 games going into tonight, and you felt his absence from the lineup.
His play over the next 6 weeks will help tell the story of this O’s team.
We’ve also now reached a point where there has to be real consideration of trading him this Summer if the O’s don’t start playing better.
Rutschman is a FA after the ’27 season.  If you move him by August 3rd, the acquiring team would be getting him with 1.3 years of remaining control.
An in-season move this year figures to bring a bit more than potentially moving him after the season ends.
If the O’s get up and over .500, and are in a Wild Card position at the deadline, Rutschman won’t be going anywhere.
But if you get to August 3rd, and the O’s are under .500 and still not looking consistently better; then you’d have to think there is some chance he gets moved.
I’m unsure if the O’s can find a deal that works for them and Henderson.
I do feel like a contract extension with Rutschman is possible.
His resurgence so far this year, coupled with the arrival of Sam Basallo (allowing Rutschman to be positioned for less time behind the plate) makes me more open to a Rutschman extension than I have been previously.

The Rotation

Currently the rotation is Bradish, Rogers, Baz, Young, and Gibson with Bassitt, Kremer, and Povich on the IL.

Bradish was 4th in the Cy Young balloting in ’23, and then limited to 14 combined starts over ’24 and ’25.
He’s made 13 starts this year, and I mostly feel good about him.
The 36 walks has been an issue overall, but he seemed to turn a corner in May posting a 2.80 era over 6 starts.
His first start in June was this past Saturday vs. the Jays, and that was a disappointing outing.
Everyone has tough days, but when you’ve got your best starter on the mound at home with a chance to win a series against a Division rival – it’s a let down when he gets knocked around a bit.
There is a lot riding on his arm. The O’s need him to immediately lock back in like he was in May.
Is it an unfair ask for him to be that strong and consistent each time out, after all of the time missed the last two years?

Rogers last three starts have been an improvement.  5/24, he allowed 4 er over 6 innings, all 4 coming in the 7th, and 6 strong scoreless.
That was followed by 1 er over 5.2 innings in Boston 6/4.  Last night he allowed 3 er over 5.2 innings, all of the runs coming on a 3 run homer in the Seattle 4th.
It was annoying to see that hanging slider crushed, and a crooked inning for the Mariners; but he didn’t collapse and gave the O’s a chance to win.
He’s dropped his era from 6.96 to 6.15 over those 3 outings, but yeah…he still has a 6.15 era.
He’s made 12 starts, and has 60 innings on the year.
If he makes 8 starts over these next 44 games, and continues to average 5 ip a start; he’d still have a 4.65 overall era even if he allows just 10 er over his next 40 innings of work.
Probably the biggest mistake of the off-season was the O’s needing Rogers to be a front-end starter here in ’26. Hoping he’d nearly replicate what he did over 18 starts last year.
Right now, I’m sure the O’s would sign-up for one extended hot 8 game stretch.
If he does that, that will either have better positioned the O’s for a WC run, or have Rogers regaining value as a trade chip if the O’s haven’t put things together overall.

Baz has a 2.13 era over two June starts.  For the year, I think he’s right at what you’d expect. A solid enough mid-rotation starter.
His last 5 starts overall have been very good, and give you some hope he’ll get on a sustained heater.

Young has made 9 very effective starts.  The O’s would be totally lost without his performance year-to-date.
If he can continue to regularly give the O’s a chance to win, that’s significant.
If he were to fall apart, that would also be significant.

Gibson is one of the O’s Top 5 prospects, and has already made 4 starts. With Bassitt joining Kremer on the IL, he’s currently needed.
Only 5 k’s in his initial 17 innings, but only 2 homers allowed too. He’s getting a lot of grounders.
I don’t like having to rely on Gibson in early June, but I don’t think it’s out of the question that he pitches like a league-average 5th starter right now either.

Seems like Kremer is on-pace to return in late June. Kremer had 170+ innings 2 of the last 3 years. After starting this year in the Minors, and suffering the quad injury; he’s had 2 outings for 11 total innings.
Bassitt went on the 15 day IL, retroactive to June 5th. Prior to this year, he had four successive 30+ start seasons with Toronto.
He hasn’t been a disaster with the O’s, but he hasn’t been good.  He might beat Kremer back to the rotation.

Out of that Baz / Young / Gibson / Kremer / Bassitt grouping; the O’s need 3 of them to be regularly reliable.
Baz answers one of those spots.
Have to be encouraged by Young right now.
Kremer has a track-record of being that guy with the O’s.
Bassitt obviously has the track-record overall; with questions about how much he has in the tank at age 37.
If the O’s are in a sell mode at the deadline, Kremer and Bassitt could be on the move.

The O’s chances of getting hot, are basically the tied to whatever odds you give Bradish and Rogers of getting hot.

Basallo, Holliday, Mayo, Cowser

Basallo is out of the lineup tonight with a sore wrist.  We said above it was noticeable the last two nights how the lineup looked different without Rutschman.
The lineup difference is even more pronounced when Basallo is unavailable.  The 21 year old is already a force. He had a .974 OPS in May (77 ab’s).
He’ll be getting more attention, and there will probably be stretches where he again looks 21.  But the talent is obvious to anyone. Ball sounds different off the bat.
His willingness to use the whole field impresses. He has the ability to be a night-to-night difference maker even now in the infancy of his career.

Holliday and Cowser have OPS’s just over .700.  Mayo is at .650.  Cowser has obviously come to life, going 18 for his last 62 (.290, .357, .597).
There will be other stretches where he struggles to make contact, but hopefully this stretch has reminded everyone there is ability there.
The O’s needed his resurgence. The next question for him is will he more time and produce vs. LHP?  Just 13 ab’s vs. LHP so far this year.

Holliday is hitting just .218, but he’s got a .323 on-base %, because he walks. He also hits RHP.  He is just 4 for 22 to start June. Because he has 228 games in the Majors, people forget his age. He’s just 22, and he’s not a finished product. Still, if you are looking for reasons the O’s could get hot, one scenario would be the game slowing down for Holliday and him regularly giving the O’s a lift. He might not be ready to do that, but it’s reasonable to expect some production there.

Mayo had a .716 OPS in May, and has a .717 OPS in June.  Over his last 30 days, he’s got a .875 OPS (69 ab’s, 6 homers). He’s clearly feeling more comfortable, likely helped by not wondering about Westburg returning. Also by getting his name regularly in the lineup.

It would surprise me if anyone says they know exactly what the O’s will get from this quartet the rest of ’26.
They have the ability and youth to swing both ways on the pendulum.

When I see this grouping in the lineup, I see a lineup with extended depth and potential.
It’s not out of the question that this group could just hit, and hit a lot the rest of the way.
It is probably more likely that each will have further growing pains.

Ward, Taveras, Alexander, J. Jackson

As noted above, the O’s are up to 7th overall in runs scored.
There are a lot of guys capable of contributing on a given night.

Ward has a .766 OPS for his career, and a .764 OPS for the season.
He has just 3 homers, but he has 16 doubles, and 58 walks.
The doubles pace will likely slow, and the homer count will likely jump.

Alexander might be my favorite player to watch most nights.
Just like how he plays the game, and his versatility.
I don’t worry about Mayo’s glove at 3rd, knowing that Alexander is available to replace him in close and late situations.

Taveras had a .694 OPS in May, and is just 4 of 25 (.345 OPS) to begin June.
Overall he has a .706 OPS for the season. Much like Young in the rotation, I don’t know where the O’s would be without his contributions so far.
I do wonder if he maybe needs a bit more rest, but he has been a regular before, playing 294 games with Texas in ’23 and ’24.
He’s struggling vs. LHP (.530 OPS, 50 ab’s.)

Jackson was strong in April, and struggled in May.
I like that he continues to be around as insurance for Holliday.

Beavers and O’Neill

Beavers is getting closer to a return. His oblique injury was unfortunate as he seemed to be coming on when he got hurt.
When he returns, I’d assume he’ll get most of his time in RF, but he, Cowser, and Taveras will rotate RF, and Center. Maybe once one of the three will get a game in LF.

I’m not sure where O’Neill’s ab’s come from at that point.
Outside of owed salary, I’m not sure where he fits on the roster.
I will say, I think O’Neill is a better hitter than we’re seeing right now.
He’s got a pitiful .511 OPS in 109 ab’s, with just 4 xbh’s.
His primary issue for his career has been staying available.
When he has been able to stay on the field, he’s been able to hit – with his two healthiest seasons both being 30+ homer years.
Him giving the O’s nothing is hard to watch.
He’s got a .118 / .196 / .137 split vs. LHP over 51 ab’s.

The Bullpen

Helsley threw a live bullpen session Monday.  Him returning should be a lift.

If you were selecting an O’s All-Star representative today, it’s probably Rico Garcia.
Which illustrates the volatility of relievers, but give it up to the 32 year old for his performance.
Already 30 outings, and he’s allowed 9 hits.
If the O’s play doesn’t improve, I could see the O’s trying to cash in and trade him.

Kittredge only has 13.2 innings, and his era is over 7; but for first time since joining the O’s last year, and rejoining them this year – I feel like I’ve seen what the Front Office liked recently.
The game log doesn’t back me up, but I’ve found myself trusting him more.

Cano is destroying RHH, holding them to a .376 OPS over 49 ab’s.

Wells has been rocked at home, and strong on the road.  He’s getting lit up by RHH.

I liked seeing Suarez back, but that 5 er, 2 inning outing in Boston was a disaster.
To his credit, he’s allowed 1 er over his next 4 innings.  Also had just 1 er allowed in 7.2 innings in May.

MASN’s Roch Kubatko had some good quotes today from O’s Manager Craig Albernaz on Anthony Nunez.

It was reported Monday that Felix Bautista began his throwing progression, and there is some thought he could return at some point late in the 2nd half.

If the O’s play well from here to the deadline, it’s likely going to be because the rotation has been solid enough.
If the rotation is solid, then the ‘pen will likely be solid enough too, especially if Helsley is back soon, and gives the ‘pen a bit more order.

But if we get to the deadline and the O’s are in position to ‘go for it’, you’d have to think that adding pen help would be a priority.

Deadline Thoughts

They’ve got a lot of games between now and the deadline.

Chances are they won’t get super hot or collapse.

They’ll likely be in the WC mix.

Elias will take things up to the deadline.

Based on what we’ve seen previously; he will probably trade off some pieces he considers replaceable for lottery tickets and team control.

Would he buy anything of significance?
Maybe if the team is generally pointing up, and he believes the available piece would provide a necessary boost.
But it would have to be right price for him to pay.

I’m not in love with the O’s Top 10 prospects (George, Irish,De Leon, Gibson, Aloy, Mejia, Estrada, Bradfield, Bateman, German); so I’d be pretty comfortable moving most guys not named Aloy to augment this existing roster.

The more likely scenario is that in addition to selling off pieces he considers replaceable / redundant; Elias will look to buy on the fringes… and they’ll largely go with what they have.

I expect they’ll add a reliever.
Kremer can help the rotation.

I’d like to see them be aggressive about adding the best SP they can, but I don’t think Elias will give up substantial team control for a rental.  Especially if the Orioles continue to be up and down to the deadline.

Potential SP Targets?

Wacha is having a good year, but he’s 34 and owed $14M next year.

Skubal is available and the dream. You want to go for it, there’s the guy.
How much player capital would you give up for the FA to be, when the ML roster hasn’t looked good enough for 2 months?
Obviously a healthy Skubal the rest of the way would address a lot of issues.

Casey Mize is the more realistic Detroit target.

Would love McClean, but he’s less realistic than Skubal.
Peralta is a FA to be.  He could be obtainable.

Robbie Ray is a FA to be.  The Savant page is all blue. Cost would be very minimal. Was pretty good last year.

The flip side to my thoughts here is that a total collapse is possible.

The O’s are 6 games under .500.   There is a path to them being in the WC hunt, but things could go completely off the rails too.

At that point, everyone not nailed down with team control could be on the move.

And the larger question would be, do you let Elias orchestrate a sell-off, if this becomes another season of failed expectations which will ultimately cost Elias his job?

As I outlined here, I’d continue to roll with Elias myself.

The post 44 Games Until The Trade Deadline appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

As I was born in ’79, that means my lifetime has been spent without an NBA team here in Charm City.

Despite that, I’ve always enjoyed the NBA.

The Lakers and Celtics 80’s rivalry isn’t something I personally recall, but I do have faint memories of discussions of Magic and Bird in school.

I remember having Jordan vs. Bird on a Commodore 64. 

I do recall watching the ’88 and ’89 Finals between the Lakers and Pistons; and those Bad Boy Pistons beating Jordan’s Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

’91 was the first of Jordan’s 6 Championships, and he dominated the sports world, living in the most rarified air.

’92 was the Barcelona Olympics, and the Dream Team.  I recall being on vacation with family, and taking the time to watch any snippets NBC provided – because it seemed unfathomable there could be that collection of talent on one team.

I’m pretty sure it was earlier in ’92, that I saw the Bullets vs. the 76ers (with Manute Bol) at the Baltimore Arena (now CFG Bank Arena).
I know that in the ’92-’93 season, I saw a rookie Shaquille O’Neil vs. the Bullets in Landover at the old Cap Center.

Jordan’s first title came against the LA, at the end of that Laker dynasty.
It was followed by wins over quality teams – Portland with Drexler, and Phoenix with Barkley.
Then Jordan steps away, and people my age will forever debate how those Bulls teams would have done against the back-to-back Houston championship teams*.

*(Jordan returned to action in late March ’95, and he was excellent… but he wasn’t completely sharp / dialed in after 21 months away. Yes, that Magic team with Shaq, and Penny beat the Bulls, and yes the Rockets dismantled the Magic…  but if Jordan hadn’t been away, I’m not sure he doesn’t go ahead and win 8 straight titles. Yes, he needed Rodman for the second 3 peat after having lost Grant. Yes, the Bulls would have had no answer for Olajuwon.)

The second Jordan 3 peat was more difficult than people seem to remember now.
The Supersonics with Payton and Kemp pushed Chicago.
The Jazz with Stockton and Malone were tough, demanding series.
Those were all better teams than remembered now, but Jordan took every challenge.

The early 2000s were the Lakers with their 3 peat – Shaq, Kobe, and Phil Jackson.
In the middle of that LA run, you have 17 year old LeBron James (a Junior in HS) appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. 

Some great teams, with extended runs.
The Spurs won 3 titles from ’02-’03 to ’06-’07.
The Lakers and Kobe follow with 2 more titles, as he was now paired with Paul Gasol.
LeBron makes his decision, and joins Miami – going to 4 straight Finals with the Heat.
The last two series of that Finals run for Miami being against the Spurs.

Between the ’10-’11 season, and the ’17-’18 season, LeBron goes to 8 Finals in a row!
A remarkable achievement.

He faced off against Stephen Curry and the Warriors four successive years.
Golden State is in the Finals for 5 straight years, and wins their 4th championship since ’14-’15 in the ’21-’22 season.

3x MVP Nikola Jokic and Denver won their title in ’22-’23.

Last year we saw a terrific young Oklahoma City Thunder win their first title. Shai Gilchrist-Alexander has just won his 2nd straight MVP.

This year, we’re seeing the Knicks attempt to win their first title since ’73, facing off against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, who seem poised to battle back-and-forth with OKC for league supremacy for years.

An American born player has not won MVP since James Harden in 2018.
That is a pretty strong reminder that basketball is truly a global game at this point.
I’ll always be of the opinion that the Dream Team helped grow the game in global consciousness.

The US had a disappointing Bronze performance in Athens in 2004, but has won the last 5 Gold Medal’s in Men’s Olympic Basketball (Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo, Paris).
Because of that run of Gold, some have suggested the US shouldn’t continue to send our best.
I think that would be a mistake. One, it’s become more difficult each cycle, as the overall world talent expands, and two – the Olympics are about the best of the best.
No reason to hold back.
Build your best team, and make someone beat you.

The NBA has further global aspirations, as it anticipates a 2027 launch of NBA Europe.
Remains to be seen what that will look like exactly, and for the existing EuroLeague.

All of that to say, I’m an NBA / Basketball fan.

Last night San Antonio won Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks will take a 2-1 series advantage into Game 4 tomorrow night, and I’ll be watching.

But as I watched last night, and I digested the latest talk about NBA Europe – I wondered if there was an opportunity for a group of owners to fairly instantly create the world’s 2nd best basketball league; and maybe an eventual challenger to the NBA?

I understand the ABA’s run from ’67 to ’76 was a different era, and that the NBA is in a completely different stratosphere today.

In that sense, building a new league with a goal of eventually maybe challenging the NBA sounds preposterous.

But building the world’s 2nd best league?
That seems potentially plausible to me for two main reasons.

Firstly, just like I’ve grown up without a team of my own, there are countless others in other markets who have had the same experience.
Secondly, the growth of the game globally means there is an abundance of available professional talent.

Could this work?

This was fun to think through, but I realize it’s not happening tomorrow, or likely ever.

But if I’m a billionaire in the aforementioned markets and I’m looking at that news about NBA Europe; I’d be interested in building an alternative.

The post Thought Exercise; Create The 2nd Best Basketball League appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.