The Houston Astros are being investigated by Major League Baseball over allegations they have used a center-field camera at Minute Maid Park to steal catchers’ signs and tip their hitters to pitch types.
Oakland Athletics right-hander Mike Fiers pitched for the Astros in 2017, the first season they are suspected of stealing signs. He confirmed to The Athletic that someone would bang on a garbage can in the Astros’ dugout to let their hitters know what kind of pitch was coming.
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What does that have to do with the Orioles?
General manager Mike Elias was the top assistant to Astros GM Jeff Luhnow before being hired by the Orioles last November. It would seem certain Elias knew the Astros were violating Major League Baseball rules.
Depending upon what the investigation turns up and the types of punishment Commissioner Rob Manfred metes out, it is not out of the question that Elias could face a possible suspension.
However, an executive from an American League team that has known Elias for many years, vouches for his character.
“I know the whole guilt-by-association thing but Mike’s a good man,” the exec said. “I’m not saying he didn’t know about it because I don’t know. But I’d be willing to bet he didn’t directly have any involvement. Sometimes you’ve got to go along with what the boss says, whether you like it or not.”
–It will be interesting to see what the Orioles do with right-hander Dylan Bundy, who is a year away from free agency.
Considering the state of their pitching staff, perhaps the Orioles will hang on to Bundy into the 2020 season.
Bundy may not exactly qualify as a workhorse but his 30 starts and 161 innings led the team this year. A veteran innings eater could provide value to a rebuilding team, one that had a major league-worst 5.59 ERA in 2019.
The Orioles could try to get the both worlds by having Bundy serve as the rotation anchor for the first four months of next season then trading him near the July 31 for prospects.
A scout from a National League team believes Bundy could benefit greatly from a change of scenery.
“It’s tough for a veteran guy in a rebuild,” the scout said. “You get him out of that losing situation, get him out of that small ballpark, get him out of the American League East and you could very well see him have a really good year somewhere else.”
–There were no surprises among the four players who were added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster this week in order to be protected from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft during next month’s Winter Meetings in San Diego.
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle (No. 4), left-hander Keegan Akin (No. 9), outfielder Ryan McKenna (No. 10) and right-hander Dean Kremer (No. 12) were all ranked among the organization’s top 12 prospects by BSL in July.
While Kremer rates the lowest of the four, he has the best chance of making an impact with the Orioles early next season. The 23-year-old will compete for a rotation spot in spring training following a 2019 that saw him go a combined 9-6 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 starts at the top three levels of the farm system then post a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings in the Arizona Fall League.
“I kind of like the kid,” a scout from an AL team said. “He isn’t going overpower anyone with pure stuff, but he knows how to get guys out. He’s smart and he’ll get the most out of his ability. For me, his ceiling is a No. 4 starter, but he might turn out to be a No. 3 because of his head.”
–The MASN dispute between the Orioles and Nationals continues to drag on.
A New York trial court upheld a decision by an MLB arbitration panel that the Orioles are required to pay the Nationals a larger share of television rights fee. However, the court also gave enough leeway in its decision that the Orioles can recalculate the amount.
That led the aforementioned exec from an AL team to make this observation: “This is baseball’s version of the 100-Year War. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. We’ll all be long gone, and they’ll still be trying to work it out.”
John Perrotto has been a professional sports writer since 1982 and has covered a multitude of sports, including MLB, NFL and college football and basketball. He has been a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association since 1988, a Hall of Fame voter since 1997 and has covered 21 World Series and two Super Bowls. He is a graduate of Geneva College, the birthplace of college basketball, and lives in Beaver Falls, Pa., the hometown of Joe Willie Namath. He also writes The Perrotto Report (theperrottoreport.com), newsletters that concentrate on Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates.