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Orioles To Name Donnie Ecker Bench Coach

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The Orioles are hiring former Reds, Giants and Rangers coach Donnie Ecker as their new bench coach, reports the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer. Ecker was the Giants’ hitting coach in 2020-21 and worked alongside new O’s skipper Craig Albernaz on that staff. Following that stint, he was the hitting coach in Texas before being promoted to bench coach and offensive coordinator. The Rangers fired Ecker back in May after a disappointing start to the season for the Texas lineup.

The 39-year-old Ecker was a 22nd-round draft pick by the Rangers back in 2007 and spent a couple seasons as a second baseman in their system before moving onto a two-year stint on the independent circuit. Since calling it quits as a player, he’s coached in the college ranks, worked on the Cardinals’ player development staff and held several coaching roles (assistant hitting coach, hitting coach, bench coach, offensive coordinator) between the Reds, Giants and Rangers.

Ecker will be the top lieutenant for a new-look Orioles coaching staff. Beyond the hirings of Albernaz and Ecker, Baltimore has brought in Jason Bourgeois as a first base/outfield coach and hired Dustin Lind as a hitting coach. Bourgeois, a former big league outfielder who played with Albernaz in the minors, has spent the past two seasons as the White Sox’ first base coach. Lind also coached with Albernaz on the 2020 Giants. He’s been an assistant hitting coach with either San Francisco or Philadelphia in each of the past five seasons.

The Orioles still have a handful of vacancies to fill on the staff. While Lind is the top hitting coach, they’ll likely add at least one assistant after former assistant hitting coaches Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson were not retained.

There could also be an opening at third base coach. Buck Britton held that role after former third base coach Tony Mansolino was elevated to interim manager following Brandon Hyde’s dismissal in May. Mansolino interviewed for the full-time managerial post but was not selected for the job and has since been hired to the Braves’ coaching staff. The O’s have interest in retaining Britton, per MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, but nothing has been finalized. There’s been no formal word on whether pitching coach Drew French, assistant pitching coach Ryan Klimek or Mitch Plassmeyer will be retained.

Braves Add Tony Mansolino, J.P. Martinez To Coaching Staff

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Nov. 11: Mansolino will serve as the bench coach and work with the team’s infielders rather than his previously reported role of third base coach, according to David O’Brien of the Athletic. Instead, the Braves have hired Tommy Watkins to be the third base coach, per Dan Hayes of the Athletic. Watkins was a long-time Twins coach and was given permission to interview for the role with the Braves. O’Brien adds that Eddie Perez will be remaining as a major league coach for Atlanta. The club also officially announced Dustin Garneau as catching coach, Darnell Coles as assistant hitting coach, and Tony Diaz as a major league coach.

Nov. 7: The Braves on Friday announced the hiring of former Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino as their new third base coach. He’ll take over for Fredi Gonzalez, whose departure from the staff was reported earlier in the week. Atlanta also hired former Giants pitching coach J.P. Martinez — not to be confused with the former Braves outfielder of the same name — as their new bullpen coach.

The 43-year-old Mansolino took over for O’s skipper Brandon Hyde after Baltimore dismissed him back in mid-May. He’d been Hyde’s third base coach prior to that appointment — a role he’d held dating back to the 2021 season. Mansolino was previously a hitting coach and infield coordinator in Cleveland prior to being hired in Baltimore. A 26th-round pick by the Pirates back in 2005, he played professional from 2005-10 as an infielder Pittsburgh’s system and later on the independent circuit.

Mansolino guided the O’s to a 60-59 record, but that wasn’t enough to erase a disastrous start to the season. Baltimore finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record. He was in the running for the Orioles’ full-time managerial gig moving forward, but that job went to Guardians associate manager and bench coach Craig Albernaz.

Martinez, also 43, was San Francisco’s pitching coach in 2025 and an assistant pitching coach with the Giants from 2021-24. He broke into the coaching ranks in the low levels of the Twins’ system back in 2015. He served as a pitching coach with Minnesota’s Rookie-level and High-A affiliates before being named the organization’s overall minor league pitching coordinator in 2018 — a role he held until being hired by the Giants in the 2020-21 offseason.

Orioles To Hire Jason Bourgeois As First Base Coach

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The Orioles are going to hire Jason Bourgeois as their new first base coach. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner was first to report the news. He will replace Anthony Sanders, who was plucked away by the Tigers last week.

Bourgeois, 43, played in the majors from 2008 to 2015. He continued playing in the minors leagues and in Mexico through 2018. He then pivoted to coaching, starting in the Dodgers’ minor league system in 2019.

He has spent the past two years as the first base coach for the White Sox. When Bourgeois was hired going into 2024, Pedro Grifol was the skipper. Grifol was fired before that season was over. Grady Sizemore took over on an interim basis before Will Venable got the job in 2025. The Sox retained most of the coaching staff in Venable’s first year but the club announced multiple changes in September, with Bourgeois among the many coaches not being brought back.

He lands a new role with a familiar face. As pointed out by Kostka, new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz and Bourgeois played together at Triple-A Durham in 2013, when both were players in the Rays’ system.

Albernaz still has some other vacancies to fill on his staff. Robinson Chirinos is not coming back as bench coach. Assistant hitting coaches Sherman Johnson and Tommy Joseph have also departed for opportunities elsewhere. It’s unclear if Buck Britton will continue as third base coach. He took over that spot on an interim basis when Tony Mansolino became interim manager after Brandon Hyde was fired. Mansolino is heading to Atlanta to be third base coach with that club.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

Orioles Sign Enoli Paredes To Minor League Deal

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4:35pm: The O’s officially announced that they have signed Paredes to a minor league deal.

12:54pm: The Orioles are in agreement on a minor league deal with free agent righty Enoli Paredes, reports Ari Alexander of 7News. He’ll be in major league camp as non-roster invitee next spring.

Paredes, who turned 30 in September, is no stranger to Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias. He originally signed with the Astros as an amateur back in 2016, when Elias was the scouting director in Houston. Elias had already jumped to Baltimore by the time Paredes had emerged as one of Houston’s more notable pitching prospects and then made his subsequent MLB debut, however.

In parts of four major league seasons between the Astros, Brewers and Cubs, Paredes has totaled 54 innings with a tidy 3.00 ERA but far more concerning rate stats. He’s fanned a slightly below-average 21.7% of his opponents but walked a ghastly 16.8% of the hitters he’s faced in the majors. Paredes keeps the ball on the ground at a solid clip, has averaged better than 95 mph on his four-seamer and has done a nice job avoiding hard contact, but the lack of command is a glaring flaw.

In 2025, Paredes spent the season with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett. He tossed 57 1/3 frames with a 4.40 earned run average, a strong 27.6% strikeout rate and an ugly 11.5% walk rate (plus another seven plunked batters and four wild pitches). Paredes posted sub-3.00 ERAs in Triple-A in both 2024 and 2022, but he’s consistently logged sky-high walk rates in both Triple-A and MLB.

The O’s have plenty of uncertainty in their bullpen after Felix Bautista underwent shoulder surgery that’ll keep him out for all of 2026. They further thinned out their relief corps at the July trade deadline, shipping out Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Bryan Baker and Andrew Kittredge — though they’ve since reacquired Kittredge from the Cubs. Dominguez and Soto were free agents anyhow, but Baker was under club control through 2028. Yennier Cano’s uneven season and poor cumulative results this year make it hard to count on him heading into ’26 as well.

Kittredge, Cano, Keegan Akin and Albert Suarez are the only relievers on Baltimore’s roster with even two years of big league service. Given the lack of defined options in the late innings, the Orioles will be active in bringing in bullpen help — both in the form of established arms and also in the form of low-cost depth grabs like today’s Paredes deal.

Orioles Promote Brendan Fournie To Assistant GM

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The Orioles have promoted Brendan Fournie to an assistant general manager position, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  Fournie has been with the O’s for just under four years, working as the team’s senior director of baseball strategy and operations.  His new portfolio, as per Kubatko, will have Fournie “oversee baseball economics, advanced scouting and salary arbitration, and also provide roster and transaction support.”

Fournie becomes Mike Elias’ third assistant GM, joining Sig Mejdal and Eve Rosenbaum.  It hasn’t exactly been clear who (if anyone) Elias views as his chief lieutenant within Baltimore’s front office, though when news broke two months ago that Elias had been promoted to president of baseball operations prior to the start of the 2025 season, it came with the added item that the O’s were planning to hire a general manager to act as Elias’ number two.  That said, Elias has since downplayed the idea that a GM hire might come this offseason, so Fournie’s promotion may not be a hint that the team is any closer to finding a general manager.

Some other promotions and role changes are coming within the front office, largely within the player development and scouting departments.  Kubatko reports that Matt Blood will go from VP of player development/domestic scouting to a new role as the VP of player and staff development.  Blood will now be providing “executive support” to manager Craig Albernaz, the big league coaching staff, and the sports medicine and performance departments.

In addition to these new duties, Blood will still be the leader of Baltimore’s minor league player development department.  His old scouting responsibilities appear to be divvied up between a few other staffers getting promotions.  Will Robertson will become the new VP of domestic scouting and will now oversee the Orioles’ draft operations.  Chad Tatum (domestic scouting), Hendrik Herz (draft operations), and Kevin Carter (pro scouting) were also promoted to assistant director roles within their respective divisions.

Orioles To Hire Dustin Lind As Hitting Coach

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The Orioles are expected to add Dustin Lind as hitting coach, according to Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com. The club has yet to announce the move. Lind would be the first hire for new manager Craig Albernaz’s coaching staff.

Lind began his coaching career in 2018 as a minor league quality assurance coach in Seattle’s organization. He joined the Giants in 2020 as an assistant hitting coach, a role he would retain through 2023. Lind has been an assistant hitting coach with the Phillies for the past two seasons.

Albernaz and Lind should be plenty familiar with each other, as their paths crossed perfectly in San Francisco. Baltimore’s skipper joined the Giants as bullpen coach and catching instructor in 2020, staying through 2023. Both Albernaz and Lind left for other opportunities after Gabe Kapler’s managerial tenure ended.

Baltimore has multiple positions to fill on the hitting side. Hitting coach Cody Asche was hired by Detroit. It was reported in late October that assistant hitting coaches Sherman Johnson and Tommy Joseph wouldn’t be returning in 2026.

The Orioles ranked 24th in scoring last season. It was a disappointing outcome after they scored the fourth-most runs in 2024. Lind will have plenty of young firepower to work with next year. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg have been fixtures in the lineup the past couple of seasons. Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, and Coby Mayo are pushing for regular at-bats. Rutschman is the oldest among the core group, and he’s only entering his age-28 season.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray, Imagn Images

 

Orioles Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Orioles announced a series of roster tweaks on Thursday. Baltimore has selected right-hander Anthony Nunez to their 40-man roster. Right-hander Shawn Dubin and outfielders Dylan Carlson and Daniel Johnson have been outrighted off the roster. Left-hander Josh Walker and right-hander Carson Ragsdale were designated for assignment. Baltimore claimed outfielder Pedro Leon off waivers from the Astros, while left-hander Jose Castillo was claimed by the Mets.

The team also exercised its club option on right-hander Andrew Kittredge, whom they acquired from the Cubs earlier this week. The Orioles declined their club option on utilityman Jorge Mateo, who is now a free agent. They also announced the signing of outfielder Leody Taveras, a deal that had been reported yesterday. The litany of moves brought Baltimore’s 40-man roster to 40 players.

Nunez came over at the trade deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal, along with fellow pitching prospects Raimon Gómez and Chandler Marsh. The 24-year-old was originally signed as a shortstop by San Diego in 2019. After a pair of uninspiring seasons at the lowest rungs of the minors, he converted to pitching. The Mets signed Nunez in 2024. He tossed 10 innings between the Complex league and Single-A that season. High-A hitters were no match for Nunez in 2025, as he dominated with a 0.63 ERA and a 46.2% strikeout rate over 14 1/3 innings. Nunez moved to Double-A in May and continued to pitch well, recording a 2.10 ERA over 22 outings. After the trade, he pitched a game for Double-A Chesapeake before heading to Triple-A. Nunez held hitters to a .125 batting average while striking them out at a 32.3% clip over 16 games with Norfolk.

Carlson and Johnson cleared waivers and elected free agency. Dubin also made it through waivers and is a minor league free agent. Carlson is the biggest name of the bunch, but it’s been a while since his days as a top prospect for the Cardinals. Since a strong 2021 campaign with St. Louis, he’s steadily declined at the plate. The 27-year-old bottomed out with a 67 wRC+ over 96 games split between the Cardinals and Rays in 2024. Baltimore took a flyer on him, but he scuffled to a .203/.278/.336 slash line across 241 plate appearances. He’ll now be looking for his fourth team in three seasons.

Johnson has spent parts of four MLB seasons with three teams. Baltimore grabbed him off waivers from San Francisco in August. He went 5-for-24 in 17 games with the Orioles. Dubin was also an August waiver claim, coming over from the Astros. He threw eight innings with Baltimore, pitching to a 3.38 ERA.

Walker has bounced around plenty over the last year and a half. The Mets traded him to the Pirates midway through 2024. He signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent last offseason. The Blue Jays traded him to the Phillies at the end of May. After Philadelphia designated him for assignment in August, the Orioles claimed him off waivers. Walker has a 6.59 ERA across 26 big-league appearances over the past three seasons.

Ragsdale and Castillo are no strangers to waiver claims, including moves that involved each other. Baltimore claimed Ragsdale from San Francisco in August, only to toss him back on the waiver pile when they grabbed Castillo. The Orioles claimed Ragsdale again in September, this time from the Braves.

Houston signed Leon in 2021. He reached Triple-A that same season. Leon slashed .299/.372/.514 with Sugar Land in 2024, leading to a brief call-up. He recorded a pair of hits over seven games with the Astros before heading back to Triple-A. An MCL sprain cost Leon the majority of the 2025 campaign. He played just 25 games this past season.

Mets Claim Ji Hwan Bae, Jose Castillo

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The Mets announced that they have claimed outfielder Ji Hwan Bae off waivers from the Pirates and left-hander José Castillo from the Orioles. They also announced that infielder Nick Madrigal has elected free agency. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported the Bae claim prior to the official announcement. It was reported earlier this week that the Bucs had put him on the wire.

Bae, 26, was once a notable prospect with the Pirates but he hasn’t panned out yet. He has slashed .223/.294/.293 in 514 plate appearances spread over four seasons. But he has some wheels, having stolen 37 bases. He has continued to hit in the minors, however. He has a combined .306/.390/.451 line and 126 wRC+ dating back to the start of 2022. That includes a 119 wRC+ and .292/.380/.424 line in Triple-A this year.

The Mets didn’t have a center field solution this year. Jose Siri was injured for most of the season. Tyrone Taylor struggled. They acquired Cedric Mullins at the deadline but he didn’t help. Bae still has an option, so he can push Taylor for the job in 2026 but he could also end up in Syracuse as depth.

Castillo, 30 in January, should be a familiar face to Mets fans. He was on and off the club’s roster throughout the 2025 season. He was lost off waivers to the Mariners and then Orioles in September but the Mets have grabbed him back today. The lefty tossed 32 big league innings on the year with a 3.94 earned run average. His 20.1% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate were a bit worse than par but his 54% ground ball rate was strong.

The lefty is eligible for arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $1.7MM salary next year. Presumably, the Mets are comfortable paying him something in that range. He’ll join a lefty relief mix that includes A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Richard Lovelady.

Madrigal signed a one-year, $1.35MM deal with the Mets last offseason. However, a left shoulder fracture required season-ending surgery back in February. He could have been retained for 2026 via arbitration but the Mets have cut him loose. It seems every other club also passed on the chance to grab him off waivers. He’ll look for his next opportunity, which will likely be a minor league deal.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

Orioles To Claim Pedro León

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Astros, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. It was reported earlier this week that Houston had put several players on waivers, including León, as they looked to clear out some roster space. The O’s will need to make space on their 40-man roster to make the move official.

Baltimore is taking a flier on a post-hype prospect. León was a high-profile signing out of Cuba several years ago. In January of 2021, the Astros gave him a $4MM signing bonus. He was ranked as one of the top prospects in the system for the next few years. He’s now 27 years old, turning 28 in May, but hasn’t yet delivered on that hype. He has only appeared in seven big league games thus far. He struck out in 10 of his 21 plate appearances as he has produced a .100/.143/.100 line.

That’s obviously a tiny sample of work but his minor league track record also isn’t great. From 2021 to 2023, he hit .233/.350/.419 on the farm. That offense translates to a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above average but barely. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in that time.

In 2024, he had a monster .299/.372/.514 showing in Triple-A. He still struck out at a fairly high 27% clip but that offense was good enough for a 130 wRC+, even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League. Here in 2025, a sprained MCL in his left knee limited him to just 22 Triple-A contests. He hit .241/.312/.422 for a wRC+ of 89 in those.

Obviously, the Astros were hoping for more when they signed him. The Orioles are hoping that a late-bloomer breakout can come in their organization. León is still optionable, so they could keep him in the minors. He showed big potential in 2024 before the injury-marred 2025. Ideally, the O’s will get a healthy and productive season from León in 2026. If that comes to pass, he could push his way into their outfield mix as the season goes along. Currently, that group includes Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras and others.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Orioles To Sign Leody Taveras

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Outfielder Leody Taveras has an agreement with the Orioles pending a physical, reports Mike Rodriguez. The team has yet to officially announce the move.

Seattle designated Taveras for assignment in mid-June. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners had acquired him via waiver claim from Texas in early May. Taveras elected free agency a few weeks ago.

Taveras spent the past five big-league seasons with the Rangers. He debuted in 2020, serving in a part-time role. Taveras didn’t provide much at the plate over his first three seasons, but offered strong center field defense and some speed on the basepaths. He stepped into a bigger role the following year, appearing in 143 games. After totaling 660 plate appearances from 2020 to 2022, he reached 554 in 2023. Taveras hit 14 home runs and stole 14 bases while slashing .266/.312/.421.

The strong 2023 helped Taveras maintain a large role in 2024, though he fell off as a hitter. He posted an 84 wRC+ across 529 plate appearances. Taveras did steal a career-high 23 bases, but hit just .229. Notably, Taveras qualified for arbitration ahead of the 2024 season given his Super Two status. He earned $2.55MM that year. Taveras and the Rangers agreed to a $4.75MM deal for 2025, but luxury tax considerations led to trade rumors. Texas ultimately kept him around, only for Taveras to crater at the plate. He slashed .241/.259/.342 in 30 games with Texas before being cut loose. He continued to struggle after joining the Mariners, hitting .174 over 98 plate appearances.

Baltimore will take a flyer on Taveras as potential center field depth. Tyler O’Neill will be back for the Orioles, likely joined by some combination of Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, and Dylan Carlson in the outfield. While Taveras posted underwhelming marks by Statcast’s Fielding Run Value this past season, the Orioles could still consider him as a reliable defensive alternative to their current options.

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