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Three players to watch during Orioles spring training
Coming off back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 1996-97, the Baltimore Orioles have one of the league's most potent offenses and it should only improve as their young core continues to develop.
They will need to find a way to overcome the loss of pitcher Corbin Burnes this offseason, even though it will be tough to replace. But thanks to an improved bullpen, a postseason appearance should still be expected in Baltimore in 2025.
Here are three players to watch as the Orioles' spring training continues.
Grayson Rodriguez, pitcher
2024 MLB stats: 13-4, 3.86 ERA, 1.243 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 116.2 innings pitched
Drafted to be the future ace of the Orioles in 2018, pitcher Grayson Rodriguez has yet to live up to those expectations, but 2025 could finally be his breakout season.
Injuries limited the 25-year-old to only 20 starts last season, but while he was healthy, he showed solid improvement over his rookie numbers from 2023.
With Burnes signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason, Rodriguez will be called upon in a major way to help ease the blow.
They will need to prove that they have the pitching to stop opposing offenses if the Orioles want to be considered legit contenders this season.
Gassing up. pic.twitter.com/8GSn2yw1GF
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 17, 2025
Jackson Holliday, second base
2024 MLB stats: .189/.255/.311, five home runs, 23 RBI and four stolen bases in 60 games played
The No. 1 prospect in baseball last season, Holliday struggled during his first taste of MLB last season, slashing .189/.255/.311 over 190 at-bats. With a full offseason to prepare for his second season, big expectations exist for the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
With a quick stroke from the left side, Holliday will look to do what helped him rise through the minor leagues and play pressure-free baseball.
While he won't be expected to carry the load for the Orioles offense, Holliday will play a big part in helping set the table for shortstop Gunnar Henderson and outfielder Tyler O'Neill.
Look for Holliday to have one of the biggest improvements in MLB this season.
Tyler O'Neill, outfielder
2024 MLB stats: .241/.336/.511, 31 home runs and 61 RBI in 113 games played
After a big year with the Boston Red Sox, outfielder Tyler O'Neill cashed in by signing a three-year, $49.5M deal with the Orioles during the offseason.
The Orioles jumped on O'Neill fast this offseason, and for good reason. The 29-year-old tortured left-handed pitching last season, slashing .313/.429/.750 with 16 home runs and 31 RBI in 128 at-bats.
While Anthony Santander is going to be tough to replace offensively, the value that the two-time Gold Glove Award winner brings defensively will more than make up for it.
The big question mark will be if O'Neill can stay healthy, as he has only logged over 100 games played in a season twice in seven years.
If he can stay on the field, the Orioles could potentially have one of the biggest steals from the offseason.
More must-reads:
- Top prospect on every American League team
- Looking back at the greatest MLB teams of the 00s
- The 'American League batting champions since 1994' quiz
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After taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series over the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays failed to complete the sweep after a historic comeback from the Yankees. After pulling their starter, Shane Bieber, after 54 pitches in 2.2 innings in Game 3, the Blue Jays' bullpen failed to hold things together. Now, they'll turn to their bullpen to try to clinch the series in Game 4. John Schneider makes a questionable decision on Blue Jays' Game 4 starter Deciding to go with their bullpen for Game 4 to help advance them into the American League Championship Series, Schneider and the Blue Jays will rely on Louis Varland to start things off for the Blue Jays, with MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson confirming Varland will be the opener. It's worth noting that Varland gave up a pivotal, game-tying home run to Aaron Judge in Game 3. The Blue Jays acquired Varland and first baseman/designated hitter Ty France from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. Varland had performed well in this series (1.2 innings, one hit) before Judge's devastating blast. Varland picked up a blown save and a loss courtesy of Judge's homer while seeing his postseason ERA balloon from 0.00 to 6.75. The Yankees could get out to an early lead off Varland It's fair to question the Varland choice. Not only is he coming off a disastrous appearance, he has also appeared in each of the first three games of the series, giving the Yankees ample opportunity view and get a feel for his stuff. Of course, he'll also have to face the top of the Yankees lineup, including Judge, who is 7-11 (.636 batting average) with five RBI in the series. Judge, in addition to being scorching hot in the ALDS and delivering the big blow in Game 3, has an excellent track record in elimination games. He has six home runs in elimination games, tying Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz for the most in MLB postseason history, per MLB Stats. Varland made one previous appearance as an opener for the Blue Jays, against the Red Sox on September 25 when he went 2.0 innings and struck out three. Getting out a lead early will be key to helping rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler settle in and replicate his performance against the Red Sox in the wild-card round, where he pitched eight innings and struck out 12.
Lions appear 'destined' to make huge Aidan Hutchinson move
Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson is once again a key contributor for the Detroit Lions, coming off the devastating injury he suffered last fall. For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler suggested that the Lions could soon lock Hutchinson down beyond the ongoing campaign after the club picked up the 25-year-old's fifth-year option for 2026 this past offseason. Lions, Aidan Hutchinson have had "exploratory" contract talks "Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson looks destined for a new deal," Fowler shared. "Both sides have had exploratory discussions about an extension, for which Hutchinson is eligible as a fourth-year pro." Back in July, Fowler noted that Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks (7.5), pressures and win rate last season before he went down with gruesome fractures of his tibia and fibula in October 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, Hutchinson enters Week 6 of the 2025 campaign tied for third in the league with five sacks and second with three forced fumbles. How much could Aidan Hutchinson make via extension? "Top pass-rushers now make quarterback money, punctuated by Micah Parsons' four-year, $188M deal with Green Bay," Fowler continued. "While I'm not sure Hutchinson tops that number, he'll be among the highest paid at his position whenever this deal gets done. ...Detroit has shown an eagerness to extend its marquee players, and there's none bigger than Hutchinson." Before Parsons put pen to paper on his deal, Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders received a three-year, $106.5M extension during the offseason. Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns later signed a four-year, $160M deal that included $123.5M guaranteed. During the summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff are a few examples of Lions players who have received extensions from the club over the past couple of years. That said, both Detroit and Hutchinson may have reasons to drag contract talks out. Hutchinson could increase the value of his deal if he keeps playing well through January (or February). Meanwhile, everybody involved received a harsh reminder roughly 12 months ago that one play can drastically alter or even threaten a player's career. For now, Hutchinson and the 4-1 Lions will focus on preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3). As of Wednesday, ESPN BET had Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
Golden Knights to sign star center to eight-year extension
The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to sign star center Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108M contract extension, per the Vegas Review-Journal’s Danny Webster. The move was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. Weber adds that the deal is believed to carry a $13.5M cap hit. On a day when the Winnipeg Jets extended star winger Kyle Connor, the Golden Knights have still found a way to steal the show. Eichel’s extension was long anticipated, both for his impact on the Golden Knights’ roster and the intricacies of how Vegas would fit the deal in alongside the $12M cap hit of Mitch Marner. That question has now been answered, with Vegas locking up the tandem through the next eight seasons for $25.5M each season. Landing a max-term extension with Eichel before he has a chance to play alongside 100-point scorer Marner could prove lucrative for the Golden Knights. Eichel had a career year last season, setting career-highs with 94 points and a plus-32 in 77 games. It was a major leap over the 31 goals and 68 points that Eichel managed in 63 games of the 2023-24 season — and the 66 points he scored in 67 games of the 2022-23 campaign. It seems the top center simply needed to ease into his starring role in Vegas after going through a true saga with the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo drafted Eichel second overall in 2015, properly dubbing him second-fiddle to Connor McDavid’s historic draft season. Despite that seat, Eichel boasted plenty of reason for excitement in his own right and seemed to single-handedly will Boston University to a National Championship loss in his draft year. He brought that team-leading drive straight into the NHL, marked by 24 goals and 56 points in 81 games of the 2015-16 season. That remains the most a Sabres rookie has scored since the 1980s. Even better, Eichel matched it in fewer games of his sophomore season, with 24 goals and 57 points in 61 games. But that quickly became Eichel’s M.O. He was oft-injured, but proved to be the undeniable star of Buffalo’s lineup when healthy. He reached at least 25 goals in each of his next three seasons in Buffalo, and even showed his strength with 82 points in 77 games of the 2018-19 season, when the Sabres collectively only won 33 games. The tension between a struggling club and its productive star reached a peak as the 2020s rolled around — and a breaking point when the two sides couldn’t agree on how Eichel should handle an unprecedented shoulder surgery in 2021. Sabres traded Jack Eichel to Golden Knights in 2021 After multiple bouts back and forth and a seemingly endless run of trade rumors, Buffalo decided to trade Eichel to Vegas in November 2021. In return, the Sabres received Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, the draft pick used on Noah Ostlund (2022: 1-16) and a second-round pick traded to Minnesota. All three players remain with Buffalo. Meanwhile, Eichel quickly received the surgery he had preferred upon arriving in Vegas. His 2021-22 campaign was limited to 34 games due to injury, but he recovered in time for the 2022-23 season. Routine injury still marred his year, but he stayed healthy long enough to lead Vegas on a run to the Stanley Cup in 2023. He led the Golden Knights and the postseason in scoring with a dazzling 26 points in 22 games — though the Conn Smythe trophy would go to his goal-scoring teammate Jonathan Marchessault. Regardless, Eichel’s push towards a Cup win showed the Golden Knights, and the hockey world, that he had the grit to be the star center on an NHL champion. He has reaffirmed that thought with 17 points in 18 playoff games since Vegas lifted the Cup. Extension should give Jack Eichel confidence boost With this move, Vegas will place a strong bet on Eichel’s ability to hang onto that role through his 30s. More importantly, they’ll give him a big boost of confidence as he heads into his age-29 season. Eichel has never played alongside a 100-point scorer, nor broken that ceiling himself, but he’ll get his first chance this season. Like Eichel, Marner struggled to crack the century mark for multiple seasons, recording at least 85 points three times between 2021 and 2024. He even reached 99 points in 2022-23. But it wasn’t until last season, when he scored 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games, that Marner was finally able to achieve the feat. In a rare shift, he has now changed teams following a career year and will look to keep the good times rolling on a recent Cup winner. The top of Vegas’ offense is truly a stacked group, featuring Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev to support Eichel and Marner. The heights of the lineup seem hard to place, and if all goes well, Vegas has ensured they can keep the band together with a pair of long-term extensions for their two stars.
New trade target identified for Steelers: 'It would not surprise me'
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