Have the Orioles improved enough this offseason?

As the Birdland Caravan heats up and the Ravens keep the purple drama in the news, we quietly await baseball season and spring training with a long catch-up with our longtime Orioles historian Allen McCallum, who joins Nestor to discuss the offseason acquisitions of Mike Elias, the improvement of Pete Alonso and the pitching that Craig Albernaz will need to compete in a stacked AL East.

Nestor Aparicio and Allen McCallum discussed the Baltimore Orioles’ offseason acquisitions and the team’s pitching needs. They highlighted the signing of Pete Alonso, noting his impact on the lineup and the team’s overall improvement. McCallum expressed optimism about the Orioles’ potential, despite concerns about the team’s defense and the need for a top-tier starting pitcher. They also touched on the impact of ownership changes and the team’s increased spending on players. The conversation concluded with a discussion on the Orioles’ competitive position in the division and the potential for further moves before the season begins.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Attend breakfast with Katie Griggs on Thursday and hear her remarks (confirm attendance and listen to updates from the team’s leadership)
• [ ] Meet for a crab cake next month and cover spring training timing plus offseason topics including potential work stoppage and TV rights (schedule a meeting in the next few weeks and prepare topics to discuss)

Orioles Offseason and Baseball Season Kickoff

• Nestor Aparicio introduces the show, mentioning the Friends and Family tour and the Maryland crab cake tour for charity.
• Nestor discusses the end of the 2026 football season and the transition to baseball season.
• Nestor welcomes Allen McCallum, a longtime baseball insider, and mentions the interesting offseason for the Orioles.
• Allen McCallum expresses optimism about the Orioles’ offseason efforts and the team’s potential for 2026.

Orioles Offseason Efforts and Fan Reactions

• Nestor and Allen discuss the Orioles’ offseason acquisitions, including the signing of Pete Alonso.
• Nestor questions whether fans are still interested in attending games after the team’s performance last year.
• Nestor mentions an upcoming breakfast with Katie Griggs and the general dissatisfaction among real fans.
• Nestor compares the Orioles’ offseason to other teams like the Blue Jays and Yankees, noting the Orioles’ first-place offseason perception.

Pete Alonso Signing and Team Dynamics

• Nestor and Allen discuss the signing of Pete Alonso and its impact on the team.
• Allen expresses initial skepticism about the deal but has warmed up to it over time.
• Allen emphasizes the importance of having a pure hitter in the lineup and the potential of players like Gunner Henderson and Jordan Westburg.
• Nestor and Allen debate the roles of different players and their potential to become key contributors.

Orioles’ Pitching Needs and Market Position

• Nestor and Allen discuss the Orioles’ pitching needs and the potential for signing top-tier pitchers.
• Allen mentions the improvements in the ballpark and the Orioles’ increased marketability.
• Nestor highlights the significant change in the Orioles’ approach to spending money on players and pitchers.
• Allen notes the importance of the human element in team dynamics and the potential impact of new players like Pete Alonso.

Orioles’ Division Competition and Future Outlook

• Nestor and Allen discuss the Orioles’ competition within the division, including the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox.
• Allen expresses concerns about the Orioles’ defense and the need for a top-tier starter and a center fielder.
• Nestor mentions the potential for the Orioles to make significant moves before the start of the season.
• Allen emphasizes the importance of sustainability and the potential for the Orioles to be competitive in the long term.

Orioles’ Ownership and Leadership

• Nestor and Allen discuss the ownership and leadership of the Orioles, including the influence of Eric Getty.
• Nestor highlights the changes in the team’s approach to spending money and the impact of new leadership.
• Allen mentions the importance of having the right kind of players and leadership in the team.
• Nestor expresses optimism about the future of the Orioles and the potential for the team to be successful.

Orioles’ Fan Engagement and Community Impact

• Nestor and Allen discuss the importance of fan engagement and community impact for the Orioles.
• Nestor mentions the significance of players like Adam Jones and their contributions to the team’s legacy.
• Allen emphasizes the need for players to be good representatives of the team and the community.
• Nestor highlights the potential for the Orioles to create lasting memories and connections with fans.

Orioles’ Offseason Moves and Future Plans

• Nestor and Allen discuss the various offseason moves made by the Orioles and their potential impact on the team.
• Allen mentions the importance of the team’s depth and the potential for players to step up and contribute.
• Nestor highlights the significance of the Orioles’ willingness to spend money and the potential for future moves.
• Allen emphasizes the need for the team to continue working hard and making smart decisions to be successful.

Orioles’ Potential for Success in 2026

• Nestor and Allen discuss the Orioles’ potential for success in 2026 and the factors that could influence their performance.
• Allen mentions the importance of the team’s pitching and the need for a top-tier starter.
• Nestor highlights the potential for the team’s young players to develop and contribute to the team’s success.
• Allen emphasizes the need for the team to stay healthy and avoid significant injuries to be competitive.

Orioles’ Offseason Challenges and Opportunities

• Nestor and Allen discuss the challenges and opportunities the Orioles face during the offseason.
• Allen mentions the importance of the team’s depth and the potential for players to step up and contribute.
• Nestor highlights the significance of the Orioles’ willingness to spend money and the potential for future moves.
• Allen emphasizes the need for the team to continue working hard and making smart decisions to be successful.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Orioles offseason, Mike Elias, Pete Alonso, pitching needs, baseball season, fan enthusiasm, team acquisitions, budget, sustainability, player potential, market position, ownership changes, community impact, work stoppage, television rights.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Allen McCallum

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. I’m on the Friends and Family tour here. This week, we are doing the Maryland crab cake tour. We’ll get it back out on the road. I’m doing a cup of soup or bowl, and that’ll happen in a month. That’s all for charity. It’ll be charity stories. My favorite week of the year. It’s the most wonderful time. It’s 2026 football season’s over. I know you’re tuning in expecting me to bitch about that, but I’m not going to, because in the friends and family segment here, we’re, we’re widening the stretch. It’s, it’s baseball season, whether you want it to be or not. I know bishati And har ball and Da Costa and Lamar will have their moment, but pitchers and catchers reporting soon. Allen McCallum is our longtime baseball insider historian, friend and cheese hater, and it’s not even about the Packers, you know, like the bears over the Packers. How are you man? How’s it? How’s it going? It’s, it’s been quite a time this off season, right? Like, we’re sending these W NSD techs out every once in a while. It’s football, but it’s Shane baz it’s, they’re, you know, going to go back with efflin, you know, it’s not totality. And when I invited Joel poily on from Tampa’s like, don’t you want the wait? So they’re done doing everything, and I’m like, I don’t know when that’s going to be. So we’re just in the middle of this. The ravens are eliminated. I did want to get a little baseball onto the station and into my programming here, because it has been an interesting eight to 10 weeks of offseason on the baseball side. And I know you’ve been monitoring

Allen McCallum  01:36

it, man. How are you I’m doing well. Happy Holidays, I guess, to everybody. Hope the New Year goes well for them. I’ll tell you what. It certainly hasn’t been in boring offseason for the Orioles, you know, this time last year, maybe, maybe a little beyond it, going into February. The thought, my thought was, well, the team he put together is only good if everything goes well. And I don’t think that’s going to happen. And we all saw what happened for 2025 and right now, I mean, he certainly can’t say he hasn’t been working. The last time we got together with Luke and had a conversation, I think that they just hired the manager, and I think conversation was they have a lot to do. And to their credit, Elias has been out working, you know, we can certainly the conversation, I’m sure will be, what do I think of it? I certainly think the team’s better. I think they had a lot to do. They’ve done a lot. They have more to do to really solidify themselves as a contender in the division and in baseball, but you certainly can’t quibble with the amount of work on it that’s gone into it. Am I happy? I’m, I’m I’m optimistic. I’m optimistic about what the club’s going to look like, and I appreciate the fact that they’ve put their money where their mouth is, both literally and and metaphorically, to put together, to attempt to put together a team that that is worth watching. In 2026

Nestor Aparicio  03:11

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you still have your season tickets. Or, No, I don’t, right. A lot of folks had that going on, and then they signed Pete Alonso. And they do this and they do that. And for people that have had the tickets forever, you have you pretty pissed off, or just financially disabled, or just I disinterested in some way to television. I like staying home. I moved to Ocean City, whatever the deal is that would make you go away. I’m talking about that on the football side for me. I mean, for me, it was an executive telling me here or there, and then throwing me out of both of them when that was the plan all along, but clearly, duh. But the baseball side of it for the Orioles, Katie Griggs is speaking this week. I’m having breakfast with Katie Griggs on Thursday with 250 other people, but I’ll hear what she has to say, and I’ve been in a room with her. I have not had the pleasure she’s emailed me once to let me know it would just be once, um, and I’m trying to get the vibe, especially with the Ravens stadium empty now, people are pissed. They’re eight, nine, whatever, not the corporate money, because that goes wherever the wind blows and wherever Lamar is giving an autograph and they’re taking a picture, do whatever they’re doing, um, but real fans, real real people, and people that are in the stands, like I was Sunday night in Pittsburgh, bundled up with Mike Tomlins tickets, the baseball side of this and building enthusiasm when the football team doesn’t have any right this moment, right because of what happened to them. The Orioles didn’t have that going on. And this is what, where I would leave it, the Orioles had a last place season on the field last year in a lot of ways. And the perception in baseball, as I sit here on my timeline, is that they’ve had a first place offseason, that they’ve been the best team, or among the better teams in getting better I don’t know what that means for last. Last place team. I don’t know what that means. When the Blue Jays were already good and got better, and the Yankees are, whatever they are, and, you know, the Red Sox are trying to be, and Tampa always kind of, sort of is, to some degree, I don’t know, but it’s not. When Angelos was here, they gave Chris Davis money. There was a little bit of money here. And again, some of the guys, the Tillmans, and some of the, you know, Gonzales is sort of flared out, but Wayne Cheng got paid elsewhere. And some other guys, marquee just got paid. So, you know, guys left and got Nelson Cruz left and got paid. There could have been more than Angelo’s always could have done. I don’t know. This guy’s come in and led with his ego, his bobble head, his money that they could outspend everybody in every I see the fans saying, I don’t want one of the pictures. I want them both. Give me Suarez, you know, like I hear all of that, and that’s trying to buy enthusiasm and get people back down to the ballpark and stuff. I always go back to, you better have people march in baseball than lacrosse here, and that’s something that they that they don’t they just let the off season go by, and they just threw $150 million at a first baseman, brought him in, and it showed well to the insiders. I don’t know that it does anything. Most a lot of people I know that don’t follow baseball don’t know much about Pete Alonso, so you know, like, it’s not like they signed Willie Mays and they’re just gonna put his name on the he isn’t that kind of signing, certainly not in a town where the Roberto alamar’s and the Raphael Palmeiras were much better known as they entered town than Pete Alonso is for all the money that they gave him. You sent me a rather cryptic text, I believe, the day after they signed him. I don’t know if I’m going to read from it or not here, but I can go back that I’m not in love with the deal. Go ahead. Okay, go ahead.

Allen McCallum  06:49

Yeah, the day they signed him, I said I woke up and I saw it, and I was like, Whoa, and I sent, I sent out the message, I’m not, I’m not sure I’m in love with this deal. Is what I wrote. I’m pretty sure I have warmed up to it more over time.

Nestor Aparicio  07:06

Look, well, they needed to get somebody right, yeah, look, the last time we

Allen McCallum  07:09

got together, I told you I wanted them to go hard after boba shed I meant that. I still mean it. I doubt that’s going to happen at this point. And I did. I said that because Pete Alonso was a slugger. I believe in hitters. I believe that guys that actually are true hitters. Freddie Freeman is a true is a pure hitter in the game right now,

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Nestor Aparicio  07:37

when the Orioles signed Roberto, my favorite players of all time, all time. Favorite players, Tony, Gwynn, George Brett, Rod Carew, yeah, Ichiro Right. Like, those were like, I like Palmeiro, until I met him. You know those kinds of doubles hitters, right?

Allen McCallum  08:00

Doubles hitters. I have said this for 20 years. I believe it firmly, and this is not a war and saber metrics and all that. If you ask me, Would I rather have a team of nine starters who hit 40 doubles a year or a team of starters who had nine guys who hit 40 homers a year I take the dot the the team of guys that hits 40 doubles,

Nestor Aparicio  08:25

all of them every year those doubles leads to more singles, leads to more on base, leads to less flyouts, leads to less bad habits.

Allen McCallum  08:33

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Doubles exemplify a style of hitting, line drives, good contact, which leads to walks. Invariably, three or four of those guys are going to hit 20 to 30 home runs, in addition to the 40 doubles on Bates. Percentage batting average will be high. Home runs are all across the board. Album pub. Holtz is a unicorn. Shohei Ohtani is a one of one forever. But there are a lot of guys who had 40 home runs and hit 210 in today’s modern baseball there, or maybe not a lot. But when you look at Mark

Nestor Aparicio  09:11

Reynolds, got work for a long time doing that, right? So did Gorman Thomas. We can go through any of the sluggers in the history of the game, right? Dave Kingman,

Allen McCallum  09:18

and you can talk to me about, yeah, but those, a lot of those guys draw walks. That’s great, but when that guy’s on first base, he’s clogging up the bases. That’s what everybody’s I’d rather walk Barry Bonds when he’s in his later years, because he’s not going to steal the base and he’s going to clog up the bases, right? So I like hitters. Raphael Palmeiro, Roberto, Alomar, Miguel Tejada, when those players came to Baltimore, they impacted the lineup in a way, because they immediately became the best hitter on the team, and it trickled down through the lineup. Now, Pete Alonso was not necessarily that guy. If you look at his numbers, I will say this, statistically, he’s a better hitter than I thought he was. At the time, he’s been really solid in the playoffs, which is an important thing, but it’s but he’s still not a guy that I would say is a pure hitter, not by any stretch of the imagination. Now, one of the things that was missing from the Orioles lineup last year was the power and presence of Anthony Santander. He was gone, and you could see the vacuum in the middle of the lineup that it created not enough protection for gunner Henderson, not enough backup for the for the other young guys in London, and it costs them. Pete Alonso fills a void. I love the fact that he’s he plays every day. That’s a huge thing. I’m a full believer in the best ability is availability great, and I and I think back to the St Louis Cardinals of the of the mid to late 80s, where you had a team of pesky guys who could hit or got get on base, but not a lot of power, and you stuck Jack Clark right in the middle of that lineup, and it worked for them most of the time. Now, the Orioles do not just have pesky guys. They have hitters that can hit home runs. They have guys who have potential. And we use that word a lot with this team to be all around hitters. Gunner Henderson, Jordan, westburg, Jackson, holiday. You know, we’ll see what Adley rushman is. You would like to believe he’s going to find some his way back to the form he had two two full years ago. Putting Pete Alonso in the in the middle of that lineup certainly brings protection for gunner Henderson certainly allows the other players to work on other things. It doesn’t mean they’re not going to hit home runs, but it allows them to to be, hopefully, to be themselves and not attempt to fill that void. So I do see that Peter Lonzo is a player that can make the players around him better. But I really loved the idea, and I still do of this team needs a pure hitter, the Pete Alonso is not the guy I want gunner Henderson or Jordan westburg to

Nestor Aparicio  12:05

necessarily go Jackson holiday, to be that guy. Isn’t that what you think he’s going to be? Isn’t that what you think gunner Henderson is, and maybe more of a slugger on his best day? Isn’t that what Adley rutschman was supposed to be? You know, 18 home runs, 41 doubles, hit 289 was he supposed to be Buster Posey, like that’s what they thought. They had a whole union, an army of that. Westberg might be the guy on this team. That’s that guy for me. That’s going to be more of more doubles than home runs, but he’s going to hit some home runs, and probably going to be a 260, to 280 hitter.

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Allen McCallum  12:39

I believe that gunner. I mean, we’ve seen gunner, Henderson. Gunner. Henderson has the ability to be that guy. When healthy. Jordan Westberg has shown that he’s has the ability to be that guy.

Nestor Aparicio  12:50

Does not have the ability to be that guy, right? Colton, cows are strikes out too much, right? For being the guy you want

Allen McCallum  12:58

him to be. If colton’s got it, he needs to show it, because he hasn’t shown it yet. Jackson, I believe, I would like to believe, has that potential, and he’s certainly elevated dramatically in his second year above what he was in his first if he follows that trajectory in his third year, he could be something really special. Dude.

Nestor Aparicio  13:20

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I need to see him step up. Look like an all star this year, right? I mean, that’s this is there, right?

Allen McCallum  13:25

You would think that that he’s somewhere in June. He should be, he should be approaching that guy if he’s going to be that. So, yeah, they’re, they’re, they’re two or three guys on this in on this team. And I it would be a lot to ask for everyone to be that, but there are guys on this team that have the potential to be what we’re talking about,

Nestor Aparicio  13:45

holiday hit, 17 home runs at 21 doubles last year and almost 600 at bats. I mean, but he’s a 242 hitter, and that’s the problem, right? You’re like, How Does that ever become a 280 hitter?

Allen McCallum  13:55

Right? In today’s baseball, that’s a question,

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Nestor Aparicio  14:00

because struck at 140 times walk 56 times.

Allen McCallum  14:03

Teams don’t fit, don’t I saw a stat that that looked at basically sort of 3020, or 30 years of Major League Baseball teams who went to 4240 or below for a season. And if you look at the numbers, there were none through most of the first 10 or 15 years, and in the last decade, it has climbed dramatically. And that to me, I mean, just talks to me, expresses to me what the problem is with the sport currently, this team shouldn’t be a 240, 300 on base team. They have potential to be better than that. And if you want, and if you look at the teams that win, they aren’t that. So to get better, I believe Luke spoke to how the Orioles leadership are chasing slug and I believe they should be chasing batting average and on. Base. And with that and the players you you develop, slug will come. So to me, it is indicative signing Pete Alonso is indicative of what Luke believes the team is doing, and which is chasing slug. And I think this team will have a chance to win if all the players around Pete Alonso Chase batting average and on base percentage in the process, I

Nestor Aparicio  15:27

think any first off. Alan McCallum is here, our longtime baseball historian, insider anybody who witnessed last year’s disaster, and looking at from the beginning of the year and how bad the pitching was and injuries and where they got off to, could still look at this as we were still watching them play in August when Trevor Rogers came on and Bradish came back, even though they stunk in the games, didn’t matter and all that, and the Ravens were going to win the Super Bowl, and now didn’t at all. But when people lost the plot at the end of last year. And, you know, they dealt, they dealt all their players. Got 14 prospects, doing all the trading, doing all that stuff, right? I looked at it, you know, upside for me, and said, Well, all of these guys aren’t a spoiled bag of potatoes. They’re not a bunch of failed prospects. They had a manager that got canned in the beginning of the season. Nobody seemed to mind that they had a manager looked like he was in over his head most of the time. Nobody seemed to mind that right bobble head for the owner. I mean, these people don’t really know what they’re doing at all. I mean, they really don’t. I mean, that’s the thing that I’ve seen. They could spend all the money in the world these did Rubenstein and the Katie Griggs. They have no idea what they’re doing, and I have no idea if Katie Griggs is going to shake my hand on Thursday or treat me like I’m a like I’m a leper. But I know this community better than she will ever know this community ever. And for her to not want to have a cup of coffee and learn about Highland town and Dundalk and Memorial Stadium, and like the glue that’s made this thing great when it was great, because it ain’t been great in so long, so long like that. It doesn’t have any institutional memory other than what Greg Bader has given it some good runs.

Allen McCallum  17:16

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They had some good runs in the show Walter years where they look good for three or four years of stretch, but and then the last two or three years before the

Nestor Aparicio  17:26

pre but nobody really had any confidence when they’re letting Nelson Cruz go and mark that like it was not financially based, that it was sustainable going back to Messina, yeah, it looked like bucket come in here. Guns are blaring with a young Machado and, you know, and Adam Jones in his prime. And Luke and I were talking about this, we pulled in the Pittsburgh the other day about, like, the Orioles best chance was, you know, the 14 year and, but I still think the 12 year when they lost in the Bronx, to me, that was like, that was the night that we went up there to see them play the ultimate game, and the Bronx to move on to the Al ds that to me, or ALCS, that was to me, the chance. And I still looked at it and said, Well, it’s Angelos. I mean, he’s not gonna, they’re not gonna sign mark to share. They’re not gonna, they’re not gonna be able to sign their own players, and it’s before the Royals won, or any of that, and the Giants were winning at that point. But for me, with the Orioles belief in the ownership and the leadership, that they will continue to do the right thing, or have the capacity, the thing I’ve seen with these people is they have the capacity to spend money, you know, like, and that’s great. That’s cool, but I don’t know what that leads to. I don’t know what that means, but I do know that but I do know that I am a believer that Westberg, rushman, Henderson, all of these, Alonso, I’m a believer These are big league players this we’re in a different space. I don’t feel like the Angelos era anymore, because these guys are willing to spend money this era. Getty guys got an ego the size of the Inner Harbor like so they don’t want to be users. You know what? I mean? They got into this because they’re winners.

Allen McCallum  19:09

So they had, we had the Gillette gears, where there were two or three years, where they put together a good free agent team, and it, but it wasn’t sustainable.

Nestor Aparicio  19:21

And the owner down telling the manager that Chris Sabo needed to play, you know what? I mean? Like, it was bat shit, you know? I mean,

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Allen McCallum  19:28

that led to 14 losing seasons. Then we got the show Walter years where there were three or four years where they made a couple of good trades, they put together a good team. But I think we all sort of didn’t think that was sustainable. Under michaelias, what we were led to hope for was sustainability, and in theory, this team still remains even, even through last year. And let’s, let’s break it down. The first six weeks of last year were awful. They were awful. They fired the manager and. You know, injuries, the pitching stunk. Players underperformed. They fired the manager. They brought in a guy who looked like he’s over his head. But you know what? Mantalino didn’t allow to happen. He didn’t allow them to collapse. And they got better. And through late May, June, part of July, they looked okay. They certainly didn’t play above their heads to get back in the playoffs, but they looked okay. Pitching got better, you know, guys, and then they made all those trades, and you thought, wow, they’re going to completely collapse in the second half. They have no bullpen. They the two Laureano was arguably their most surprising hitter who was carrying the middle lineup, and they traded him away, and the team still didn’t collapse with all that said. So there were, there were, there were things to be out, even in the dismal nature of 25 there were things to look at and say, we still have pieces to be sustainable. They’re putting money behind it now. They’re making some moves. The goal now is still to be for this club to be sustainable and to be in contention for the next 456, years. A lot I don’t have my crystal ball’s not fired up well enough to know whether that’s going to happen, but they put themselves in good enough position. They still need more pitching. I really liked that. They brought back Zac Eflin. I felt like I think Zack Effen is a better pitcher than people gave him credit for. He had an awful year last year, in terms because of injury. Backs are things to be worried about. But I like that signing as a depth, signing with potential to be more I absolutely believe that ding Kramer is not going to make it through this season because that forearm injury had towards the end of the season really concerns me. That is the kind of injury that pitchers get right before they go under the knife. I hope, I pray I’m wrong, but Valdes and Suarez are still out there. I think this club could really use it, but

Nestor Aparicio  22:10

you just said something that you never, ever could have said with angelos, maybe going back to Scott Erickson and David Wells, and certainly with the stadium and the wall and pitchers not wanting to sign here, and certainly all the years when the team just stunk so bad that I don’t want to go there, because the owner sucks, the team sucks. Like, why would I sign there? Like, and they they’re not going to pay me anyway. So it was always chicken egg with angelos, which was a self fulfilling prophecy of awfulness that he began our watch, from Jeffrey Mayer on right, and from Davey Johnson on right, from Pat Gillick on but look, dude, it’s a new year. We all know how screwed up the world is. I don’t need to tell you that I’m Venezuelan. Since the last time we talked, we’re, we’re now running the country. I mean, we’re, I’m sure we’re I’m sure we’re going to do a great job, because we have such great care and concern for the Venezuelan people and their oil. But, you know, the world’s a mess. But as we sit here, as screwed up as the ravens are at eight and nine, as screwed up as I think Rubinstein is, as you know, this person, this famous guy who won the egotistical craziness and arroghetti and their money and what they’re doing and that they’ve called this philanthropy, which is a joke. So all of the lying and all of the gamesmanship, aside, from a baseball perspective, from a fan perspective, forget the empty seats and the Birdland thing and Katie Griggs and all of that. But we are sitting here right now debating whether the team would be willing to spend 150 to 200 $200 million on a pitcher, and we both believe that they might do it, yeah, like, literally, they might do it. So we’ve never been able to have that as long as I’ve owned this radio station, for sure, since 1998 there has never been a pitcher, early market, mid market, late market, their own guy, Corbin burns, pick anybody you want. They’ve never been in the market to ever even think maybe on the Rex Barney show 30 years ago. Little Alan McCall, I’m saying Orioles are going to sign catfish Hunter. No, they’re not so literally, the fact that we’re talking about the two pitchers being out there, and the Orioles are in on the hunt, and I wouldn’t say I expect them to sign one of them, but because their endowment is larger than other people’s endowment, and they want to show you how large their endowment is, especially that air Getty cat, and I don’t just mean the hot dogs he’s running in hot dog suits, I think these guys are. Are gonna bring Christmas gifts, or, in this case, maybe Hanukkah gifts or grapefruit gifts. In this case, I think they’re gonna do it. And you and I are talking about it, and I just want to stop everybody in the audience and say, Al and I have talked 1000s of hours on the radio, and we’ve never, ever been on the radio in any year or any time where the two best pitchers that are out there that they would be serious about coming, or that the Orioles would sign either, or maybe both of them. I don’t who knows what these cats are doing, because they have so much money, you know, and it Well, great. Then go buy a great baseball team. We’ll have a good time. We’ll pay 15 bucks for beers, and we’ll come bird land. We’ll do all that. That’s their that’s who they are, right? I mean, like watching it on the outside, they just need the attention. And part of this is, this is where their attention is going, and they might actually spend $200 million on a pitcher here in next couple days, weeks, months, and that’s just ain’t never happened around here. And that, I guess that’s my point of going back to how things are different. If you’re a fan, I guess that’s good. We’re going to spend a whole lot of money on pitching as a fan. Guess who’s going to pay for it?

Allen McCallum  26:06

You look, yeah, you’re you are 100% correct in all the years and all the times I was trying to be optimistic. I don’t ever remember saying, Oh yeah, they’re going to go get one of the two. You know,

Nestor Aparicio  26:20

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top tier pitchers holidays. Gonna sign here? Right?

Allen McCallum  26:23

Sure, because nobody wanted to come here. And even if they had the money, the Orioles weren’t going to spend it, it was, look, the stuff they’ve done with the wall has changed the reputation of the of the ballpark. Even bringing it in in a little bit last year, I think, didn’t return it to what it was when the Camden specials were flying over the short portion, 360 at 364 in left center, um, and frankly, I mean, you’ve got pitchers pitching in minor league ballparks. You’ve got Cincinnati, you’ve got Colorado. There’s, there are a lot of other ballparks that are worse to pitch in right now than Camden Yards, you know, the beasts of the East, the Aaron judges and Vladimir Guerrero of the world might give you a little bit of pause. But you know the the thing that may be the most interesting of all to me in this offseason is that in years past, when free agents from the Yankees or the Mets went out of the market, they’re like, Oh, we’re gonna we’re gonna go look around and find different clubs to sign with. You just sort of shook your head and laughed, because you knew nobody was going to spend the kind of money that the Yankees or Mets did to get them and they were ultimately come back. And that’s not the case in 26 I mean, Pete Alonso leaving New York and saying Baltimore, that’s the place for me, that is a monumental thing that happened. I mean, I can’t think of a free agent close to his prime playing for New York already going to sign for a team that is, I think it at best, mid market in the sport. Can you remember anything like that?

Nestor Aparicio  28:12

Yankees would go and sign with the Red Sox or right, or the Dodgers or right Mookie. Betts would go from, you know? I mean, basically you go from from one rich country to another rich country is basically what you’re doing.

Allen McCallum  28:22

Maybe Robinson Cano going to Seattle. But that was, that was about a player who’d already made money, who was looking to be to create his own identity. Well, that Pete Alonso

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Nestor Aparicio  28:32

is probably coming to Baltimore for that. I mean, just the fact that the dude showed up, wore the suit, ran around, seemed like a nice guy, shot videos, talked to people. Hell, he probably call in and talk to me if he didn’t know better, you know, I mean, because he seems like a decent guy. So, like, and the decent guy part of it is sort of like, that’s way different than that prick, Aubrey Huff that I ran into down at the stadium, who would later call Baltimore shit hole. Like, you know, that’s way different than even, you know, Jimmy key, who was a great player, just quiet, or BJ sur off, or whatever, this guy looked like, he wanted to come in and wear a Superman cape and be the polar bear and the way Tony Sarah goosa came to town and wanted to be the goose. You know, there is a point where, like, guys come into or, you know, but, you know, in football, it’s always a wide receiver coming in and what, not, not D hop this year, which different, but, but just sort of like to show me the money, the Rod Tidwell guy, but the Orioles I never, I don’t look for arrogance, or I look for somebody that wants to be to your set, wants to be here and wants to be a part of what’s that fun with it that I think that’s Adam Jones’s legacy with the pies, which I would never doubt. But just sort of like Adam Jonesy, you know what I mean? Like he go eat burgers and like and that that serves the fan base well, and it serves to create the kind of memories that when people come up to me and tell me they love my cousin because they love Boog Powell, or they love Brooks Robinson, or they love Eddie Murray, or in my case, I love Gary renicky and John Lowenstein. Like, so whatever, like, Flanagan, like, that’s what links people to want to come back. And Alonzo, for me, of all the players, and if I ran into in the mall, I’d say this to Him, right? Of all the play, and I’ve seen them all, that was that. Well done. Well done. You came in, you took a lot of money, and you look like you’re not only here to earn it. You look appreciative. You it looks like you chose us, and it makes me want to go get a Pete Alonso jersey. And, you know, interview you down at DiPasquale’s and have some proper sausage. You know what? I mean, no question.

Allen McCallum  30:33

And look, Helsley signed and the pitchers escapes him, but he talked to a former Oriole pitcher who also pitched for St Louis, who had been let go by the team, and if the story is true, said, Hey, it’s a good place to play. If a guy that got let go says someone, you should go play there. That’s good place to play. That’s it. That’s a really good sign. That’s not happening.

Nestor Aparicio  30:56

A better place to play. Baltimore should be a fantastic place to play. Ask Mike Messina how much fun he had here, right? You know, and he wouldn’t. But like, like, the Cal Ripken, I mean, it just the this was something special, and it’s not anymore. I mean, rushman and gunner and these guys, whatever they see or they know from the last couple of years of this Angelos transition to this guy who makes his own bobblehead, but at least he’s pulling his checkbook out trying to make your team better. And I think if you’re a fan here, if you feel like Jordan westburg blossoms into, I don’t know what you think of him, or like where like I he’s not George Brett, but I mean, he could be.

Allen McCallum  31:37

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Westbrook is my favorite player on the team. I think he could easily be a 280

Nestor Aparicio  31:45

who’s a Hall of Famer, but like a really good player, he won’t have to go do that with the Cardinals or the Phillies that Mr. Money Bags and junior money bags. Eric Getty, by the way, learn how to pronounce Eric Getty’s name. He’s going to be the owner. He’s going to be the guy. It’s his baseball, it’s his ego, it’s his thing. So like, he’s behind a lot of this. And I met him once. That was enough for me. And but that being said, it’s got his name on it now, and this money being spent, and the frontage of all of this, it feels like it’s changed in the last 12 weeks, in regard to Alonso changing that, and they didn’t invest in some jackass who came in here and, you know, showed up for an hour at Camden Yards and act like we were lucky to breathe the air Alonso came it mean, and I don’t know if that was hand picked or not, if I knew Elias at all. I talked to him about the kinds of humans he wants to have in his building that aren’t people like Justin Tucker. You know what I mean, like the right kind of people and like the people we grew up with, the people we grew up in the locker room with, and that matters. Now, even the guys that took steroids weren’t bad humans.

Allen McCallum  32:59

It absolutely matters. And

Nestor Aparicio  33:02

well, Albert Bell was a bad human sorry. Let me correct that.

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Allen McCallum  33:06

Another thing about the analytics era is that I do worry how much the human element is considered. And I want, you know, I want players that I can root for. I want I don’t want to feel bad about the guy that I need to get a hit to win the game for me. So I want the clubhouse. You know, I don’t need the clubhouse to be Kumbaya and everybody making LEGO sets together. But you know what’s like? What’s happening in New York now, guys getting jettisoned and speaking badly about the clubhouse? I mean that that’s just not a good look. It’s hard to root for teams like that. Look, the Blue Jays went to the World Series, and now they’re the sexiest team around that isn’t the Dodgers, and everybody wants to go play for them. Okay? I mean, they a couple of years ago, they were not that hopefully. But what I really love was watching Vlad, the passion that Vlad showed in the playoffs last year was is was infectious. And I think I’m guessing that players have gone to have saw that and said, That looks like a place for me. You mentioned before we really started get going that they’re better. I don’t know if they’re better. They still haven’t signed. They right now they’re missing Bach. Still have Santander hope that, I imagine they’re hoping that he’ll be healthy. So that sort of replaces production. And they signed Dylan cease, but they lost Chris Bassett, who was an unsung hero on that pitching staff for years. They are unfinished. They could be better. I don’t know if they’re good right now, as they were last year. We’ll see Alejandro

Nestor Aparicio  34:41

Kirk’s my favorite player, maybe ever. He’s He’s catching up to some of the all time greats for me. So he’s a great hitter.

Allen McCallum  34:49

The Red Sox, the Yankees and the Red Sox are sort of sitting in neutral. I mean, I know the Red Sox have made some moves, but you know, if you let go Rafael Devers because you want Alex Bregman. To be your leader, and Alex Bregman doesn’t play there in 26 they got problems. So, I mean, the division is sort of feels like it’s a neutral there are late moves that all these clubs can make. And let’s, I mean, look the Orioles, I worry about their defense right now. If Colton cows are their center fielder in starting 26 that does not impress me. I think that they need to get a center fielder. I think they need to finish the bullpen, and I think they need a top tier starter. And if they get those things, then we can have a conversation about about their their real playoff possibilities in winning the division, but they’ve certainly put themselves in position right now to to run with some with some clubs, despite some remaining deficiencies, to do something interesting in 26

Nestor Aparicio  35:56

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if you could get through to Priscilla, who is the gatekeeper for Michael era Getty, I’m sure he would say, we can afford that. We can buy that for you, you know. And I think that that that they’re going into that era of that a little bit with these guys, in the hopes that you’ll come back and give them money and fill the ballpark up, and that the money will fill in with media and this and that. But I don’t think these guys are in any way prepared for a work stoppage next year too, which always sits in the middle of all of these conversations. Alan, come get a crab cake with me next month. We’ll figure it out. All right, spring training, February into March, before opening day, which is in March, and year against the Minnesota Twins at the end of March, doesn’t feel like that far off. And once we shove a little snow here, watch a little bit football. You and I’ll get together for non cheese related crab cake.

Allen McCallum  36:41

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we the situation with work stoppage and the television rights. And you know, the remainder of remaining, remainder of the of the offseason, are certainly topics that we can cover when we get when we get together in a few weeks.

Nestor Aparicio  36:59

That’s fans won’t have to deal with Masson anymore. He is Alan McCallum. I am Nestor Aparicio. We are W, N, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive. It’s baseball season. Pick your chins up. You.