A few lingering questions were answered yesterday with news that the Orioles re-signed pitcher Albert Suárez to a minor league deal, lost switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo to the Mets on a waiver claim and sent catcher Maverick Handley to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers.

Suárez was non-tendered on Nov. 21, but president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias indicated in a video call that the Orioles were willing to bring him back.

It always was expected to be a minor league contract because Suárez made $825,000 this year and MLBTradeRumors.com projected his arbitration salary at $900,000. Why else would the Orioles non-tender him?

“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” Elias said last month when asked about Suárez, who pitched in only five games this year due to shoulder and forearm injuries.

“We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did particularly in 2024. And it was a real bummer and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last (season) that he got hurt.

“I don’t want to go into details about our decision-making as we approach these tender decisions, but we very much are fans of Albert and we’re very much hoping to continue talking to him, and made that clear to him and his group. And I hope the feeling’s mutual.”

Now we know.

Suárez will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, of course. The Orioles wouldn’t finalize this deal and send him to Twin Lakes Park.

Their list of 2025 invites wasn’t published until Feb. 6, so it’s going to be a while longer.

The pitching staff isn’t close to completion. Elias is working to sign or acquire a starter via trade. He wants more than one, aiming at or near the top of the rotation and somewhere toward the back end. The bullpen has undergone some changes since the final game with Elias signing closer Ryan Helsley and trading for Andrew Kittredge, and he probably isn’t done.

The Orioles also claimed George Soriano on waivers from the Marlins and Josh Walker from the Braves, selected the contracts of Anthony Nunez and Cameron Foster and signed Andrew Magno to a minor league deal. Rather than exercise a $3 million option on Dietrich Enns’ contract, they reached agreement on a one-year deal for $2.625 million with another option for 2027.

To know what the Orioles could do with their ‘pen requires some confirmation about the rotation.

Helsley will close and Kittredge will work primarily in a set-up role. Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano were tendered contracts. The Enns contract sets him up nicely to make the club. The Orioles re-signed Rico Garcia to a split contract, where he earns $900,000 in the majors and $225,000 in the minors. Kade Strowd posted a 1.71 ERA in 25 appearances as a rookie, which gives him an early edge.

Also on the 40-man roster are Jose Espada, Yaramil Hiraldo, Colin Selby, Grant Wolfram and Chayce McDermott. Tyler Wells will work as a starter in camp but could shift again to relief duties. Cade Povich and Brandon Young also will compete for spots in the rotation but should be viewed as possibilities for long relief if further development in Triple-A isn’t essential to the organization.

Because the Orioles are seeking multiple starters, it becomes more likely that Suárez will compete for a swingman-type role. They’d happily take his 2024 production, when he registered a 3.70 ERA in 32 games, including 24 starts.

Let’s take another dip into the mailbag.

Some baseball pundits think that the O’s are five big acquisitions away – two starters, two good relievers, one more big bat – from being the AL favorite. Do you think Elias will be able to pull it off?
I’ll disagree with one more big bat. I think Elias is done with a major impact move on the position side. He stated on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” that he’s looking more at role players. We’ll see. But two starters and one or two more relievers are reasonable expectations. And it’s more than reasonable to expect the Orioles to challenge for a division title. Favorites? The Blue Jays would like a minute for rebuttal. And, you know, there’s the Yankees and Red Sox. It ain’t easy in the East. But the Orioles should be in the thick of the race if they upgrade the rotation and the young core shows improvement. Oh, and good health is a must, too.