Good morning, Camden Chatters.<\/p>\n
The MLB postseason rolls on, and yesterday brought two quality games in the NL Division Series. The Brewers and Padres played an absolute thriller, one that ended on Jackson Chourio\u2019s dramatic two-run, two-out, two-strike walkoff single off of the unhittable San Diego closer Mason Miller, putting Milwaukee one win away from a sweep. And in Los Angeles, the Braves clapped back against the Dodgers with a 3-2 victory \u2014 with their bullpen game defeating Blake Snell \u2014 to even the series at one. The NL teams have a travel day today while the two AL Division Series are back in action.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, it\u2019s never too early to start thinking about what the Orioles\u2019 roster will look like in 2027, whenever the season may begin. MLB Trade Rumors\u2019 Charlie Wright wrote about Jordan Westburg\u2019s expected return<\/a> and what it might mean for the Orioles\u2019 crowded infield picture. In the absence of Westburg, the Orioles\u2019 regular third baseman in 2025, the O\u2019s filled the hot corner this season with the trio of Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who happened to be three of the Orioles\u2019 best hitters. All remain under team control for years to come.<\/p>\n Wright also suggests that the O\u2019s could plug in Westburg at second base, a position he\u2019s played 120 times in his career, as a way to ease him back into action. The Orioles\u2019 current starter at the keystone position is Jackson Holliday, who struggled after suffering a hamate injury in spring training.<\/p>\n That makes five players for two positions. All of them have some warts, though. Mayo\u2019s bat belongs in the lineup but he isn\u2019t really a quality defender. Alexander had a scorching bat in part-time duty but could be overexposed as a regular. Encarnacion-Strand is just a few months removed from being waived by the Reds and can\u2019t be considered a sure thing. And it\u2019s unclear how quickly Westburg will be able to round back into form after missing the entire 2026 season.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be interesting to see how the Orioles aim to alleviate the logjam, if they try to do so at all. Would they consider optioning Holliday to the minors for the first time since 2024? Will they put Westburg on the IL at the start of the season to give him a little extra time to recover? Or, as Wright suggests, could the O\u2019s try to swing a trade involving one or more of their infielders?<\/p>\n Me, I say just keep them all, unless you get an overwhelming trade offer. These things tend to have a way of sorting themselves out. Last year before spring training, O\u2019s fans thought there was no possible place on the team for Mayo, with Pete Alonso and Ryan Mountcastle blocking him at 1B\/DH and Westburg at 3B. And look what happened. Westburg and Mountcastle both suffered injuries that cost them most or all of the season, and Mayo ended up playing 132 games. It\u2019s always nice to have extra depth.<\/p>\n What do you think, Camden Chatters? What should the Orioles\u2019 infield \u2014 especially the second and third base situations \u2014 look like in 2027?<\/p>\n Orioles\u2019 Beavers knows he must be better in 2027 – BaltimoreBaseball.com<\/a><\/p>\n This could easily be the first of a 25-part series of \u201c[Orioles player] knows he must be better in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday Notes: A Burdened Backstop No More, Ike Irish Aims to Bash in Baltimore<\/a><\/p>\n If it weren\u2019t already obvious by the fact that he played zero games behind the plate in 2026, Ike Irish is no longer a catcher. That\u2019s probably a good thing, considering that he openly hated catching.<\/p>\n