SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — This is not the kind of start Alex Cobb envisioned when he signed a four-year, $57 million contract with Baltimore Orioles during the latter stages of spring training in 2018.That first year was awful for the Orioles and not a very good one for Cobb, either, who struggled to a 5-15 record and a 4.90 ERA while the team lost a franchise-record 115 games. Last season was even worse for the 32-year-old right-hander. He made only three starts for the Orioles before he needed season-ending hip surgery, winding up 0-2 with a 10.95 ERA. He also had a knee procedure. Halfway into the contract, Cobb and his teammate first baseman Chris Davis, who still has three years left on his seven-year, $161 million deal, are by far the two highest-paid players on the Orioles, and the only two players for whom money is guaranteed beyond this season. “You sign going into that season with such high expectations not only for yourself but for the team and it’s been everything but that,” Cobb... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A year ago, Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde were in their first spring training together as Baltimore Orioles general manager and manager. After a season of 108 losses, they're back for Year 2. The Orioles have 67 players on their spring roster, and Elias said that he likes the group that the Orioles have. “Going over the 40-man roster and looking at the players that are here, we’ve got hopes for all of them, and they’re all talented, and they have things to like about them, so we definitely feel like it’s coming together," Elias said. “It’s a part of a longer process, but it’s moving in the right direction.”Baltimore's biggest issue is trying to construct a starting rotation. Last season, 18 pitchers started for the Orioles, and they had a horrifying 5.57 ERA. In December, Baltimore traded right-hander Dylan Bundy to the Los Angeles Angels for four minor league pitchers. Bundy was one of the Orioles' most accomplished starters. In the rotation so far, Baltimore has left-hander... [More]