00:00We're going to look fast here because we're a little pressed for time, but big news today for the Orioles.
00:04Craig Albin has officially announcing that Trevor Rodgers will be your opening day starter in less than two weeks.
00:10Here to talk about that and more from the Baltimore Banner, he's Andy Koska.
00:15Andy, how are we doing today, man?
00:17I'm good. How are you?
00:18We're doing great. Orioles are going to be getting things going against the Phillies here in under half an hour.
00:24Your initial reaction to Trevor Rodgers being the opening day starter, I can't say it's a stunner.
00:31It was either him or Kyle Braddish, but what did Albin has even say was the ultimate deciding factor?
00:40You couldn't go wrong with either choice between Rodgers and Braddish.
00:45I think this is a little bit of a hat tip to the full season.
00:49Well, not necessarily a full season, 18 starts last year for Trevor Rodgers was fantastic and looked like every bit
00:56of an ace last year.
00:57So I think this is a good honor for him, especially, you know, this is more conjecture on my part,
01:02but, you know, he's an impending free agent.
01:04So this is a bit of a hat, you know, feather in the cap for him as he enters a
01:09free agency, potentially, you know, returns to Baltimore.
01:13You never know. That is down the road, but definitely an honor for Trevor Rodgers and Kyle Braddish will make
01:21a strong one-two punch at the top of this rotation.
01:24Adley, what are you seeing from Adley Rutschman this spring?
01:27You know, you see any really fire there or some excitement that you got big hope for the season?
01:36Yeah, you know, I just was talking to him this morning. He seems a good head on his shoulders.
01:41He's not overly focused on last season, which I think is actually, you know, a very important thing.
01:48And really when I say last season, let's say last year and a half, right, you know, latter half of
01:5224 as well.
01:54It has been a slump. He has acknowledged that.
01:57You know, it's no surprise to him that it's a conversation, you know, around Baltimore because he has high expectations
02:03for himself and so does everyone for him.
02:06But he does look at the plate like he's on time to pitches.
02:11I like some of the mechanical changes he has made.
02:15He's giving it one of the big one of the big things he's focused on is with swing pass.
02:19He wants basically the bat to be in the zone for as long as possible, which is something that Taylor
02:26Ward preaches consistently as well.
02:29So I wouldn't be shocked if they've talked about it.
02:32Basically, by having the bat in the zone for as long as possible, you ensure that even if your timing
02:38is a little bit off, you have a higher probability of making decent contact.
02:44That is going to be big for Adley.
02:46I mean, timing is such a fickle thing in baseball, especially when it's my, you know, fractions of seconds we're
02:53talking here.
02:55So far, he's looked pretty good and, you know, pretty OK in camp.
02:59I like the swing adjustments and we'll see how it all plays out over the course of a season.
03:05But at the very beginning here, he does seem to be in the right frame of mind for a breakout.
03:09We're talking Orioles with Andy Koska from the Baltimore Banner.
03:13And, Andy, we saw Danny Coulomb on the move yesterday signing with the Red Sox.
03:18And that was a guy that I know I was in on, a reunion with the Orioles.
03:23A lot of our listeners felt the same way.
03:24And we know the O's have a need in the bullpen.
03:28Any idea why there wasn't serious consideration to bring him back?
03:34I don't.
03:35I have to assume that there was probably concern regarding his elbow health.
03:43You know, they did not pick up the option before the 2025 season.
03:48That was a fairly, you know, reasonably priced option, mostly because of, you know, concern about elbow health.
03:56So it's probably a continuation of that.
03:57But last year, we still saw he put up good numbers in 40-some innings.
04:02I mean, that was a great performance, you know, between two cities.
04:06Last year, he seems like a no-brainer decision to bring on.
04:10It's a very team-friendly deal.
04:12If he looks anything like Danny Coulomb has looked for a long time,
04:17a $1 million deal is an absolute steal for a guy of that clubhouse character
04:22and the ability to be a lefty out of the pen with a two-something ERA.
04:27I mean, so definitely, I mean, I was kind of wondering why does Baltimore not bring him in as well.
04:34But it does take, you know, two to make a deal.
04:38I remember talking to Danny Coulomb in Minnesota in early 2025
04:44and asked him, you know, how surprised was he that, you know, his option was not picked up.
04:49And he was pretty shocked, you know, but he was excited.
04:53You know, obviously, he moved forward and was excited to put together a good season, and he did.
04:59So he deserved another opportunity, and I'm glad for him that he has a landing spot.
05:04It will probably be a challenge facing him.
05:07It's going to be another good arm out of the pen.
05:09Andy, what's the latest with Holiday and Westburg?
05:13Yeah, Westburg is probably, obviously, farther away from baseball activities.
05:19Compared to Jackson Holiday, Westburg is fielding ground balls and running.
05:24He is not throwing anything.
05:26He's not swinging anything.
05:27So that is with the elbow still, you know, dealing with that PRP injection,
05:32hoping that it helps heal or at least strengthen the elbow so he can come back from a partially torn
05:38UCL.
05:40Jackson Holiday is swinging with both hands.
05:43He has been fielding.
05:45He has been tossing.
05:47He looks like, you know, there's every potential that he is going to be that first month of the season
05:53ready to go, you know, sometime in April.
05:56But opening day is out of the question for Jackson Holiday.
06:00But it's definitely an earlier return for Holiday than Westburg.
06:03He's Andy Koska from the Baltimore Banner.
06:06Got a couple more weeks to enjoy the sun down there in Sarasota before the harsh reality comes back here,
06:12back to Baltimore in a few weeks' time.
06:14Andy, appreciate the time, man.
06:15Thanks, Andy.
06:17Thanks, guys.
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