Ravens Insider: The Sun’s ‘Early Birds’ podcast debuts to kick off Orioles spring training

[ExtremeRavens]

SARASOTA, Fla. — Orioles spring training is underway and The Baltimore Sun’s new “Early Birds” sports podcast launched just in time to give fans an inside look at an eventful first day of camp. Orioles reporter Matt Weyrich was on the ground at Ed Smith Stadium and he joined co-hosts Sam Cohn and Josh Tolentino to give a full rundown of Day 1, which included the signing of starter Chris Bassitt and sobering injury news for Jackson Holliday. 

With the news breaking that Baltimore had reached an agreement with Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5 million contract just before they began recording, the trio gave their instant reactions to the deal and broke down how it affected the rotation’s outlook for 2026. 

“It doesn’t necessarily to me raise the ceiling of what this team can be,” Weyrich said. “If you look at the guys that they have in their rotation, there’s plenty of upside. The ceiling is there. It’s a question of whether they can put it all together and do it over the course of a full season, and that’s where I feel like you get some security now with Chris Bassitt.” 

Tolentino, who wrote in a recent column that the Orioles’ offseason was “incomplete” without an ace, lauded Baltimore landing a starter who could help ease the workloads of the rest of the group but said the signing still fell short of expectations set last fall. 

“I think there’s a lot to be desired,” Tolentino said. “The fact that it’s only a one-year deal shows and underlines the fact that, again, Mike Elias and the Orioles’ front office, they weren’t able to land that ace that many fans were hopeful for. Not only that, but they essentially hinted or promised that they had the payroll space [to get a deal done].” 

The Orioles finished last season 75-87 and missed the playoffs, but turned in an aggressive offseason that has Baltimore eying a run at the American League East. On the other side of the Camden Yards Sports Complex, the Ravens are also in the midst of transition after hiring Jesse Minter to replace John Harbaugh as head coach. 

Minter put the finishing touches on his coaching staff this week and “Early Birds” wrapped up the show with a discussion about the relatively young — and familiar — group of coordinators who will be in key roles next season. 

“They’re a little bit unproven, but I still think there are a lot of reasons … to be, I’m going to say cautiously optimistic — cautiously very optimistic,” said Cohn, who covers the Ravens for The Sun. “All signs point to, these guys can succeed in the positions. It’s just a matter of whether they can do it together, with this group, with this team, etc.” 

“Early Birds” is The Sun’s twice-weekly sports show, airing every Monday and Thursday morning with insight and analysis on the Orioles, Ravens and other major Baltimore sporting news. Listeners can find the full video version of the podcast on YouTube and the audio is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio, among other platforms. 

Connect with the show on social media via the @SunEarlyBirds handle on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

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