Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias is reportedly under investigation for pension fraud.

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported Elias is being investigated for allegedly designating pitching instructor Chris Holt as one of four Orioles coaches to be placed on the pension plan despite him not being with the major league club. MLB and the MLB Players Association allow only four coaches from each club to be designated for the pension plan, which gives them medical benefits, life insurance and a licensing check.

The Orioles had eight coaches listed for 2020. The other three coaches designated for the plan are considered "legitimate," but Holt's status has been called into question because he allegedly did not work with the Orioles the entire season.

"All I can tell you, is that to my knowledge we've never had a case like this," Steve Rogers, a special assistant in the players association, told Madden.

Holt has been in the Orioles organization since 2018, when both he and Elias came over from the Houston Astros.

A lawyer who spoke to Madden said that Elias could be in for "significant" discipline if it's found he knowingly violated MLB's pension rules. By adding people to the plan fraudulently, Elias would have been directly taking money away from people who earned the pension and benefits under MLB rules.

Six months after being diagnosed with colon cancer, Baltimore Orioles star Trey Mancini has completed his chemotherapy. 

Sara Perlman, Mancini's girlfriend, tweeted a picture of her significant other leaving the facility where he received his last treatment Monday:

TREY DID IT!!!! He competed chemotherapy!!! What a six months it has been. I’ve never been more proud & joyful ☀️ this is the best day ever!!!! Thank you for all the love and support. We are SOOOO grateful!!!!💗💗💗 @TreyMancini pic.twitter.com/dM7amk92GH

— Sara Perlman Mancini (@saraperlman) September 21, 2020

In April, Mancini wrote on The Players' Tribune that he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer on March 6, had the tumor removed six days later and began chemotherapy on April 13:

"But I want everybody to know that I'm O.K. I know reading everything and seeing that I had a malignant tumor removed from my colon, it's a lot to absorb—believe me, I know. I'm not really big on social media, but I posted a video on Instagram after my surgery because I wanted people to see that I looked like myself and I was in good spirits.

"And I have no doubt that, even when I'm doing chemo, I can work out and do some things. So, whenever the time comes for me to come back to baseball, I'll be ready. But I just want to make sure that I am physically fine before I go out there and start trying to perform again at a major league level."

Mancini hasn't played with the Orioles this season as he's undergone treatment. The 28-year-old broke out last year with a .291/.364/.535 slash line, 35 homers and 97 RBI in 154 games. 

In this #F16HT together. So proud of you, @TreyMancini! pic.twitter.com/Lg8M91SHkT

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 21, 2020

The Orioles selected Mancini in the eighth round out of Notre Dame in 2013. He spent four seasons in the minors before getting called up at the end of the 2016 season. 

Mancini finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox in 2017.

With less than two weeks remaining before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season, the Baltimore Orioles have reportedly been in contact with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig. 

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Orioles are interested in signing Puig and have made "at least one" contract offer to the former All-Star.

Puig is the biggest name remaining on the free-agent market, but teams were unable to sign players for three months because of MLB's transaction freeze during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The transaction freeze officially came to an end at 12 p.m. ET on June 26, at which point Puig's name began to come up for teams seeking help in the outfield. 

Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ and The Athletic reported on June 23 that the San Francisco Giants are "expecting to be players" in the market for Puig. 

The Orioles need all the roster help they can get after going 101-223 in the past two seasons combined. They also need a starting right fielder with Trey Mancini unlikely to play in 2020 after announcing in April he was undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. 

Puig began last year with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to Cleveland on July 31. The 29-year-old hit .267/.327/.458 with 24 homers, 84 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 149 games between the two teams. 

The Baltimore Orioles turned heads with the No. 2 pick of the 2020 MLB draft, selecting outfielder Heston Kjerstad.

With the 2nd overall pick of the 2020 #MLBDraft, the #Orioles select @RazorbackBSB OF Heston Kjerstad, No. 10 on our Top 200 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/DYMRCCjiaZ

Watch live: https://t.co/cmm19LFrdg pic.twitter.com/iHOuRhDPpz

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 10, 2020

The Arkansas product was considered the No. 10 overall player by MLB.com.

According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, the Orioles had reportedly been discussing underslot deals in Round 1 to provide the team with more options in later rounds.

After No. 1 overall player Spencer Torkelson went first overall to the Detroit Tigers, outfielder Austin Martin, pitcher Asa Lacy and infielder Nick Gonzales were considered other top options for Baltimore.

JJ Cooper of Baseball America broke down the strategy for the Orioles:

Orioles taking Heston Kjerstad means expect to see them take a top-15/20 talent with their supp. 1st or 2nd round pick. Clearly underslot here means they have even more massive financial advantage with their later picks.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 10, 2020

Despite it being an unexpected pick, Kjerstad could be a quality prospect for this team:

Boy Heston Kjerstad at No. 2 overall is a neat pick. We didn’t quite see it coming, but really his power tool is up there with Tork’s, and he’s a corner outfielder. Looking back at the build-up to this, I’m not sure why Kjerstad didn’t get more run as a top-3 kind of pick.

— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) June 10, 2020

The left-hander only played 16 games in 2020 but hit an incredible .448 with six home runs and 20 RBI. Though this was a small sample size, he has dominated at the plate throughout his college career with a .345 batting average, 35 home runs and 32 doubles in 145 games.

He also played a key role in leading the Razorbacks to the College World Series in each of the last two years.

"He's going to play in the big leagues a long time," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said, per Richard Justice of MLB.com.

Kjerstad joins an organization that needs an infusion of talent. Baltimore has 223 losses over the past two seasons.

MLB draft day is finally here! MLB becomes the third major league sport to undergo a virtual draft since the coronavirus pandemic shut down live sporting events in March.

Tonight's draft coverage kicks off with a preview show on MLB Network at 5 p.m. ET. The draft will consist of only five rounds—as opposed to the normal 40. As a result, only 160 players will hear their name called this year.

However, there is an option for players who go undrafted:

The 2020 Major League Baseball draft will be five rounds, sources tell @kileymcd and me. All players who go undrafted would be eligible to sign for a maximum of $20,000. While there was a proposal to the union for a 10-round draft, the sides didn’t come to an agreement.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 8, 2020

The Detroit Tigers will begin the 2020 draft with the first overall pick—their second No. 1 pick in three years. It seems likely they'll be using it to select Spencer Torkelson, a slugging first baseman out of Arizona State.

If Torkelson is picked, he'll be only the second true first baseman to go first overall since Adrian Gonzalez in 2000.

Another storyline to pay attention to is the college arms—the strength of this year's draft, with at least 15 collegiate pitchers being thrown out as possibilities for the first round. This is in stark contrast to last year's class that severely lacked strong college arms. There are also plenty of powerful college bats, so the top of the draft may be college-heavy.

There are still impressive high school arms, with the trio of Mick Abel, Jared Kelley and Nick Bitsko expected to be first-round picks. However, the shortened draft may impact high school talent the most.

Obviously, the virtual nature of this year's unique draft will be a major point of interest for viewers. It will be interesting to see how teams have adapted to a virtual draft and if their preparation was any different.

Here's all the information you need to know to watch this year's MLB draft and a closer look at a few teams to watch.

      

2020 MLB Draft Information

Wednesday, June 10

Time: 7 p.m. ET (Coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET on MLB Network)

Rounds: Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (Picks 1-37)

TV: ESPN or MLB Network

Livestream: MLB.com

       

Thursday, June 11

Time: 5 p.m. ET (Coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on MLB Network)

Rounds: Rounds 2-5 (Picks 38-160)

TV: ESPN2 and MLB Network

Livestream: MLB.com

      

Teams to Watch

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles will be an interesting team to follow this year for multiple reasons. As the second overall pick in the draft, they are guaranteed top talent—with Austin Martin's name being linked with the team in several mock drafts.

The Vanderbilt third baseman is considered the best pure hitter in the draft, and his consistency and bat control make him a dangerous threat at the plate. He's also a versatile defender with experience at multiple positions.

Other scenarios for Baltimore would be to take a similar talent in Nick Gonzalez or draft the best pitcher in the class, Asa Lacy. 

After picking No. 2 overall, they will have the chance again as soon as the 30th pick in the Competitive Balance Round A. Their competitive balance pick is much higher than Detroit's—who won't pick again until No. 62—which gives them a larger total bonus pool. 

Baltimore has the most money to spend on signing bonuses of any team in this year's draft, with $13,894,300 in its bonus pool. This gives them the potential to nab much-needed talent, and they can spend as much as $7,789,900 on their first selection.

Pretty clear Orioles will try hard to "recruit" players to sign for 20-K after draft. Said Mike Elias "we think this is a terrific place to sign. We're on the cutting edge of development. This is a rebuild focused on a homegrown pipeline."

— Steve Melewski (@Steveonbaseball) June 8, 2020

Houston Astros

On the other end of the spectrum lies the Houston Astros, with the least amount of money in its bonus pool of all the teams in the draft

As punishment for their electronic sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season, the Astros were stripped of their first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. Their first pick of the 2021 draft is not until No. 72, which they got as compensation after Gerrit Cole declined their offer and signed with the Yankees. Sixteen teams will make at least three picks before the Astros' turn.

"We're focused on maximizing organizational talent, and from that perspective of having controllable, elite talent in the organization, I think we stack up against everybody," Astros GM James Click said, according to MLB.com.

Houston has a pool of just $2,202,600 to spend, with the ability to spend $870,700 on their first selection.

"It's obviously a challenge to have, by far, the smallest draft pool and that comes with the picks that we have," Click added. "But there are some teams out there that have almost seven times as much money to spend as we do in the draft. It does create some interesting give and take. It creates some challenges."

The Astros may just look to pick the best available player left at pick 72 and worry about where he fits into their system later.

     

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the most picks (7) in this year's shortened draft. 

They have a bonus pool of $7,901,000 to spend on all seven picks, including $3,132,300 available to them for their first selection. The Cards' first pick of the draft comes at No. 21. After that, they pick again at No. 54, again at No. 63 in the Competitive Balance Round B and soon after that at No. 70 as compensation for Marcell Ozuna signing with the Braves.

These three selections in the span of 16 picks will give them the ability to snatch top talent at multiple different positions they may need. MLB's Cardinals beat writer, Anne Rodgers, noted that their "epicenter of need" is at middle infield, as St. Louis has little depth at second. 

After limited draft, Cardinals can sign undrafted players for a max of only $20K each. That, plus MiLB contraction, could result in a smaller group of fresh faces for St. Louis this year, Mozeliak acknowledged. Team wants the guys it does bring in to have real opportunity.

— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) June 9, 2020

While the Cardinals may have started to close the gap in left-handed pitching talent, they can always use more pitchers with high potential or upside to fill their farm system.

Many different players have been linked to St. Louis, most notably South Carolina right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, Oklahoma righty Cade Cavalli, Mississippi State second baseman Justin Foscue and Mount Carmel HS shortstop Ed Howard.

Baltimore Orioles players and staff members surprised outfielder Trey Mancini with a video call to offer their support after he announced he's been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

The Orioles provided a snapshot from the call Saturday with everyone holding up "F16HT" signs featuring the slugger's No. 16:

The guys surprised Trey. #F16HT pic.twitter.com/2mruiaDXa5

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 2, 2020

Mancini posted an essay Tuesday entitled "I Am So Lucky" on The Players' Tribune. He confirmed he started chemotherapy treatments April 13 and thanked the Orioles for their efforts:

"And without the Orioles I never would have caught this before it may have been too late. There was really no indication that anything was wrong other than me just feeling a little more tired than normal. Everything that comes up when you google colon cancer? I didn't have any of it. And so without that second blood test I probably would not have discovered the tumor until I had a total blockage of my colon. Instead, from the day I was diagnosed to when the tumor was removed was just six days—March 6 to March 12."

The 28-year-old Florida native said his treatment will take six months, adding "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me." He's already looking forward to next year, though.

"I've got other things to worry about right now, though. I know that," he wrote. "But still, every once in a while I catch myself thinking ahead—to when chemo is over, to when they remove my port, to when I can start going full-speed again. And I already can't wait for spring training."

Mancini has spent his entire career with the Orioles since the franchise selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in 2016.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Trey Mancini provided a positive update Wednesday, telling MASN he plans to return to baseball after undergoing cancer treatment:

"I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball."

That's what we like to hear, @TreyMancini. ✊ pic.twitter.com/WvGCgePgB0

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) April 29, 2020

"I fully expect to make a full recovery and be back," he said. "... I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball." 

Mancini noted the risks involved, including neuropathy, but indicated he chose his treatment plan to minimize the risk of that side effect and will try to return in time for the 2021 season.

The 28-year-old announced in an essay for The Players' Tribune that he has stage 3 colon cancer and began chemotherapy on April 13.

The Orioles first announced in early March that Mancini was set to have a "non-baseball medical procedure."

The team later announced he had surgery on March 12 to remove a malignant tumor from his colon, via Roch Kubatko of MASN.

General manager Mike Elias provided an update on Mancini in April indicating he would eventually return to the field.

"His health status, personally, the way that the operation went, and the kind-of demographics age-wise and health-wise that he resides in going into this puts him in a really good spot to make a 100 percent recovery both from a general health standpoint, but also a baseball sense," Elias said, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.

The GM added the recovery would take "months rather than weeks."

The 2020 MLB season has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Mancini indicated he is looking toward next year for his return.

"My treatment will take six months—every two weeks for six months," he wrote. "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me."

However, he is still encouraged about recovering and returning to the sport eventually.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Trey Mancini doesn't expect to play in 2020 if the season does happen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mancini was diagnosed with colon cancer in March and had a malignant tumor removed. The 28-year-old wrote Tuesday in a piece for the Players' Tribune that he has stage 3 colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

"My treatment will take six months—every two weeks for six months," Mancini said. "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me."

He first became aware of an issue during spring training when blood tests showed he had low iron levels. Mancini wrote that while his father was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer at the age of 58 in 2011, he didn't expect to have colon cancer at his relatively young age.

Doctors thought he might have celiac disease or a stomach ulcer before determining he had colon cancer.

Mancini also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the chemotherapy process for him:

"I'm getting chemo at a hospital in Baltimore, and I have to drive up there alone. Nobody is allowed to come in with me, and that's completely fine by me. I don't want anybody else being put at risk — people that are close to me and that I love, and other people in the hospital. You just never know. COVID-19 has spread so quickly. I'm definitely trying to follow all the protocols, not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because I don't want to expose myself to anything, especially before going into chemotherapy."

After the NBA and NHL suspended their regular seasons in March because of the coronavirus, MLB followed suit by shutting down spring training. The MLB regular season had been scheduled to begin March 26, but it is now unclear when or if the season will start.

If the 2020 season does happen and the Orioles are without Mancini, they will be missing their most dangerous offensive weapon from last season.

The first baseman and outfielder enjoyed a career year in 2019, as he hit .291 with personal bests in home runs (35), RBI (97) and runs scored (106). It represented a strong bounce-back from 2018 when Mancini hit just .242 with 24 homers and 58 RBI.

Mancini finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 when he hit .293 with 24 home runs and 78 RBI.

After finishing with the second-worst record in MLB last season at 54-108, the O's are once again expected to be near the bottom of the league whenever play resumes, especially without their best hitter in the fold.

Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has launched a campaign to raise money for families during the coronavirus pandemic.  

Ripken announced a contribution of $250,000 to the Strike Out Hunger 2020 campaign that will provide meals to families suffering from financial hardship during the pandemic:

I’ve joined Twitter to help the @CalRipkenSrFdn and our partners launch #StrikeOutHunger2020 with @FeedingAmerica to lend a helping hand during this challenging time. To make a real difference, it takes a team. Join us by donating here: https://t.co/wKDyZEac4J #FirstTweet pic.twitter.com/CGGviyARUU

— Cal Ripken, Jr. (@CalRipkenJr) April 7, 2020

The Baltimore Orioles legend told David Ginsburg of the Associated Press the campaign has the "infrastructure and the resources to help now," and that it will run "temporarily until things get back to normal."

The Ripken Foundation was started in 2001 to work alongside youth service organizations to provide at-risk youths with programs that help build teamwork and communication through various programs. 

Baltimore Orioles reliever Mychal Givens has denied allegations of abuse made by his estranged wife Tiffani. 

Per TMZ Sports, Tiffani Givens said in several Facebook posts that the right-handed pitcher stalked and stole from her and sent her abusive messages. She said he made her life "a living hell" over the past year. 

Mychal Givens told TMZ the allegations are false and "vehemently" denied the allegations.

Tiffani wrote on Facebook that Mychal broke into her house and stole items this week. Per TMZ, the police were called out to the house but filed no charges. Givens wrote the following about the incident:

"He continues to be emotionally and mentally abusive to me and doing all of this today IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN."

"Pray for me guys I have tried EVERYTHING to maintain sane in this 15 months of hell and this s--t is still continuing how does one deal with this for so long the emotional and mental toll this takes on you is absolutely draining and NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE AN OUTLET FOR THIS TYPE OF ABUSE."

Mychal's representatives told TMZ the couple is in the process of divorcing and that the police determined the matter was civil, not criminal, when they investigated the situation: 

"The police have never found wrongdoing by Mr. Givens. The police have never detained him, nor charged him with anything. Instead, he peacefully collected his personal belongings and left the residence."

"Also, during the recently concluded two-day custody trial, nobody made any allegations of abuse of any kind. Mr. Givens vehemently denies the false Facebook allegations. Divorce is always an incredibly difficult, personal matter for everyone involved. He is pleased the divorce is being properly handled by the court."

TMZ noted that Major League Baseball has been made aware of the situation. 

The 29-year-old Tampa, Florida, native could be subject to discipline from MLB under the domestic violence policy, but it's unclear at this time if the league is investigating the allegations.