In O’s news: Mullins is ready for a challenge Ronald Acuna Jr. Jersey , Susac is outrighted and Brocail is revered."Morning, Birdland!How much fun would it have been to see Earl Weaver manage a major league team in the modern game? The Orioles legend was ahead of his time in terms of in-game strategy and statistical analysis. And he was a character with unorthodox methods that would have made him an internet sensation today. I bring this up because today is the sixth anniversary of Weaver’s passing. I know. Sorry to bum you out right away this weekend. On the bright side, it gives us a reason to remember Weaver, how great he was, his unique personality and the sort of success that was once common for the Orioles. Maybe similar days are ahead for the club. We can hope, although no one will ever fill the shoes of the Earl of Baltimore.LinksCan Mike Wright and Joey Rickard do enough to stick with the O’s in 2019? - The AthleticMike Wright Jr. is under more immediate pressure than Joey Rickard. A major league bullpen is a constantly competitive portion of any roster. If the big wigs don’t like what they see in spring training, Wright’s time with the O’s will be up. Rickard, on the other hand, has an option and is a viable fourth outfielder that can buy some time for Yusniel Diaz, Ryan McKenna and others.Mullins eager to seize opportunity with Orioles - MLB.comCedric Mullins needs to make his impact felt during the 2019 season. He’s a nice player. He has a lot of useful skills. But he is yet to prove that he is the unquestioned starter in center field beyond this season. Have to imagine his first full big league season will see every aspect of his game improve. Orioles Outright Andrew Susac - MLB Trade RumorsGood news for the Orioles, no so much for Andrew Susac. An organization always needs depth at catcher, especially one that now has just two inexperienced backstops on the 40-man roster.Some props for Doug Brocail Sean Newcomb Jersey , expected to be O’s pitching coach - MASN SportsQuotes galore about the O’s new pitching coach! It’s good to have others in the industry respect you. Will that translate to success in Baltimore? Who knows. Here’s to hoping.Orioles birthdays and historyIs it your birthday? Happy Birthday! Southpaw Rick Krivda turns 49 today. The pitcher appeared in 45 games (mostly as a starter) for the O’s between 1995 and 1997 while compiling a 5.13 ERA over 207 innings of work. Bespectacled infielder Chris Sabo celebrates his 57th birthday. The third basemen spent most of nine-season career with the Cincinnati Reds, but he did make a pit stop in Baltimore for 68 games during the 1994 season, hitting .256/.320/.465 with one home run during that time.Finally, happy 84th birthday to outfielder Fred Valentine, a member of three different Orioles teams: 1959, 1963 and 1968. He played in just 85 games and hit .225/.312/.318 across his entire career with the Birds.1995 - Peter Angelos, owner of the Orioles, announces his team will not use replacement players if the strike is not settled prior to Opening Day.2013 - Earl Weaver, the Hall of Fame manager of the O’s from 1968 through 1982 and again from 1985 to 1986, passes away at the age of 82 during a cruise from Haiti to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.2017 - “Outfielder” Mark Trumbo re-signs with the Orioles on a three-year contract worth $37.5 million. The contract expires after the 2019 season. It’s a very different world on the afternoon after the trade before."For the first time since he signed with the team in June 2009, Paul Goldschmidt is not a part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. It’s likely that yesterday’s trade Preston Tucker Jersey , which sent Goldy to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for three young players, may well end up defining the Mike Hazen era, in the same way that the Justin Upton trade was the key moment of Kevin Towers’ tenure, or the Zack Greinke signing was the big move by Dave Stewart. We won’t truly be able to judge the trade for years, until we see how the players pan out - case in point, who predicted that Nick Ahmed would be the most productive piece Arizona would get in the Upton trade? But we can talk about the immediate impact the deal will have, in terms of the line-up and roster for 2019. There are likely three areas which will be affected: we gain a catcher and a starting pitcher, and need to find a replacement for Goldschmidt at first-base. Jack will be along with some updated payroll and WAR numbers later in the week, as we head towards the winter meetings. So this overview will remain a bit more abstract and general, discussing the options that Hazen and Torey Lovullo have, in terms of putting together the pieces now available to them for next season.First-baseThe main uncertainty is, who will be replacing Paul Goldschmidt at first-base on an everyday basis. There’s no denying the magnitude of the issue. Since the beginning of 2012 Zack Greinke Jersey , Goldschmidt started 1,018 times at first for the D-backs. No-one else has fifty starts, with the next most being Mark Trumbo’s 44 games. Only he, Lyle Overbay, Daniel Descalso and Jordan Pacheco have even made five starts for Arizona in that time. There is almost no doubt: the position will be less productive for the Diamondbacks in 2019. But someone has to play there; these are the three most likely candidates, in alphabetical order:Kevin Cron - The 25-year-old Cron was a 14th-round pick by Arizona in 2014, but has put up decent numbers in the minors: an .826 OPS with 112 home-runs over 560 games. Last year, with Triple-A Reno, he had a line of .309/.368/.554 for a .921 OPS, with 22 HR in 104 games. However, the obvious counterpoint: it was in Reno. The current STEAMER projection has Cron being bascially replacement level for 2019. Jake Lamb - The possibility of moving Lamb across the diamond from third to first is something which has been suggested. This would help minimize the impact of his sometimes shaky defense, apparent especially on his throwing. Eduardo Escobar could then play third http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , with a middle-infield of Nick Ahmed and Ketel Marte. Whether Lamb plays full-time, or is part of a platoon (Cron and Walker are both RHB) would need to be decided.Christian Walker - The only one of the trio with MLB experience at the position, albeit very limited. For Walker has seen playing time for Arizona each of the last two seasons, but almost entirely off the bench. Only six of his 48 appearances were as starts, with four of those at first-base. He put up very similar numbers for Cron in Reno, with a line of .299/.354/.568 for a .922 OPS, and 18 HR in 84 games.If you’re curious, Cron had better platoon splits than Walker against right-handed pitchers last season. Based on those, he’d be the better platoon partner for Lamb, but Walker would likely be a superior full-time option, having hit lefties and righties almost equally well in 2018.