Orioles’ latest roster move after Framber Valdez miss raises eyebrows

After having a clear plan throughout most of the offseason, the Baltimore Orioles appear to be scrambling for answers after losing the pursuit of Framber Valdez to the Detroit Tigers. Mike Elias is expected to meet with reporters on Tuesday, so the hope is that the president of baseball operations can provide some clarity on what exactly has happened over the last week. The initial response to losing out on Valdez was trading for infielder Blaze Alexander, and their latest roster move raises more questions than answers.

MASN's Roch Kubatko reported that infielder Bryan Ramos, whom the Orioles traded for earlier this week, has been claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Orioles appeared to be taking a gamble on Ramos' previous upside as a top prospect when they sent cash considerations to Chicago earlier this week, but the questionable aspect of the move was that the 23-year-old infielder was already out of minor-league options. Now with the Cardinals, Ramos should have a clearer path to playing time at the major league level.

Baltimore already had a crowded infield before the Ramos trade, and the deal for Alexander added to that issue. This could all be resolved with a trade of Ryan Mountcastle, but until that happens, it makes sense that Elias and Co. will play around with the players on the fringes of the 40-man roster.

Orioles suddenly have an open 40-man roster spot after Bryan Ramos heads to the Cardinals.

Outside of wasting the money they sent to the White Sox, the Orioles may have teased their next move. With Ramos off to the Cardinals and Weston Wilson assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers, their 40-man roster now sits at 39.

With spring training starting next week, perhaps Baltimore has made progress on signing an established starting pitcher.

Now that Valdez is off the market, the Orioles have been linked to Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, and Lucas Giolito. Gallen and Verlander have been the constant backup plans suggested for the Orioles if they were unable to land Valdez. It's possible that a deal is approaching the finish line, and the team is being proactive by creating space.

Otherwise, it's hard to explain exactly what the Orioles are doing with these roster gymnastics.