Mayo, 22, is the No. 12 overall prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Parkland, Florida, showcased tremendous power in Triple-A with 20 home runs in 77 games this season to earn his first call-up to the majors on Aug. 2, but he struggled with Baltimore, hitting .059 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. Mayo also recorded an error at third base and had an up-and-down experience in the field overall.

“This coaching staff and this organization as a whole has done a great job throughout the minor leagues preparing us for this moment,” Mayo said Thursday of being the latest Orioles prospect to get off to a slow start. “Struggling comes with every level. If you don’t struggle at first, you’re going to struggle at some point, and hopefully this is the right step forward and it gets me going.”

As Orioles teammates such as Jackson Holliday (2-for-34 start to his career) and Colton Cowser (7 for 61) have shown, a tough first MLB experience doesn’t necessarily reflect on their long-term potential. Mayo had an encouraging performance Thursday, roping a line-drive single to left field to end an 0-for-16 start to his Orioles tenure. He also drew a walk, came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Adley Rutschman and recorded a pair of impressive plays at third base — though in one of them, he pulled first baseman Ryan Mountcastle into the baseline with his throw.

“They’re going to keep throwing those pitches until you prove you can hit them,” Mayo said of what he’s seen from MLB pitching so far. “That slider down and away, or the change-ups down and away, they’re going to keep throwing them. Something a bit away from me. I got the one moving into me tonight, and I was able to capitalize on it for a hit. But they’re going to keep doing it until you prove that you can do it otherwise. It’s the best level in the world. There’s no level higher than this and there’s a reason why they’re here.”

Soto, 24, returns to Baltimore for his second stint since being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline last month. The Orioles have claimed him off waivers and released Soto twice this season, but he has yet to appear in a game for their major league ballclub.

They shared a clubhouse at the University of Virginia, where they were teammates for three seasons helping the Cavaliers secure a pair of College World Series berths. They shared an apartment, rooming off campus together for their sophomore and junior years. They shared their excitement two weeks ago when the Orioles selected them on Day 1 of the 2024 MLB draft. Now, they’ve signed with their new ballclub together, further connecting the baseball journeys of two close friends.

“Leading up to the draft, we had talks about how crazy it would be to go to the same team,” Anderson said in a news conference with the two Orioles draftees July 19. “Thinking that there’s 30 teams, I never thought it was a shot and then now having a familiar face and being able to do this together is awesome.”

O’Ferrall, drafted No. 32 overall, and Anderson, a second-round pick, were the first two players to sign with the Orioles as part of a 21-player class the club finalized Thursday just before the deadline. They’ve reported to the Orioles’ spring training complex in Sarasota, Florida, where they will get acclimated with the organization and start working with the team’s player development staff before being assigned to minor league affiliates.

It’s just the latest chapter in a friendship that began in 2022, when they arrived in Charlottesville as freshmen. O’Ferrall was recruited late into his high school career, while Anderson graduated a year early at Cox High in Virginia Beach and moved up a recruiting class. As a result, they were both initially buried on the Cavaliers’ depth chart at their respective positions of shortstop and catcher.

However, they impressed their coaches so quickly that they still managed to crack Virginia’s opening-day lineup that year, with O’Ferrall batting leadoff and playing shortstop and Anderson hitting eighth in the designated hitter spot.

“They both made enormous impacts right away as freshmen in our lineup and playing every day,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor told The Baltimore Sun in a phone interview. “You just saw them both really grow as players and grow as men, and both became great leaders of our team and you just saw them continue to forge a friendship and a bond that is really special and certainly, in their three years here, we had really high level of success and both of them were huge keys to that happening.”

Their friendship is rooted not just in their on-field success, but how they approach their craft. O’Ferrall and Anderson developed reputations as two of the hardest-working players on the team, pushing each other to build strong habits and garnering the respect of their teammates and coaches as clubhouse leaders.

“They’re the guys that basically set the tone for our program because they’re the first ones there and they’re the last ones to leave,” Virginia associate head coach Kevin McMullan said. “They did everything the right way. Their intentions are always right and that’s why they’re in the position they’re in.”

Both players have military connections that have influenced their character and work ethic. Anderson’s father, J.R., was a U.S. Navy SEAL and their family moved several times while he was growing up. O’Ferrall’s brother, Sam, went to West Point; both he and O’Ferrall’s sister-in-law have served. But coaches say the biggest factor the new Orioles prospects have in common are the family environments that instilled natural leadership traits in them.

“He’s always been extremely loyal to where his feet are,” said Matt Ittner, Anderson’s former coach at Cox. “That’s what makes ‘E’ special and what’s made him very successful and I think a lot of it comes from his upbringing with his father.

“His ability to integrate himself into a team, he had to learn that at an early age with the amount of moves that he had to make and being put in different environments. I’m sure there were times where he struggled with his circumstances, but I think ultimately, it’s turned into a strength for him and being able to infiltrate himself into a team, be a good teammate (and) build relationships with those around him.”

O’Ferrall grew up a coach’s son, spending as much time as he could with his father’s high school teams on the baseball field and the golf course. He was always athletic, but wasn’t built physically like a player who might seem destined for professional sports at a young age. What truly separated O’Ferrall was his drive for success, a trait that drew his teammates to follow his lead wherever he went.

“He’s a kid in his class that his peers just naturally look to, not just on the baseball field, but just in general,” said Tony Szymendera, O’Ferrall’s former baseball coach at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond. “He’s not a not a big yeller and screamer, but he is a very intense kid about what he’s doing. Particularly on the field, he’s going to be serious and he’s going to hold others accountable. He knows what people are capable of and will expect them to live up to that.”

From their first game at Virginia on, O’Ferrall and Anderson became integral members of the Cavaliers’ culture and roster. O’Ferrall stuck at leadoff, going on to compile the most career hits (270) and runs (196) of any three-year player in program history. He got on base, racked up 50 stolen bases and played well at shortstop anchored by his strong arm.

Anderson had to wait until his junior year to get the starting catching job to himself, but his bat made him a mainstay in the lineup. He was a doubles machine — his 58 two-baggers rank third in the UVA record books — and he recorded an on-base percentage over .400 in each of his three seasons.

They now join an Orioles farm system with a history of identifying players of O’Ferrall and Anderson’s ilk, talented prospects with the right mind for attacking their development.

A chance to work their way to the major leagues awaits. It’s a challenge they’ll share together.

“It didn’t surprise me at all that Baltimore takes these guys because of just who they are as men and the kind of players that they are,” O’Connor said. “I think it’s a fantastic fit for the Orioles’ organization.”

The Orioles selected the contract of infielder Coby Mayo on Friday ahead of their road game against the Cleveland Guardians, two days after third baseman Jordan Westburg fractured his right hand when hit by a pitch Wednesday. Mayo will make his major league debut and will bat eighth Friday night in Ohio.

“It can happen any day,” Mayo said in early July of getting the call to the majors. “It can happen in a week or two weeks or a month, two months, I don’t know. Just taking it a day at a time, because it could happen at any minute and I want to be as prepared as possible.”

Mayo, 22, is the No. 12 overall prospect on Baseball America’s top 100 rankings, trailing only the recently recalled Jackson Holliday (No. 2) among Orioles prospects and sitting five spots ahead of Samuel Basallo. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Mayo has spent most of his minor league career at third base, but has also appeared in 48 games at first base over the past two seasons.

Power is the leading trait in Mayo’s profile, and it’s shown through in 2024 as he’s slugged 20 home runs with 61 RBIs for Triple-A Norfolk. Despite missing a month with a fractured rib after he fell into the third-base dugout on May 16 trying to make a catch in foul territory, Mayo has been one of the most prolific hitters in the minors this season. He joins Baltimore slashing .301/.375/.586 in 77 games with the Tides.

“He is in an exceptionally good spot and we talk about him all the time,” executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said of Mayo ahead of the All-Star break. “He’s very close. He’s going to help us this year. It’s just going to be about the right moment and the right opportunity and the right runway.”

Mayo was the Orioles’ fourth-round pick in 2020 out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where he was a student at the time of the 2018 school shooting that killed 17 people and injured 17 others. He was part of the Orioles’ 2020 draft class that also produced young standouts Heston Kjerstad and Westburg.

Though he was committed to the University of Florida, Mayo agreed to a $1.75 million signing bonus with the Orioles — nearly $1.2 million above slot value and well above average for a fourth-round pick. The Orioles were able to sign Mayo because they drafted Kjerstad, a surprise pick at No. 2 overall, who signed for more than $2 million less than his slot value of $7.79 million after three years at Arkansas. Westburg, the 30th overall selection, signed for his full slot value of $2.37 million.

Since the start of his professional career was slowed by the pandemic and a 2021 knee injury, Mayo’s raw power has helped him rocket through Baltimore’s farm system. He reached Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2022 with solid numbers, but took off last year, hitting 17 home runs in 78 games with Bowie before translating that power over to Norfolk with another 12 long balls in 62 games to finish the year strong.

He earned an invitation to major league spring training for the second straight season this year and impressed with a .360/.448/.560 slash line in 23 Grapefruit League games before being among the team’s final roster cuts at the end of camp. After showing his 2023 campaign was no fluke with a strong start to this season with the Tides, Mayo now has the chance to become the latest top Orioles prospect to carve out a place in the majors.

Mayo will join Holliday and Connor Norby as the third Orioles position player prospect to make his MLB debut this season. Prospects such as Norby, Kjerstad and Kyle Stowers have struggled to stick in the majors this season, with opportunities for everyday at-bats scarce on a roster competing for the American League East crown. However, Norby and Stowers were both traded to the Miami Marlins at the deadline Tuesday. Between their departures and Westburg’s injury, Mayo should have an opportunity to play third base regularly down the stretch.

MASNSports.com was the first to report Mayo was being called up to the majors.

Burnes, 29, is a three-time All-Star who immediately becomes Baltimore’s most accomplished starting pitcher. The right-hander broke out in 2021 to capture the NL Cy Young, leading the majors with a 2.43 earned-run average. He’s racked up at least 28 starts and 200 strikeouts in each of the past three seasons, but his relationship with the Brewers fractured over tense arbitration hearings. Burnes is under contract through the 2024 season, after which he’ll be a free agent.

The Orioles overtook the Tampa Bay Rays and staved off the entire American League during the second half of last season largely because of their excellent starting pitching. But the young rotation fell flat in the postseason, as Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer each underperformed their expectations and combined to allow 13 runs in eight innings during Baltimore’s three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers in a Division Series.

Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said after the playoff failure that any criticism of the team’s shortcomings should fall on his shoulders. He took a major step Thursday in improving what was perceived as his club’s largest one.

It’s unclear exactly where Burnes will slot in Baltimore’s rotation after Bradish spent 2023 as one of the AL’s best starters, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. But it’s almost certain he will start one of the club’s first two games in conjunction with Bradish. Rodriguez and left-hander John Means are locks to be in the rotation (assuming health), giving the Orioles a formidable quartet with two pitchers in Burnes and Bradish who have finished top-four in Cy Young voting, a southpaw in Means who has thrown a no-hitter and made an All-Star team and a youngster in Rodriguez who was a year ago one of the sport’s top pitching prospects.

That would leave three pitchers competing for the rotation’s final spot: Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin. Kremer would likely have an inside track to remain after going 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA last season. Elias said Wells’ role won’t be determined until at least spring training, though he has experience in short relief. Irvin, who is out of minor league options but was tendered a contract for his first arbitration year, could be a long reliever if he’s not in the rotation.

Acquiring a starting pitcher via trade was presumed to be more likely for the Orioles because of the club’s stockpile of top prospects and the franchise’s reluctance to spend big on a free agent. Most of the top starting pitchers on the free-agent market have received multiyear contracts worth at least $20 million per year.

The addition of Burnes is a change of direction from Elias’ strategy the past two offseasons, when he signed veteran innings-eaters Jordan Lyles and Kyle Gibson. Those two right-handers served valuable roles on their respective teams, but they were low-ceiling options, while Burnes elevates the rotation and the Orioles’ chances to repeat as AL East champions.

The draft pick the Orioles are sending to Milwaukee is their 2024 Competitive Balance Round A pick, No. 34 overall. The Orioles also have picks Nos. 22 and 32, the latter of which they received as an incentive for Gunnar Henderson winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2023.

Hall, 25, was the Orioles’ 2017 first-round pick. The left-hander from Georgia struggled to stay healthy throughout his minor league career, but showed plenty of upside when on the mound. He made 29 appearances for the Orioles, with all but one coming out of the bullpen. He pitched in 17 games for the Tides last season and 22 in 2022. Baseball America ranked him the 93rd overall prospect heading into 2024.

Ortiz, 25, made his big-league debut for the Orioles last season, hitting .212 over 15 games after posting a strong campaign with Triple-A champion Norfolk (.321, nine homers, 58 RBIs in 88 games). Though he was unranked by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline ranked him 63rd on its list. The versatile infielder was blocked at nearly every position by other Orioles prospects and stars in their organization.

The Angelos family has owned the team since Peter Angelos bought it for $173 million in 1993. Legal documents from 2022 revealed that the now-ailing owner wished for the team to be sold following his death so his wife, Georgia, “could enjoy the great wealth they had amassed together.” His elder son, John, has been the team’s control person since 2020.

Rubenstein, 74, is a philanthropist and founder of the Carlyle Group. He is a Baltimore native and Baltimore City College alumnus.

He will initially assume a 40% ownership stake in the Orioles with an agreement to purchase the remaining equity upon the death of family patriarch Peter Angelos, according to two of the sources.

The Angelos family would be subject to significant capital gains taxes if the team is sold before Peter Angelos’ death. Angelos, 94, has been in declining health for more than six years.

Legendary Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. is expected to be part of the ownership group, one of the sources said.

Included in the deal is the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the regional television network owned by the Orioles and the Washington Nationals, that source also said. The Orioles own the majority of MASN under a complex agreement that originated when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington — inside the Orioles’ media territory — in 2005. The two teams split rights’ fees and profits from MASN, with the Orioles receiving a bulk of MASN’s profits.

The Orioles and Nationals could not agree on how much each club should receive from a five-year period spanning 2012 to 2016, prompting multiple arbitrations and a decade of dispute. That litigation was finally settled this past summer and fees to be paid out for the following five-year span, 2017 to 2021, were quickly agreed to, avoiding more litigation that might have complicated a sale.

MLB must still formally approve the sale. The league has strict protocols that include vetting potential investors and a vote by owners on the sale.

Puck News, a journalist-owned subscription media outlet that covers the financial and political elite, was the first to report the sale on Tuesday evening.

The Angelos family’s intent to sell the team became public as the family struggled over control of the Orioles after Peter Angelos became incapacitated. Louis Angelos, the younger of Peter’s two sons, sued his mother and brother in 2022 over what he characterized as John Angelos’ attempt to take control and ownership of the family fortune, including the ballclub.

According to the suit, John Angelos stalled and thwarted the plans to sell the team, unilaterally torpedoing interest from “one highly credible group of buyers.”

Subsequent filings in the suit, which was dropped last February after an apparent private settlement, revealed that the family had retained the investment bank Goldman Sachs and the law firm Jones Day to handle a potential sale.

The $1.725 billion sale price is slightly more than Forbes’ valuation of $1.713 billion, which ranked the Orioles 18th out of 30 MLB teams.

The Orioles recently agreed to a lease with the state of Maryland — which owns Oriole Park at Camden Yards — to remain in Baltimore for at least 15 years and potentially more than 30. That agreement was negotiated for years, spanning two governors and two stadium authority chairs, and was agreed to in December, shortly after it was reported by Bloomberg that Rubenstein was “in talks” to acquire the team.

At the time, John Angelos called Gov. Wes Moore to assure him the family did not intend to sell the team, according to a source familiar with the call.

As part of the lease deal, the Orioles unlocked millions of dollars of state investment into Camden Yards, as outlined in a 2022 law. That law permitted the stadium authority to use up to $600 million in bonds to improve the ballpark, provided a signed lease agreement lasted long enough for the bonds to be paid off. With the 15-year deal, roughly $400 million is available, the stadium authority previously told The Sun.

The lease deal — which includes the potential for the state and the Orioles to agree on a plan to redevelop land around the ballpark — remains intact in the event of a sale. The lease includes a non-relocation clause, preventing the Orioles from leaving the city during the term.

While some fans celebrated what a new ownership group could mean for the Orioles, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, a “Hot (potentially unpopular) take.” He listed several accomplishments of the Orioles in recent years, including hiring executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias, who has helped orchestrate a rebuild for the club.

“Despite some bumps in the road, I give credit to John Angelos for setting the Orioles up for long-term success in and for Baltimore,” Ferguson wrote.

The stadium lease deal and the agreement to sell the team follow a season in which the Orioles reached the playoffs for the first time in seven years. After a lengthy rebuild and several 100-loss campaigns, a roster filled with young players on cheap contracts racked up 101 wins and won the AL East before losing in the American League Divisional Series to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. The future is bright, too, as Baltimore still boasts baseball’s top-ranked farm system.

Rubenstein’s net worth of $3.7 billion, according to Forbes, ranks in the middle of the pack of MLB owners. That’s in line with the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner family ($3.8 billion as of 2015), but far less than the sport’s richest, like the New York Mets’ Steve Cohen ($19.8 billion). Peter Angelos is worth $2 billion.

Rubenstein will be the fifth owner in the team’s history. It was previously owned by Jerold Hoffberger (1953-1979), Edward Bennett Williams (1979-1989) and Eli Jacobs (1989-1993).

Baltimore Sun reporters Hayes Gardner and Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article. This article will be updated.