SARASOTA–What’s happening? Tomoyuki Sugano will have his first full day as an Oriole on Sunday. On Monday, he’ll pitch his first bullpen session.

Sugano’s addition has created a much livelier Orioles camp. The Japanese media are eager to follow him and ask other Orioles about his addition.

But the 35-year-old Sugano isn’t the only veteran starter the Orioles have added. There’s 41-year-old Charlie Morton, who lives just a short distance from the complex and pitched a live batting practice in Ed Smith Stadium, where he faced the team’s top prospect, 6-foot-3 catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who grounded out twice.

“I actually got to throw to him in a bullpen,” Morton said. “I got more out of that.”

Morton is a 17-year veteran who has started 382 times in the majors. Basallo is 21 years younger than Morton, but the veteran knows who he is.

“I like the hands. I like the way his body moves, big target. He seems like a really nice dude,” Morton said.

Morton knows what spring training is for, and it’s not to impress people.

“I was more focused on walking off the mound healthy and not having hit anybody,” he said.

Morton leads all active pitchers with 186 hit batsmen, and he’s tied for seventh all-time with the late Tim Wakefield.

As he chose a team to play for in 2025, Morton was happy he got to train at home. He moved to Bradenton in 2012 when he was with Pittsburgh. Except for 2017 and 2018 when he played with Houston, Morton has gotten to train near his home. He also has played with Tampa Bay, which trains in Port Charlotte, and Atlanta, which is in North Port.

“That’s something that matters. That’s a month-and-a-half I get to spend at home,” Morton said. “That’s a long time to be away from my wife and kids. It definitely was a big factor.”

What’s happened? The Orioles began camp with a projected rotation of Morton, Sugano, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez. They also had five other projected starters — Chayce McDermott, Cade Povich, Trevor Rogers, Albert Suárez and Brandon Young.

Eflin, whose wife had a baby boy this week, and Sugano arrived on Saturday. Rogers is out with a dislocated right kneecap and McDermott will miss time with a right lat/teres injury.

Eflin likes the additions of Morton and Sugano.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I think we’re all in a position, if we stay healthy, to have a good season, push each other, pitch deep into October, really get closer and closer as we go throughout the season.”

Eflin was asked if the Orioles had enough starting pitching without last year’s ace Corbin Burnes, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“Of course. Of course. I think if everybody shows up prepared and ready to do the job and pitch every fifth day, I think anything can happen, for sure,” he said.

What’s up with? Nate Webb signed a two-year minor league contract with the Orioles for 2024 and 2025. He had Tommy John surgery and missed 2023, and didn’t play last season after have right Achilles’ tendon surgery.

Webb has just 2 1/3 innings above Double-A and, at 27, is eager to pitch in the major leagues.

He expects to be cleared to pitch this week and wants to show the Orioles that he can compete at a high level.

“Just do the best I can is all it comes down to, throw strikes, attack hitters, make the decision for the coaching staff as hard as possible to send me down from here,” Webb said. “If I get sent down from here, then do everything I can during the season to get called up.”

The Orioles have more experienced pitchers in camp, and Webb knows that he’s a long shot.

“I definitely don’t feel a ton of pressure,” Webb said. “I kind of understand that my chances are pretty slim, especially coming off two years missed because of surgeries. There’s no pressure. My main thing is to get out of here healthy, get into a season, finally get to see some hitters in real games and then we’re going to go from there and do everything we can to get called up, whether that be middle of the season, end of season. Anytime would be great.”

What’s what? Morton is thankful that baseball has enabled him to meet people such as Sugano on his journey.

“Baseball’s really neat, especially whether it’s cultural, whether there’s language barriers, whether there’s age gaps,” Morton said. “Baseball can transcend that, and you can experience really cool moments with different people from different places. That’s one of the more rewarding things. I shook his hand. I looked him in the eye, and said, ‘Man, this is a cool thing that we get to do this.’”

What’s the word? “That’s what championship teams have is a blend, a mix of guys. A lot of guys that are in it for one reason and one goal: That’s to win it. Charlie’s got the experience of it, and Charlie has been on really good teams and knows what it feels like to be on the field there at the end.”-Hyde on adding Morton’s experience.

What’s the number? 8. With McDermott and Rogers out, the Orioles have eight projected starters. Perhaps Thad Ward, who’s in camp on a minor league contract and started for Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals’ organization, will get an opportunity.

“I think there are guys that are probably going to stretch out, some [non-roster invitation] guys,” Hyde said. “Things like this happen. We’re going to stretch out the guys we think we have a chance to start here or in Triple-A or pitch bulk innings here.”