Baltimore Orioles Fans Will Not Be Thrilled by Brutal Offseason Predictions

Baltimore Orioles fans will not be thrilled with the recent offseason predictions shared for their team.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles’ window to contend is wide open. Loaded with young, high-upside talent in their lineup, this is a team that can compete in the American League for years to come. 

However, there are some glaring holes that need to be addressed this offseason otherwise they will fall behind the other franchises with World Series aspirations.

The Orioles watched their biggest competition in the AL East, the New York Yankees, sign free agent pitcher Max Fried. The Boston Red Sox, who are poised to make a jump up the standings, acquired starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox.

That had to be a tough blow to Baltimore, as pitching is their No. 1 need this offseason. Watching their competitors land upgrades they could have pursued certainly hurts.

While the team has spoken highly of the arms they have, the outlook certainly isn’t great.

It is hard to imagine a fan base having any confidence rotation headed by Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez going up against Fried and Gerrit Cole in New York and Crochet and Tanner Houck in Boston.

Things could certainly change if the Orioles were able to retain their ace, Corbin Burnes, in free agency.

Alas, David Schoenfield of ESPN doesn’t foresee that happening.

The MLB writer has predicted that the star righty will head out west, signing a deal with the San Francisco Giants.

That would be a massive blow for the franchise, as Burnes was everything the organization had hoped he would be after they acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason. There were some concerns with his drop in velocity later in the year, but he still made it work.

In what could have been his final start with Baltimore, he pitched into the ninth inning of their ALWC matchup against the Kansas City Royals in a 1-0 loss.

He isn’t the only loss that the Orioles have been predicted to suffer, as All-Star right fielder Anthony Santander has been predicted to land with the Philadelphia Phillies.

That isn’t too surprising of an outcome based on how the offseason has gone for the franchise to this point. They signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal early on and he could become the everyday right fielder.

What will really hurt the fan base is that Schoenfield doesn’t believe any of the available free agent pitchers will land in Baltimore.

In his piece, Roki Sasaki, Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea and Burnes were all mentioned. The Orioles were mentioned as best bets for all of them, but have been predicted to land zero.

If that is how free agency turns out, they will have to get aggressive on the trade market. Dipping into their deep pool of hitting prospects and pursuing Luis Castillo or Dylan Cease would be the only alternative to finding another starting pitcher.