Baltimore Orioles Looking Up at AL East Rivals in Newest MLB Power Rankings

Did the Baltimore Orioles do enough to compete with their AL East rivals this season?

Jun 8, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) celebrates with catcher Adley Rutschman (35) after hitting a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles knew they had their work cut out for them entering the offseason with the amount of talent that was hitting the free agent market.

Two All-Stars, right fielder Anthony Santander and ace Corbin Burnes, were both free agents. Neither player was re-signed and it is up for debate if the front office did enough to replace them.

In the lineup, the Orioles made a move early on to snag Tyler O’Neill away from the Boston Red Sox. A major injury risk, he has the tools and skill set to be an upgrade over Santander if he can stay healthy.

He offers some solid power with two campaigns of at least 31 home runs, is a superior defender, offers more on-base potential and runs the bases better.

On the mound, it didn’t look like Baltimore had much of an interest in replacing Burnes with another top-of-the-market pitcher.

Some solid depth options were added with Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, but the injury bug has already hit the pitching staff hard.

Grayson Rodriguez, a former top prospect who was going to be counted on to help overcome Burnes’s departure, and relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge, who was signed in free agency, are both starting the season sidelined.

That is certainly not the way the Orioles were hoping the year would begin, as questions about whether they did enough this offseason are only going to get louder as they attempt to overcome the injuries.

Only time will tell if the front office did enough, but one thing Baltimore has going for them is the incredible amount of young talent featured on their lineup.

“Did Baltimore do enough this offseason to augment its homegrown core?... The Orioles still have so much position-player talent, with room for growth for many, including former top prospect Jackson Holliday,” wrote Andy McCullough as part of the preseason MLB Power Rankings over at The Athletic (paid subscription required).

Their lineup, which has the potential to be amongst the most productive in baseball for years to come, will be counted on to perform at a high level to overcome any shortcomings there may be on the mound.

McCullough, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Grant Brisbee certainly believe in the group, placing Baltimore at No. 9 in their power rankings. That makes them the No. 3 ranked team in the American League behind only their division rivals, the Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Interestingly, the Orioles’ playoff odds sit at 56.8% heading into the season. That is higher than the Red Sox, who are at 46.3% despite being ranked No. 6.

The Yankees, who are ranked No. 7, have the highest playoff odds in the AL at 70.4%.

Whoever comes out ahead in the AL East will have certainly earned it as the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are no slouches either.

For Baltimore to be victorious, they need to seriously consider dipping into their positional player depth and making a trade for an ace.

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