Baltimore Orioles Must Consider Strategic Moves to Enhance Roster Now

If the Baltimore Orioles want to compete in 2025, they need to make more moves to add depth and talent to their roster.

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 have had a busy offseason, but there are still a lot of question marks about the team heading into 2025. 

It was another successful regular season for the Orioles in 2024. Baltimore was able to win over 90 games for the second straight year and made the postseason as a wild card team. However, for the second consecutive season, they were unable to win a game in the postseason. 

Last offseason, the Orioles made a significant splash by trading for Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. The right-hander lived up to the hype in Baltimore, totaling a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA. However, with injuries and a slumping lineup in October, it resulted in a quick loss in the postseason. 

Now, the Orioles have already seen their ace leave in free agency for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and there really hasn’t been an adequate replacement brought in. Without Burnes, Baltimore could still certainly make the playoffs and have a strong season, but if they want to be a true contender, more needs to be done. 

Jeff Passan of ESPN.com recently wrote about the Orioles being in need to make a move. He highlights that while they have a lot of young talent, windows can close quickly in baseball. 

“Windows close fast. Injuries, ineffectiveness -- all sorts of baseball stupidity can manifest itself. Unlike other teams, the Orioles' window is so wide, another year of slow-playing -- though a bad habit in which to find oneself entrenched -- aligns with how they've built this group. But the clock is ticking,” he wrote.

While Baltimore has been active this offseason with the signings of Charlie Morton, Gary Sanchez, Tyler O’Neill, and Tomoyuki Sugano, those moves don’t scream trying to win now. 

When looking at the two starters that the Orioles added, while they are successful veterans, they both come with plenty of risks. For a team that ideally wants to compete to win the American League East, a weak starting rotation could doom them. 

As shown in the second half of the season, when injuries hurt the team, things can unravel quickly. 

At this stage in the offseason, upgrades to the rotation to be the move that help them improve are starting to become limited. In free agency, Jack Flaherty is the best name still available, but Baltimore might be hesitant on him due to his failures with the team in the second half of 2023. 

In the trade market, there are potentially a couple of more impact options for the team to pursue, like Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners. This might be the better route to go to improve the rotation, especially considering the talent still in the farm system to make a trade. 

Overall, the Orioles still need to make a move in the rotation to get a front-end starter to compete in 2025.