Baltimore Orioles Veteran 'Definitely Won't Be Back' Next Season

The Baltimore Orioles veteran was a disappointment after they traded for him.

Sep 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielders Cedric Mullins (31) and Austin Slater (15) run into each other attempting to catch a ball in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

It's tough to put into words just how disappointing the ending of the 2024 campaign was for the Baltimore Orioles. For a team with World Series aspirations, getting swept in consecutive years is a major issue. 

When they were swept in 2023, it was certainly a tough pill to swallow, but they were given grace. Nobody expected the Orioles to win a World Series in that campaign and many fans were just happy with how they played in the regular season. 

However, that honeymoon phase is now over. With the talent on the roster, it was inexcusable how they played for much of the second half. That continued into the postseason, and there are many people and players to blame. 

Baltimore front office's lack of moves at the trade deadline has continued to be puzzling over the past two seasons. They've understood they had World Series-caliber teams, but instead of going all out, they've made multiple questionable moves that haven't panned out. 

One of the players they attempted to do that with was outfielder Austin Slater.

Slater, a player who's been around the league for a very long time, is a good professional to have on the roster.

Still, with his lack of success during his short stint with the Orioles, there doesn't seem to be much of a chance he'll return in 2025. 

Zach Pressnell of FanSided expects that to be the case, writing that he "definitely won't be back" for Baltimore.

"On the year, Slater only played 33 games with the Orioles, where he slashed .246/.342/.333 with a handful of extra-base hits. Unlike the other two players on this list, Slater was a major league player, and he did crack the postseason roster, even seeing some postseason at-bats. Still, the Orioles should have zero interest in bringing a veteran bat that only posts an OPS of .675 back to the roster. They have too much talent in their minor league system to mess around with the idea of a bat that's this below-average."

As Pressnell touched on, the Orioles have a surplus of young talent remaining in their farm system, even after some of the trades they made at the deadline.

While having that young talent is always a positive, at some point, they need to find proven veteran players who can help them win.

The young guys are awesome to have, and that doesn't mean they should trade every single one of them.

However, they have to start making better decisions about the veterans they bring in. That could require them to trade some of those guys so they don't need to have a player like Slater on the roster.