Did Insiders Unfairly Place Orioles Near Top of 'Most Disappointing' Offseason List?

The Baltimore Orioles were consistently placed near the top of the "most disappointing" offseason rankings.

Jul 27, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias reacts on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have been one of the best regular season teams over the last few years, but some believe they didn't do enough to capitalize on that last year.

The team at Baseball America recently did a roundtable discussion of the teams in the league that had the worst offseasons.

The Orioles were among the six clubs mentioned.

While the complaints did come with a caveat that Baltimore has one of the best young cores in the league, the lack of aggression also rings true.

The biggest issue with their winter seems to be the fact that Corbin Burnes was lost and there was no true ace brought in to replace him. Instead, they opted for combination of veterans to round out the backend of their rotation.

There is a real chance that a Burnes-level pitcher missing from this rotation could end up being a disaster, but there is a near equal chance that their rotation ends up being around middle of the league.

Last season, Burnes had a 2.92 ERA and a 128 ERA+ which made him among the best pitchers in baseball.

Outside of him, it was a rotation of great pitchers who couldn't stay healthy and struggling pitchers who also could not stay healthy.

The AL Cy Young candidate was one of the few who remained steady throughout the year.

Now, this rotation mostly the same injury-prone arms with a couple of veterans who are at least 35 years old, but it is those older guys who could end up saving the rotation.

Despite Charlie Morton's ripe age of 41, he just delivered a gem of a spring and has been at least around league average for the last decade. Just back in 2023, he pitched 163.1 innings with a 3.64 ERA.

In fact, the only season he hasn't pitched at least 163 frames was the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

That would be a fantastic result for the state of this pitching staff.

Tomoyuki Sugano has also had a nice spring with a 3.00 ERA over 15 innings. That is a positive sign as he prepares for his MLB debut.

The 35-year-old has a career 2.45 ERA over in Japan. A fraction of that success would be welcome.

If those two can at least be average, it might be enough to make this a solid rotation.

Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin could also break out into All-Stars this season.

The fact the Orioles didn't do much on offense isn't as head-scratching considering they have youngsters stepping up across the board.

Baltimore signed Tyler O'Neill to replace the Anthony Santander spot on the lineup, which could be a steal with the shortened wall in right field.

The Orioles didn't have a stellar offseason on paper, but not much needs to fall into place for it to at least keep them in the playoff hunt.

Recommended Articles

•

Orioles Shatter Franchise Record With Their Six Home Runs on Opening Day

•

Orioles Outfielder Tyler O'Neill Extends Historic Opening Day Home Run Streak

•

Watch: Orioles Star Silences Doubters With Monster Home Run In First At-Bat

•

MLB Analyst Calls Out Orioles for Their Handling of Top Prospect This Spring

•

Orioles Set Opening Day Lineup Ahead of Clash With Blue Jays