'Fully Blossomed' Baltimore Orioles Team Could Contend With Los Angeles Dodgers

Are the Baltimore Orioles a threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

Mar 14, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) scores a run during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are getting set for the start of the 2025 season, with their eyes on making the playoffs for the third straight year. 

It was a tale of two seasons for the Orioles in 2024.

They started out the campaign red-hot and appeared to be one of the best teams in baseball to start the year. However, injuries and ineffective play resulted in mediocre play in the second half of the season which translated into another October appearance without a win.

This winter, Baltimore increased their payroll but also lost their top two free agents.

This has raised a lot of questions for the team heading into the campaign about whether they are better or worse. 

Time will tell for that, but the Orioles do feature one of the best lineups in baseball going into the year.

Baltimore will once again rely heavily on their offensive unit, and it might finally be enough to help them have success in the postseason. 

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (subscription required) recently spoke about the Orioles being a team that could be a threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers come October. 

“If they get a fully blossomed Orioles offense to October with Felix Bautista back to full domination at the back of the pen and a Rodriguez-led rotation consistent and settled, this might be the year the Orioles have been angling for since they began their rebuild. If it is, watch out, Dodgers.”

Competing with the Dodgers in 2025 would be a massive leap for a team that has yet to win a playoff game with their current core, especially since that would require them to reach the World Series.

However, there are some positives when looking at the outlook for Baltimore.

Assuming some of the young talent in the lineup like Jackson Holliday gets better, this should be one of the best batting orders in baseball. 

Furthermore, the return of Felix Bautista this year is a massive help. The bullpen wasn’t nearly as good without him, and the talented right-hander has proven to be one of the best in the game when healthy to create a top-level relief staff. 

However, while there are some reasons to believe in the Orioles, the starting rotation is still a question mark. 

Losing Corbin Burnes this winter was a significant blow since he was the ace of the rotation. There wasn’t a replacement brought in to help fill that void, so unless that changes with a trade during the year, then this will remain a weak point.

While being a threat to the Dodgers would be nice, it doesn’t seem completely realistic for a team that hasn’t won a playoff game the last two postseasons.

But Baltimore has the ceiling to reach that point.

Whether or not that comes this season will be seen.

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