How Baltimore Orioles Can Still Make Free Agency Splash

The Baltimore Orioles are one of several teams that need to make a big move in free agency after the first wave of signings.

The Baltimore Orioles have lost their two veteran starting pitchers from 2023, Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty. The Orioles have made one significant free-agent signing, but it wasn’t for a high-end talent.

Time to make a splash? MLB.com believes so.

With Shohei Ohtani off the board, multiple times pursuing other pitching free agents and the Tampa Bay Rays moving Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Orioles are one of several teams, the site believes, needs to find a way to make a splash this offseason.

It would make sense for the Orioles to capitalize on a 101-win season and an AL East title. But, so far, the only team that has made itself appreciably better in the AL East is the New York Yankees, thanks mostly to the Juan Soto trade.

Why do the Orioles need to make a move? Well, as MLB.com observes, the Orioles’ “time is now.”

Baltimore has exciting young talent on the Major League roster and much more on the way, something that would be the envy of just about every team. But let’s not forget: Nothing in baseball is guaranteed, and windows have a habit of slamming shut sooner than expected.

The site went on to note that the Orioles have not made it to the World Series since their last championship in 1983. It’s been 40 years since a trip to the Fall Classic.

The Orioles signed closer Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal to give them a backstop as closer Félix Bautista recovers from Tommy John surgery. Other than that, the O’s moves have been small in nature. Baltimore recently signed three players to minor-league deals — pitchers Santhony Vizcaino and Andy Fabian, along with outfielder Jordan Sanchez.

So, what qualifies as a “splash” move for the Orioles? Even with the departures of Gibson and Flaherty, the Orioles have a solid young rotation in Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells. John Means, who threw a no-hitter in 2021 and returned late in 2023 from Tommy John surgery, should be ready for Opening Day.

The Orioles also have a cadre of young talent at the plate, including No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday, who could crash the Majors in 2024.

To MLB.com, the easiest way the Orioles could make that splash would be to add a veteran starting pitcher. With the amount of talent the Orioles have, the site believes their chances of adding a starter are better via trade than in free agency:

Dylan Cease of the White Sox (two years of control) or Logan Gilbert of the Mariners (four years) are two possible targets that would make a great deal of sense, assuming Baltimore doesn’t simply want to use its readily available payroll flexibility to haul in a top free-agent starter such as Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.

The Orioles’ status as an organization may also be a factor in free agency. There is momentum for the Angelos family to sell the team to Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein.

Deep pockets may help the Orioles later, but not now, which is why a trade could make more sense if the O’s want to make a splash this offseason.