Orioles Will Regret Not Taking Advantage of Salary Cap Flexibility With More Urgency

The Baltimore Orioles lack of urgency this offseason is going to be something they come to regret.

Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias talks on the set of MLB Network at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

When taking a look at the Baltimore Orioles’ roster heading into the 2025 season, the only real flaw is their lack of a prototypical ace.

Their decision to load up on starting pitching depth instead of making a splash at the top of the market is something time will tell if it was the right course of action. It is a risk having Zach Eflin as the No. 1 lining up against some of the other aces that contenders around the league deploy.

Adding depth certainly looks like a smart decision now with Grayson Rodriguez already battling elbow woes during spring training. 

It will be all arms on deck to replace him on top of losing their ace, Corbin Burnes, in free agency.

The Orioles acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers to anchor their rotation for the 2024 campaign and he did exactly that. Despite a dip in his strikeout numbers, he remained incredibly effective atop the rotation.

Alas, not much urgency was shown by the team to bring him back. Ultimately, he agreed to a massive six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That lack of urgency bringing back Burnes or seeking out a replacement for him is something Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes they will come to regret.

“Letting [Anthony] Santander go was one thing, but general manager Mike Elias and new owner David Rubenstein should have made keeping Burnes a bigger priority,” Kelly wrote.

There are several reasons people are left scratching their heads with the strategy the team used to build out the rotation, with talent being the No. 1 point.

It is a tall task asking Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano to step into prominent roles at this point of their respective careers. They are best suited as backend inning eaters and leaders for the young guys to rely on, not No. 2 and No. 3 starters.

Also, Baltimore has payroll flexibility that will not exist in the coming years.

Players such as shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Jordan Westburg and left fielder Colton Cowser are being paid well below their actual value on rookie deals.

The time to spend and augment the roster with established players around them is now. Their window of contention is not close to being shut, but things are going to get very expensive in the coming years once they start hitting arbitration.

This was a golden opportunity to show a little urgency in the offseason and bring in legitimate upgrades for the starting rotation, putting them on par with other American League contenders.

Some credit does need to be given to ownership for allowing the payroll to grow as much as it did heading into 2025 compared to 2024. But another move or two could have really put the Orioles in the championship contender tier, not just a playoff contending tier.

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