What Is Biggest Weakness for Baltimore Orioles Heading Into Offseason?

What should the Baltimore Orioles do this offseason to address their biggest weakness?

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are heading into the offseason hoping to continue to build upon some successful seasons the last few years.

For the last two years, the Orioles have been a winning machine in the regular season, with over 90 wins in 2024, and over 100 in 2023, Baltimore has firmly established themselves as a very good team.

While the Orioles have racked up a lot of regular season wins over the past two campaigns, they haven’t had the success that they would have liked in the postseason so far. In the Wild Card Round this year, Baltimore was swept by the Kansas City Royals, in what was a disappointing showing.

Coming into the postseason, there were a lot of concerns about the pitching staff for the Orioles, but they exceeded expectations, as it was shockingly the lineup that let them down.

As the franchise heads into the offseason, addressing the pitching staff will have to be a priority, as their ace Corbin Burnes heads into free agency.

Recently, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report spoke about the biggest weakness for the Orioles heading into the offseason and he highlighted the concerns around the pitching staff.

“New owner David Rubenstein could build up great equity with his fanbase by shelling out $200-plus million to re-sign Burnes. If not, O's general manager Mike Elias could try to sign multiple free-agent starters to rebuild the rotation, such as Sean Manaea and Nathan Eovaldi. They could also try to acquire Garrett Crochet from the White Sox. Kyle Bradish may very well miss all of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery, while Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez have injury histories of their own. One way or another, Baltimore needs to land multiple starters this offseason.”

While re-signing Burnes should be the top priority for Baltimore this offseason, he likely shouldn’t be the only pitcher the team looks to add.

For the Orioles to take the next step and become a World Series contender, their pitching has to improve. Even though Zach Eflin was serviceable for them in the second half of the season, him being the No.2 pitcher in a playoff series isn’t ideal. While injuries did play a role in that, Baltimore wasn’t equipped to overcome them.

As the offseason rolls on, the Orioles must address the starting rotation, and that should start with locking up their ace long-term. After that, adding another quality arm would be beneficial, as a team can never have too much starting pitching.