Fans of the Baltimore Orioles have a lot to be happy about as 2023 comes to an end. With 101 victories, the Birds concluded the regular season with the second-best record in the American League, four Orioles were selected to the All-Star squad, three were named to the All-MLB teams, and baseball’s greatest farm system is still in place.
In the minor and major leagues, they also performed admirably throughout the awards season, as seen by the victories of Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Executive of the Year by Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Hyde, and Mike Elias, respectively.
Although the previous season was a lot of fun to watch and the awards were well-deserved, people also look forward to the new year. In light of that, the following five items are what Orioles supporters hope to see in 2024.
5: Significant midseason addition
Every year, the trade deadline is a contentious issue. Which teams are going to be sellers and which ones are buyers? At the time, there was a lot of conjecture around the Orioles, and while they did make some moves, none of them were anticipated to have a significant effect.
However, the Texas Rangers added Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, who both had a significant impact on the team as they went on to win their first World Series. Teams that are competitive at the end of October and into November are often improved teams by the deadline. Even though the Orioles had a fantastic season the previous year, they obviously needed more. Hopefully, the O’s will improve more at the deadline in the upcoming season.
4: A real heavyweight
With a strong lineup from top to bottom, the Orioles scored 807 runs in the previous year, which was the seventh-highest total in MLB. The Orioles.Despite lacking any particular standouts in that category, their 255 team average was the tenth best in baseball.
Power was the one thing the O’s lacked. While they did have seven individuals with ten or more home runs, none of them had thirty, and the team’s 183 total home runs were in the lower half of the MLB. The O’s could seek elsewhere in free agency or a trade, or they could look to their top-ranked farm system, as Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo have the potential to form a potent DH platoon next season. The three-run home run is the greatest play in baseball, according to Earl Weaver, and the Birds could use a few more of those in the next campaign.
3. A master pitcher
With all due respect to the Orioles’ current starting lineup, this team would greatly benefit from the addition of another ace if they were to win in the postseason. John Means is coming back, Kyle Bradish has shown to be a legitimate #1 starter, and Grayson Rodriguez may have a breakout season in his first full season in the major leagues.
As everyone saw at the close of the previous season, a number of starters ran out of gas, and injuries remain a constant worry. Following Kyle Gibson’s free agency departure, the Birds need to add a lot of innings to their rotation.
It has been hypothesized that players like Corbin Burnes and Framber Valdez, who both finished in the top 10 in innings pitched the previous season, could be traded to the Orioles. The Orioles might seek a number of pitchers, including free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but they’re more likely to hunt for less expensive alternatives.