Baltimore Orioles have no clear reason to sit this one out now that they’ve established themselves as one of the greatest teams in baseball. After years of hoarding elite talent in the minor levels, they finally have a good opportunity in front of them. They won the AL East last season with 101 victories, and even though things didn’t go as planned in the playoffs.
Sadly, there has been a feeling that ownership of the Orioles doesn’t quite feel the same way. Orioles CEO John Angelos made it plain that fans shouldn’t expect Baltimore to dramatically increase payroll next season owing to the size of their market and the “need” to compete in the postseason, even with the added money that comes with having a winning ballclub and making the playoffs.
It’s hardly news that Baltimore needs to strengthen their rotation. Though there was a definite deficiency in the roster heading into the second half, the Orioles did little to address it at the trade deadline. Kyle Bradish was excellent in 2023, and Grayson Rodriguez showed promise, but the rest of the starting staff was at best mediocre last season.
Despite Aaron Nola’s decision to re-sign with the Phillies earlier in the offseason, it appears like Baltimore is still very much in the game as the Orioles were allegedly quite interested in signing him.
It may not seem significant at first that a team is “interested” in a quality pitcher, but Baltimore was even mentioned as a potential contender for the person