The Orioles took a major step forward last season, and now general manager Mike Elias has declared their rebuild over.
“I believe that our rebuild is behind us. We’ve got an incredible chance now to be a very, very competitive team for years,” Elias told reporters, including Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com.
That team will depend on the performance of it’s young core, led by Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and soon to include Grayson Rodriguez. Yet while the team is stocked with exciting young talent Orioles fans may have some reason to feel a little disappointed by the team’s modest acquisitions in the off-season thus far.
They’ve so far brought in starters Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin, added reliever Mychal Givens, infielder Adam Frazier and catcher James McCann. While that group can all help the Orioles it’s not the splashy addition some might have been hoping for as the O’s look to compete in the tough AL East, yet Elias isn’t ruling out further additions by trade or in free agency.
“There are quality free agents remaining. We’re staying in touch in them. We’re still pursuing opportunities. There are some players on the free-agent market that interest us,” Elias said.
Given the dwindling options in free agency, it’s likely any signing would be more of a depth piece rather than an impact player. Baltimore was connected to free agent starter Michael Wacha throughout the off-season, but the addition of Irvin would seemingly make any more rotation additions unlikely. They’ve also been reported to be in the market for a defensive-minded outfielder.
Here’s a couple more notes from the AL East:
- Sticking with the Orioles to begin with, Elias says there are 12 players in the mix for the starting rotation come Opening Day. Gibson and Irvin are locks, while Elias has already said he expects top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to make the team’s rotation out of camp, so that’d leave nine players competing for the final two spots. One of them will be prospect DL Hall, with Elias saying he’ll have a chance to compete for a rotation spot in the spring. Hall came in at 84th on Keith Law’s recently published top-100 prospect list. He did get a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues last year, but it’s possible the Orioles look to keep him at Triple-A at least to begin the season.
MLBTR’s Steve Adams took a deeper look at Baltimore’s rotation options recently, but other candidates include Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, Austin Voth and Spenser Watkins. - The Red Sox won’t be aggressive in seeking further upgrades to their roster, but they are at least keeping the door open to making a move, particularly in the middle-infield, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the team likes the group they’ve got, so it seems likely that further moves would be minor league deals or bench pieces. Enrique Hernandez and Adalberto Mondesi are slated to handle the bulk of the middle-infield reps in 2023, with Christian Arroyo the top option off the bench.
He should be called IL Hall instead of DL Hall. It sounds better.
LOL, why IL?
He isn’t hurt that often
His issue is, he can’t hit the plate with a fork
I think dGTR is just playing off how MLB switched Disabled List (DL) to Injured List (IL). C’mon, it’s a Saturday!
Well, it ain’t pitchers, unless
1.) Britton
2.) Trevor Bauer
EIther would be fine, but Elias has me baffled
Also, Mike Moustakas intrigues me, but who knows what Elias is thinking
1. Unless Britton has really bounced back I’m not sure he’s worth a bullpen spot on a team that truly wants to compete. Nice story return to Baltimore aside I don’t think it would be a great baseball move at this stage. Even when you factor the injuries out of the equation he really started to fall off once his velocity started to go. His sinker had too much movement further from the plate which caused him to really struggle to hit the zone and hitters weren’t having trouble laying off whereas earlier in his career it was clearly much harder for hitters to pick up that movement which was likely due to it being harder and later.
2. I highly doubt Trevor Bauer gets another shot in MLB; if he does get another shot it won’t be with a younger roster like the Orioles. I cannot imagine after the lean years that the front office would want to drop the distraction and self-promotion that is Trevor Bauer into a clubhouse that, if all goes to plan, will soon be chock full of early twenty-somethings that the franchise sees as its future.
3. Mike Moustakas is a less versatile version of Rougned Odor without the durability Odor has shown throughout his career. I could see it from the perspective of having a veteran presence but I don’t think there are enough at bats to go around with him on the roster and his presence also puts undue pressure on a young guy like Henderson to perform while looking over his shoulder.
Moose can play third, second, and first
He is a good fielder, but I don’t know how much he has left in the tank
He is a lottery ticket at this point and a ticket I would be willing to gamble on
As for Bauer, his personal life is a mystery to me and if I did something like that, how could I ever look at my parents or her parents in the eye
Still though, he is a good pitcher and for one year, I would gamble on him too
Based on his last few years with the Reds, Moustakas is probably a 1B/DH at this point in his career. He could be an occasional backup at 3B but his range is limited. He was a significant liability at 2B and that would be amplified this season without the shift.
@Lefty I dont know the full story on Bauer. I’m 20 plus years a Dom and have been with women who wanted to be cut and punched (body) but I’ve always drawn certain lines. And made double sure of limits. And offered aftercare. What I can see of Bauer is he played being a Dom and didn’t really understand it. But my info is limited.
Maybe Bauers parents got down like that too. Shouldn’t project your life experiences onto other people.
I don’t know
Well, my info is limited too
Britton was asking for a ridiculous amount when I last checked. He came off as a Danny Duffy type of NRI on a minor league type, given his part few bad years, but I remember the 9 million ask number being thrown out as an annual average.
O’s lack a LH power bat. Whether that is still Moustakas is another issue entirely
That is false. Henderson and Stowers are both lefty power bats. Santander and Rutschman both have the bulk of their power from the left side of the plate as well.
The Orioles will be helped by Boston’s continued slide. However, the Yankees and Jays are too much to overcome. Third place is a best case scenario in the division. Tampa may push them to fourth. Baltimore could have challenged Toronto had they opened the checkbook wider this off season.
You wonder how the Angelos sale/no sale situation is impacting this. Does value come from having the roster they have right now, fairly cheap and newly competitive, but maybe not playoff-likely, or do they make more by adding talent through spending (or trading for players who cost)? If the family is going to sell, then price is the metric, so what moves the meter more?
Mikenmn — Orioles aren’t for sale. I think the earliest is 2 years away; which meshes well w/ competitive window (Orioles could be deep playoff team by then) and that would push the organizations value higher. (It’s the Angels and Nationals that have both were for sale, then stopped the sales (I think Nats are now looking for a minority-share invester, not controlling shares anymore))
Unfortunately, Angelos didn’t want to let Elias spend some of daddy’s money, we’re still waiting for you to show us the books.John, next week was 2 weeks ago.
Dread Pirate Roberts;
1. The payroll budget has been increased.
2. Show us where “John” said that.
3. The O’s are the best baseball organization in the AL East along with the Rays, and in time that will show in the standings. Some in 2023; a lot more in 2024. Their objective in 2023 is to make the playoffs. MLB is a playoff league – doesn’t matter where you finish in your division. What matters is how you play and finish in August, September, and October.
John did say he’d open the books to the media, when trying to rebuke Connolly on MLK day.
But I think DPR is wrong, this offseason had nothing to do with how much money was available and everything to do with not wanting to overpay for guys or give out long contracts when a/ the rookies are coming in spades and b/ Davis’ salary is JUST coming off the books. No need to jump into another overpriced veteran so soon.
He’s not wrong. Underestimate the Orioles. I think they may be the best offensive team in the East. They hit for power, steal bases, give any pitching staff a headache. We haven’t seen the full Adley yet either. The only thing they may need to work on is pitching but their offense is up there with everyone else.
The Orioles are the trendy “it” team, but I’m picking them for last in the division.
Idiot.
I know Os fans were disappointed with the off-season but if we look at the astros rebuild with Elias, there was a competitive year then a down year before the dynasty matured so I won’t hold my breath this year. But Let’s go Os.
Here’s hoping DL Hall can take that next prospect step. Of all the Orioles prospects that would change the outlook of the Orioles, it’s DL Hall figuring out how to be a MLB starter. The Orioles lack top of the rotation options, and he’s one of the few in the Org that has that ceiling.
I know, I know…”if”…
While the rebuild is over, I wouldn’t yet expect playoffs. Toronto, NY, and TB are still very good. Teams like the Mariners and Rangers are going for it. Astros and Cleveland remain strong. Twins and White Sox cannot be discarded. The Os look like a fun team but overachieved last season. The hope is they build off last season and then in years to come they are competing for division crowns, not just to make the playoffs
No they didn’t. Twins suck, Rangers will suck again, life will go on.
Wells should be guranteed a rotation spot.
I would agree. Maybe not guaranteed, but I think he gets one of them. Unless they say, hey you’ve had bullpen experience in the past, so go back to the pen. But I think he’s a tad better than the others
I’m sure he’d be good in the bullpen again, it would just feel like a waste of his talents. Kinda like BOS having both Houck and Whitlock relieve. Yes both are great at it but how many quality innings are you losing that they could be covering as starters?
Why? He was great during the summer but had a rocky start and… two injuries? Kremer and Bradish should be locks. Gibson, Irving, GRod. There ya go. Wells and Voth as swing men, or Wells as a late inning guy and Voth a piggybacker to keep GRod’s innings down. Watkins as depth in AAA, and Hall back in the ‘pen with Givens, Baker, Bautista, Perez, and the aforementioned Voth & Wells. Krehbiel and Akin both collapsed so completely last year I’d prefer they work in AAA some more. And Baumann, I think he’s just a depth piece like Watkins at this point, his window to emerge was 2020 and he missed it.
For the little bit I’ve watched DL Hall, he strikes me as someone who should schedule his TJ surgery in the next 24 months.
If youth wins, then this division will be turned on its ear as early as this year.
It still baffles me to no end as to why many are saying that the O’s should have spent more money on high end free agents. They really do not need to spend that wheel of money vs. possible gains for a team that is rapidly becoming full of young talent at the MLB level. Elias has created a great plan for this team and it will blossom soon. Like someone said it may be this year or the next but it could be and very will be before too long that this team will contend for the AL East Crown.
I think the Baltimore rotation is somewhat underrated. I think they finish 3rd in the division which might be good enough for a WC in the postseason.
John Angelos quote I’m very transparent. In fact, I would invite you and all your colleagues next — not on Martin Luther King Day, you can come back in this building, you can meet me in this office. I’II take you down on the third floor, and I’II show you the financials of the Orioles. I’ll show you the governance of the Orioles. I’ll show you everything you want to know, and I’ll put all your questions. But today, on MLK Day, I’m not answering any of those questions.”
Show the financials? Why? To me it’s just the media stirring up a narrative to get a fan base all riled up; in this case the Orioles. I mean, it looks like the O’s ownership is flush with cash. Proof. You want proof? Well when John’s dad, Peter, wanted to go high payroll, he did. More proof? John says he will make the books available. Why would he say that? Well, maybe, just maybe, he wants to assure the fan base that there’s cash to spend!
When Mike Elias says the rebuild is over, he’s not kidding. The core of players he wants in place to make a run is there; except one, Rodriguez. Losing him to the DL last year is that “fly in the ointment”. And to a lesser extent can Adley and Gunnar repeat what they showed last year? IMHO, that’s a resounding “YES”. How much they spend and on “what side of the ball” will be based on the performance of these three in 23 and hopefully by the 8/2 trade deadline. IMO, it’s just foolish to pluck down big cash on an FA or do some kinda of mega trade at this time.
Orioles:
1. Very little outside improvement made to a below average lineup in 2022. They strike out a lot and have issues getting on base. They are betting heavily on the continued develop of Rutschman and Henderson, and I guess the rest comes to prospects.
2. Very little improvement made to a below average starting staff in 2022. Gibson for Lyles is a net zero swap. Irvin? Take a look at home and away splits and maybe you’ll join me hoping he ends up around average. The rest depends on, you guessed it, hoping prospects like Grayson Rodriguez (coming back from injury, not a given to start the year in Baltimore) early career guys like Kremer and Bradish (could go either way).
3. Very good to excellent bullpen.
4. Adley Rutschman takes the next step forward. .280 with 20-25 HR is a reasonable projection.
Right now I’m guessing 79-83 for the Orioles. There is a high degree of variability around this guess, they could win anywhere from 70 to 90 games and not be shocked either way. That’s because at least 2-3 guys in the lineup and 3+ starters have less than 1 year of MLB experience (or none). That’s putting a LOT on young, mainly unproven players….veterans are more predictable.
Yep, agreed. Right around 500 in 23. On the strikeouts, I thought outside of Mateo and McKenna, as a team, they were okay especially at the top of the order
with Cedric and Adley.
Thornton – I’m confused about your prediction. Baltimore won 83 games last year and their additions in the off season include two pitchers in Cole Irvin and Kyle Gibson.plus Means gets back mid season. That sounds like improvement to me.
As a Red Sox fan I admire your GM for putting together a team where nobody costs more than $10MM per year and you actually have talented players unlike Boston. Boston has no Adley Rutschman under control for years or Gunner Henderson. Heck, you had two young guys have normal sophomore slumps in Mountcastle and Mateo and you still won 83 games. They should both bounce back this year. Mullins is a stud and should take a step toward being a perennial all-star. You added a very solid Frazier. And your outfielders are excellent young players who will improve with time.
I think you guys should win 85 to 95 games depending on injuries and Means arriving mid season without set backs. I’d trade you the Red Sox roster for your roster any day. Remember, most players have sophomore slumps and bounce back nicely in year three. Your team is filled with unproven and young players but they have upside. Boston has guys like Kiki Hernandez a lifetime .241 hitter as their starting SS. It’s pathetic.
I think Baltimore surpasses TB this year and finishes 3rd in the division.