Baltimore Orioles Seen As One of MLB's Defining Offseason Teams

The Baltimore Orioles have an incredible opportunity to define how the offseason unfolds going into the 2024 season, per MLB.com.

The site wrote about 13 teams that could define how this offseason shakes out, and the Orioles made the list for a variety of reasons.

First, Baltimore is coming off a 101-win season in which it won the American League East but lost to the Rangers in three games in the AL Division Series.

Manager Brandon Hyde is up for Manager of the Year while third baseman Gunnar Henderson is up for Rookie of the Year. Both Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman won AL Silver Sluggers.

That young talent is part of the reasons the Orioles are attractive as a World Series pick next season. They’re a young team that could be coming into their own, and they have another huge piece of the puzzle that could be ready to join them in 2024 — baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect in Jackson Holliday.

With young players that means the Orioles not only have a young core of players, it means they don’t have a huge payroll. The Orioles have the potential to make huge moves this offseason, specifically when it comes to pitching, to help elevate the Orioles from potential to realized potential:

Baltimore just won 101 games despite a variety of pitching concerns that only became more complicated with the elbow injury that will continue to rob them of ace closer Félix Bautista. Those concerns haven’t gone away. In fact, they’ve only been amplified by the early exit from the postseason. Though the O’s financial picture could be complicated by potential extensions with members of their exciting young position player core, for now, they have a projected payroll a little north of $60 million with few guaranteed dollars on the books for 2024. They also remain at the top of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings, meaning they have the pieces to make a blockbuster trade, should they choose to do so.

Some believe the Orioles could make a play for Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola. Some see Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander as a trade piece that could bring them pitching that is under contract, including Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow. They could even buy high to get a closer like San Diego’s Josh Hader.

The options are unlimited for a team with this much talent and youth. But the trick is trying to figure out how much the organization is willing to spend, whether it be money or players.

But, if the Orioles do it right, they could help define the entire offseason.