Where Baltimore Orioles' Free Agency Spending Ranks So Far
The Baltimore Orioles haven’t spent much on free agents so far this offseason, putting them in the bottom half of free-agent spending as of the new year, per MLB Trade Rumors.
In fact, the Orioles’ only free-agent deal to date is the one-year, $13 million deal they gave to Craig Kimbrel last month. With that one expenditure, the Orioles rank No. 18 in free-agency spending so far.
The deal was a necessity. The Orioles needed a closer for 2024 and Kimbrel was one of the best options on the market. The Orioles knew they would be without their top closer, Félix Bautista, for the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery.
The Orioles recently announced several other signings, but those were players to minor-league deals. MLB Trade Rumors classified free-agent spending as players that signed a guaranteed MLB deal after the Nov. 6 cut-off to start free agency negotiations with other teams. The site did not include trades and extensions.
No team has spent more than the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have handed out more than $1 billion in free agency, mostly to two players — Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers’ level of spend is so incredible that the team that is second in free-agent spending is the Philadelphia Phillies, who have spent $172 million on just one player, pitcher Aaron Nola.
The Orioles’ spending could be due to a couple of factors.
First, they have one of the best young rosters in the game, thanks to a robust farm system that is bearing fruit. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson was the AL Rookie of the Year. Henderson and catcher Adley Rutcshman each won a Silver Slugger Award. Pitcher Kyle Bradish was fourth in Cy Young voting and Second-Team All-MLB.
The Orioles have all of their position players under contract or team control and have three top prospects waiting in the wings, including infielder Jackson Holliday, who is the game’s No. 1 overall prospect.
Second, the Orioles may be sold soon. David Rubenstein has reportedly approached the Angelos family, led by John Angelos, about buying the team. Rubenstein is the co-founder of Carlyle Group Inc. A sale could put the Orioles in the position to spend more money in the future as their young players come into their own.
That, plus the new 30-year lease at Camden Yards, would give the franchise security and a chance to spend — just not right away.
The good news is the Orioles, fresh off a 101-win season, have the tools to make another run without doing much more this offseason.
