Taking The Next Step

By Mike Rifkin

The 2023 Baltimore Orioles were the envy of Major League Baseball, win 101 games with a young core. They won the AL East and were eliminated by the  eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. The Orioles entered 2024 with high expectations, expectations that got bigger when they acquired Corbin Burnes from the Brewers. 

The 2024 Orioles won 91 games, finished second in the AL East and were just eliminated by the Royals in the Wild Card series. Yes, the Orioles won 91 games and made the playoffs, but I feel this team underachieved this season. Now injuries certainly played a part in this ; Starting pitchers Grayson Rodriguez (lat), Kyle Bradish and John Means (Tommy John) would have played pivotal roles as would closer Felix Bautista, who also had Tommy John at the end of last season. The Orioles could’ve used Bautista, who had 38 saves and a 1.48 ERA in 2023, they tried replacing him with future Hall of Famer Cragi Kimbrel. Kimbrel struggled post All Star break and was DFA’D a few weeks ago. The injuries were one thing, the bats going cold was another. But the AL East could’ve been the Orioles long ago.

There was a two month stretch where the New York Yankees really struggled. They couldn’t put anything together, but because the Orioles couldn’t put them away the Yankees stayed alive in the division race. But the day Orioles fans will always remember is the trade deadline. The Orioles were in need of a few arms, but they weren’t that aggressive. A team with the young nucleus they have and on top of that the top farm system in all of baseball, they wound up with starters Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, and reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Rogers was so bad he got sent to triple A, Eflin was solid for the most part. 

The problem was because this team is so young, they should’ve parted with better talent to get better talent for a few reasons. But the biggest reason is that this was their only guaranteed season of Corbin Burnes. If Corbin Burnes leaves in free agency, is this team going to be aggressive in replacing him? Well we don’t know and that’s the problem. Yes, there’s new ownership that might be aggressive, but we don’t know how they’re going to go into free agency. The Orioles had a golden opportunity and it feels like they let this season slip away.