Last season’s results had to be very encouraging in the progress that the Baltimore Orioles were making with their rebuild. They finished the season with an 83-79 record and were playing some meaningful games in September. The prior season, Baltimore lost 110 games. This was the first winning season the Orioles have had since 2016. Baltimore saw positive developments of Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson, Felix Bautista, and Anthony Santander. Manager Brandon Hyde also placed second in the manager of the year award voting. With all these things happening, one would think that Baltimore would want to spend money this off-season. However, aside from a few minor moves, the Orioles have not signed any big marquee players. I think the Orioles are making a mistake by not signing any of the prime free agents.
Last season, many pundits predicted that the Orioles would finish at the bottom of the AL East once again. It certainly looked like that early in the season, Baltimore started off with a 21-30 record. They didn’t even win their first series until they faced the Anaheim Angels in late April. During that stretch, the Orioles team offense and pitching were among the worst in the league. It was safe to say that the pundits looked as if they were going to be correct in the first two months of the season.
Adley Rutschman Arrives
However, on May 21st, the Orioles promoted their first overall pick in 2019, Adley Rutschman to the big leagues. Rutschman proved he was here to stay as he slashed .254/.362/.806. He also had 13 home runs, and 42 RBI in just 113 games played. He would finish second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind the Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriguez.
A Scorching June And Gunnar Henderson Arrives
The month of June is when the rebuild barred the most fruit. The Orioles went 16-9 that month including going on a ten-game winning streak. This helped put the Orioles above .500 for good in 2022. In late June, Baltimore called up another top prospect in Gunnar Henderson. In just 34 games, Henderson proved he was going to be a major part of the Orioles present and future. Henderson finished 2022 with a slash line of .259/.348/.788. Henderson looks poised for everyday playing time and will probably be a rookie of the year candidate.
A Good August Put Baltimore In The Postseason Conversation
A 17-10 record in the month of August put the Orioles in the mix for a wild card spot. This included a 5-0 start to the month. However, despite a 3-0 start to September, the Orioles fell back to earth. A 13-15 September ultimately caused the Orioles to miss the postseason for a sixth straight year. Despite missing the postseason, the Orioles became the first team since 1899 to post a winning record after losing over 100 games. Their 83 wins were also a 32.5 improvement over the number of wins they had in the 2021 season. Manager Brandon Hyde would finish in second in the manager of the year voting behind Cleveland’s Terry Francona.
Underwhelming Free Agency Signings
With such an encouraging season, it would be easy to assume that the Orioles would make a splash in free agency. However, the Orioles were never real contenders in any big-name sweepstakes. The only signings the Orioles made were Adam Fraizer, Kyle Gibson, and Mychal Givens. Fraizer is coming off a down year, Kyle Gibson gave up 24 home runs, and Mychal Givens ERA ballooned to 4.79 after being traded to the Mets. These are hardly names for fans to get excited about.
It has been shown that talent development is never going to be linear. Baseball is a game of micro-adjustments, and all young players get figured out. The Orioles currently have the fourth-youngest roster in baseball and could use a star to get over the top. Fraizer, Gibson, and Givens aren’t those kinds of players.
How Baltimore Can Learn From The White Sox
A front office that doesn’t add from the outside to support its core players is not successful most of the time. The Orioles should take a lesson from the Chicago White Sox. At one point, the Sox were supposed to have one of the youngest and most talented teams. However, the front office decided to be cheap when it came to free agency and didn’t support their core players. Now, all the White Sox have to show for their rebuild is just two playoff wins and now have the fourth-oldest roster. If Baltimore wants to build a sustainable winner, then the front office should start to crack open their checkbook. Otherwise, they’ll end up like the White Sox.
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