MLB Winter Meetings are under way, and for Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Elias, it’s a study in contrast to last Winter Meetings to feature face-to-face meetings with other GMs and front-office types way back in 2019, when Elias was strictly a seller, waiting for the waiver-wire season to start, dumpster-diving, as they called it here.
These upcoming Winter Meetings should have a completely different tone for the Orioles. While no one is expecting Baltimore to land Aaron Judge or Justin Verlander, two of the most heralded free agents, the O’s aren’t expected to return home empty-handed, either.
Elias said after the late 2022 trade-deadline selloff of All-Star closer Jorge Lopez and popular first baseman-designated hitter Trey Mancini the team would now enter “liftoff.” This week, Orioles Nation will be tuned in to see exactly the height of the liftoff.
The most urgent need for Baltimore is a frontline starting pitcher, maybe not a number one starter, but certainly a quality number two man. The number one starter, John Means, is expected back by late May next year, having been out practically all last season after undergoing UCL surgery.
The other need is adding an impact bat to a lineup that hit just .236 last year, 15 points below the MLB average of .251, the lowest in 50 years. Having Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in the lineup for a full year should help the offense, but another bat, preferably a left-handed bat, could add some pop.
For the first time in many a year, the Orioles may not be sellers, or buyers – they could be traders. With a surplus of infield prospects, Baltimore could find a pitcher or a bat via a trade. Even though Baltimore was in the thick of a playoff spot late in the 2022 season, the team was still a seller at the trade deadline.
But the climate is different now for the Orioles. How? The farm system still ranks No. 1 in baseball, which should change the offseason direction of the front office, from continuing to stock the farm system to strengthening the big-league product.
The long-suffering fan base has been patient, buying into the rebuild process. If the club expects a dramatic jump in attendance, then adding a marquee player, or two, is a necessity.
Not every MLB team can spend a quarter of a billion dollars on payroll each season; count Baltimore as one of the many franchises that cannot. Some organizations don’t have the revenue stream to compete financially, others are rebuilding. Baltimore falls somewhere in the middle.
In 2022, the Orioles ranked 29th of the majors’ 30 teams in payroll. Only the Oakland A’s were lower. Even if Baltimore were to double its $44.3 million payroll in 2022, they would still rank in the bottom third of baseball. That humbling fact makes the team’s 83-79 record last season amazing.
The next three days may be vital to the Orioles’ success in the 2023 season. Competing in the brutal AL East is fierce. New York, Boston and Toronto will be huge spenders in San Diego.
The Orioles can’t afford to be window-shoppers.
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