Will the Orioles Make Any More Moves to Improve Their Lineup?

On October 1, 2024, the Orioles optimistically entered the start of a best-of-three Wild Card series, where they would play host to the Kansas City Royals.

The Orioles’ offense had struggled down the stretch, but had a strong final week before the regular season came to a close. The team was top five in the league in home runs, runs scored, and OPS, which led many to believe that they could outproduce the Royals offensively.

Unfortunately, they did not.

In game one, the Orioles were shut out 1-0. Cole Ragans and three bullpen arms combined to hand Burnes (8 IP, 1 ER) the loss.

Cedric Mullins hit a solo home run in game two, which was the only run scored by Baltimore in the series. The Orioles lost 2-1 to Seth Lugo and the Royals, who celebrated advancing to the ALDS in the visiting clubhouse.

The Orioles would head into their respective clubhouse, bewildered at how it all went wrong so quickly. It was time for the front office to get to work building a team that gets them back to the postseason in 2025.

What Batters are Hitting Free Agency?

There are four batters that the Orioles can lose in free agency in 2025.

Anthony Santander

The most notable player listed is Santander, 30, who led the team in home runs this past season with 44. 

Santander was the longest-tenured Oriole on the roster in 2024. His possible departure would leave a huge hole in the middle of the lineup and make the Orioles’ outfield incredibly left-handed hitting heavy.

Santander is the most impactful Oriole hitter to hit free agency since Chris Davis in 2016. He aims to get a nine-figure contract.

James McCann

McCann, 34, has been the team’s backup catcher for each of the past two seasons. A clubhouse leader, McCann was a well-respected entity for the Orioles for his toughness.

Even though he was a great leader, he was not necessarily a great player. Slashing .228/.274/.382 as an Oriole, the team had a decision to make this offseason at catcher.

Eloy Jimenez

Jimenez, 28, was once a sought-after power hitter. Injuries may have derailed his career, as he was dumped by the White Sox onto the Orioles this past trade deadline.

Despite an encouraging first couple of weeks, Jimenez struggled in an Oriole uniform. He was not a member of the Wild Card series roster.

Austin Slater

Slater, 32, was also acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline. He filled the role of a defense-first, fourth outfielder who could hit left-handed pitching decently.

Slater signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Chicago White Sox earlier this offseason. His return is off the table.

What Have the Orioles Already Done?

Just before the start of the Winter Meetings, the Orioles decided to add to their major league team for the first time this offseason.

The first move announced was their signing of former Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with an opt-out after 2025.

Shortly thereafter, the Orioles added a new catcher. Gary Sanchez, who most recently played for the Brewers in 2024. Sanchez inked a one-year $8.5 million deal to be the team’s backup catcher.

Tyler O’Neill

O’Neill, 29, is a right-handed corner outfielder who spent much of his career with the Cardinals before being traded to Boston last offseason.

A physically imposing athlete, O’Neill slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 74 RBI in 473 plate appearances. The 131 wRC+ he recorded was the second-best of his career.

O’Neill’s best ability is hitting the ball hard. His 17.3% barrel rate was in the top 2% of all major leaguers last season, while also finishing in the top 10% in expected slugging (.480), hard-hit rate (48.8%), and bat speed (75.2 mph). O’Neill also boasted a career-best 11.2% walk rate last season.

The most notable weak spot in O’Neill’s game is his swing-and-miss tendencies. His 33.6% strikeout rate and 34.1% whiff rate were both in the bottom 5% of all hitters. To raise his expected batting average of .213, which indicates regression, he will have to try to put more balls in play.

O’Neill is not a particularly strong outfield defender, but he will be expected to play in the corners often this season. He has an above-average arm, but his -4 outs above average last season were subpar.

Another caveat of signing O’Neill is that he has missed quite a bit of time due to injury in his career. He has only played in 100 games twice in his seven-year career, the most being when he played 138 games in 2021. For as good of physical shape O’Neill is in, there is some real health risk that comes with signing him.

The addition of O’Neill makes it very unlikely that Santander will return to the Orioles in 2025.

Gary Sanchez

Sanchez, 32, will be making the Orioles the sixth team that he has represented in his career. The longtime Yankee catcher used to rake at Camden Yards and now he gets to call it home.

In 2024, Sanchez slashed .220/.307/.392 with 11 home runs in 89 games in Milwaukee, good for a 96 wRC+.

Like O’Neill, Sanchez’s most redeeming quality is that he hits the ball hard. His 44.2% hard-hit rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and 73.1 mph bat speed are above the major league average.

Sanchez also strikes out at a below-average 27.1% clip, despite walking at an above-average 9.6%. His .219 expected batting average is well below the league average and influenced by these strikeout-happy tendencies.

Sanchez is not known to be a strong defensive backstop, due to his size and age. His defense should be passable for a backup catcher that hits for occasional power like he does.

Signing Sanchez to an $8.5 million deal seems pricey. He got a $7 million contract entering 2024, coming off of a much better season in 2023. The Orioles must have identified Sanchez as their target to be the backup catcher and didn’t mind giving a little extra cash to persuade him.

Adding Sanchez means that McCann’s tenure in Baltimore will be coming to an end after two seasons with the club.

Where Do the Orioles Stand Now?

By losing Santander, the Orioles needed an outfielder who could hit right-handed. They found that in O’Neill, so that was one glaring hole that they filled.

The second obvious need of the Orioles entering this offseason was adding another catcher, who they signed, in Sanchez.

After these moves, it’s hard to see the Orioles making a big splash for a bat. They are loaded with homegrown talent and these players need their shot in the major leagues.

Projected Orioles Starting Lineup and Bench on Opening Day

Looking over where the Orioles roster stands following the moves for O’Neill and Sanchez, here are my projections for the Orioles’ position players on Opening Day (2025 age in parenthesis):

Catcher: Adley Rutschman (27), Gary Sanchez (32)

Infield: Gunnar Henderson (24), Jackson Holliday (21), Jorge Mateo (30), Ryan Mountcastle (28), Ryan O’Hearn (31), Ramon Urias (31), Jordan Westburg (26)

Outfield: Colton Cowser (25), Heston Kjerstad (26), Cedric Mullins (30), Tyler O’Neill (30)

Looking at the Orioles starting lineup as presently constructed, this has every chance of being one of the best lineups in all of baseball. The lost of Santander is significant, but O’Neill can make up for a lot of that production if he just stays on the field.

Sanchez is a clear improvement over McCann from an offensive perspective, and the Orioles even have more talent coming that can put them over the top.

Catcher Samuel Basallo (Just Baseball’s #8 prospect) and infielder Coby Mayo (JB #9) are top prospects in Triple-A who undoubtedly could factor into the mix in 2025, as well.

In fact, there is every chance Mayo could break camp with the Orioles, but the only question is where exactly would he play. One option could be moving someone like Westburg into the outfield, or by trading their veteran first basemen to clear room for Mayo there.

An infield of Gunnar, Westburg, Holliday, and Mayo could be the future for the next four years in Baltimore, at very least.

With a lineup that has all the potential in the world, the Orioles must turn their attention to their pitching to build out a staff that can contend in 2025.

Last year’s ace Corbin Burnes is also a free agent. The Orioles do not seem to be a frontrunner to retain his services. Whether acquiring a pitcher occurs via free agency or trade, something needs to be done before the start of the season on that front.

The Orioles did just make their first major signing to bolster the rotation, inking Tomoyuki Sugano on a one-year, $13 million deal. While Sugano provides some depth and had plenty of success in Japan (1.67 ERA in 156 2/3 innings in the NBP in 2024), the Orioles still need a frontline starter.

Garrett Crochet was the top commodity on the trade market, but is now a member of the Boston Red Sox. The Padres’ Dylan Cease and the Mariners’ Luis Castillo could be available in trade talks, but will require the Orioles to trade young talent.

Given the signing of O’Neill, the outlook of Kjerstad, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, looks murkier. Perhaps he could be available in the trade market for a frontline starter, which would then prompt the Orioles to add one more batter.

The Orioles have reached a position with their depth where all options should be on the table to get better. It is up to GM Mike Elias to put the pieces together, and build a World Series contender in Baltimore for years to come.