BALTIMORE — The backslapping of goodbyes within the Baltimore Orioles clubhouse was deafening, the official obituary for a workforce that has been enjoying useless for months.
This a lot is obvious: The honeymoon is over.
Final yr, when this group was swept out of the American League Division Sequence by the eventual champion Texas Rangers, the explanations appeared legitimate. They have been younger, inexperienced. That they had merely run out of fuel in October. There was dejection, nevertheless it was laborious to be too upset at a workforce that had surprised the game by successful 101 video games and the AL East. Again and again, these across the workforce provided variations of the identical phrase: It was only the start of an extended window for this younger core.
The window is right here. And if the group, everybody from normal supervisor Mike Elias on down, doesn’t be taught from its errors, it may slam shut before anybody thought.
A brand new possession group, led by David Rubenstein, will take an in depth take a look at the enterprise in its first full offseason, and the record of upgrades and to-dos is lengthy. This entrance workplace can be clever to do its personal post-mortem, after a listless 2-1 loss to the Kansas Metropolis Royals that ought to ship shock waves by each nook of Camden Yards.
“All of it got here crashing down on us before anybody anticipated it to,” catcher James McCann mentioned of an Orioles workforce with World Sequence expectations that was 20 video games over .500 within the first half of the season.
This isn’t nearly Jordan Westburg’s damage, although when Westburg fractured his hand, the Orioles’ offense took a nosedive in August and September. Neither is it concerning the alarming play of catcher Adley Rutschman, who’s both damage or simply went the higher a part of 4 months as a below-average offensive participant.
And it isn’t nearly enjoying issues too secure on the commerce deadline, although you can definitely begin there. The Orioles have been a .500 workforce within the second half of the season, and have been it not for the acquisition of Wednesday’s starter, Zach Eflin, the deadline could possibly be chalked up as a complete failure. It’s the second successive season Elias and his group opted to not make a giant splash however to as a substitute maintain on to most of their prime prospects and punctiliously cultivated farm system.
Perhaps larger strikes weren’t on the market, however there have been different paths to improve. One, nearer Lucas Erceg, stared them within the face as he completed the job for the Royals in each wild-card video games. Two extra, the San Diego Padres’ Tanner Scott and Jason Adam, have been vital sufficient bullpen upgrades that it makes you surprise: What number of video games may they’ve modified for the Orioles? Being daring can invigorate a clubhouse. Being secure, for the second season in a row, will be deflating. “It’s higher than nothing,” a member of final yr’s workforce texted me after the workforce acquired Jack Flaherty and Shintaro Fujinami, each busts, final July. Was it, although?
Optics matter. Clubhouse dynamics matter. Expertise issues. Particularly within the postseason.
Kansas Metropolis, a small-market workforce, infused its membership with 4 new gamers on the deadline and added one other trio in August on waivers. It prioritized veterans, realizing postseason expertise was essential. Who within the Orioles lineup has the expertise and cache to name a pregame assembly to mild a hearth, or preserve issues unfastened within the dugout? Veterans matter, even after they don’t present up within the numbers.
In fact, the Orioles may have added Scott, Adam, Erceg and classic Mariano Rivera on the deadline and it nonetheless wouldn’t have helped a lot towards Kansas Metropolis. The O’s lineup appeared flummoxed and depressing the previous two days, flailing at pitches exterior the zone, determined to hit a three-run homer with nobody on base. In maybe the lasting picture of this collection, Colton Cowser struck out swinging at a ball that hit him within the fifth inning with the bases loaded. Had he stored his bat on his shoulders, the Orioles would have taken the lead.
The O’s scored one run all the collection, operating the group’s playoff shedding streak to 10 within the course of. They by no means led and, courting again to final yr’s sweep towards Texas, have had the lead in only one inning in 5 postseason video games. These don’t simply really feel like losses; they really feel virtually inevitable. That’s what wants to vary.
O’s turned the 4th workforce to win ≥ 90 regular-season video games, make the playoffs and go winless within the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Brewers are about to hitch them.
Others:
2021-22 Cardinals
2018-19 A’s
1969-70 Twins@Stathead— Rob Daniels (@oriolesfactoids) October 3, 2024
“Final yr, Sport 1 (we had an) alternative, didn’t win, however then the following two sort of received out of hand,” Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned. “This yr, you felt like these have been two winnable video games.”
The Orioles entrance workplace and coaches will spend a very long time unpacking all the explanations they turned a .500 workforce: accidents, underperformance, over-reliance on their younger stars. The gamers, eyes red-rimmed and shocked, will retreat to their offseason properties and surprise what may have been.
“For it to occur two years in a row is a tricky capsule to swallow,” mentioned first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who, like lots of his teammates, had no solutions for the way this workforce slid so removed from July on. For a way all the lineup dipped in runs per sport, slugging proportion, OPS and each different tangible metric because the season wore on.
Somebody higher discover these solutions. Subsequent yr, the Orioles received’t have ace Corbin Burnes — who came visiting final offseason in a implausible commerce by the entrance workplace — or Anthony Santander, who hit a team-leading 44 house runs and can be headed to free company. These are large sneakers to fill.
Make no mistake: That is nonetheless a proficient younger workforce. However by no means has an offseason felt extra essential. By no means has there been a time to aggressively chase upgrades and never waste one other yr of a younger, controllable, low cost core.
Home windows change. Accidents occur; gamers age. The Orioles don’t even have to depart the division for proof of how shortly issues can flip bitter. Simply take a look at the Toronto Blue Jays.
The entrance workplace has proved it will possibly construct a minor-league system and develop an enviable group of younger, big-league expertise. It has achieved a terrific job turning round a company that was in dire straits. Now it’s time to determine how one can take the following step.
Good isn’t adequate anymore. And simply attending to October can’t be, both.
(Photograph: Patrick Smith / Getty Pictures)
