Baltimore Orioles Boss Sheds Light on How He Wanted To Build Roster This Offseason

The Baltimore Orioles haven't made a major splash this winter.

They tried when they desperately attempted to re-sign Corbin Burnes with a contract offer that would have been the most lucrative handed out in franchise history, but when the ace chose to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, general manager Mike Elias started operating with a more measured approach.

With Tyler O'Neill and Gary Sanchez already in place as their new additions, other short-term contracts were handed out to different players to help them compete in 2025, but not reduce the front office's financial flexibility going forward.

Elias stated they were still looking for ways to improve the roster, and on the surface, they did that by bringing in Dylan Carlson.

He might not longer be the burgeoning star he was labeled as early in his career, but the veteran will certainly boost an outfield unit that has some question marks based on the departure of Anthony Santander and the streaky play of O'Neill.

The executive addressed the Carlson signing and shed some light on why he was brought in and what his vision was for building Baltimore's roster this winter.

"I think we have a very long baseball season. We've got to focus on that, and we're gonna need a lot of people to help us get through the season ... Last year in the second half when we had all those injuries, it was really eye-opening what happens when your depth gets depleted. That was a pretty extreme amount of injuries. I think, right now, with the way we're constructed, we feel good about the depth that we put together," he said per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

It's hard to argue with him on that point.

The Orioles were negatively affected by their rash of injuries, and even though they held it together well during the second half of the year, it was clear they weren't the same type of team they were before they lost key pieces of their roster.

Depth helps that, and even though they already have a strong pipeline in place full of talented prospects knocking on the door of the MLB, having ready-made veterans available will allow them to not suffer a drastic drop off like what occurred in 2024.

Whether Carlson makes the team is a different story.

He's not guaranteed a spot, and with Heston Kjerstad poised to take the next step in his career after a decorated spell in the minor leagues, there's a chance the veteran gets designated for assignment.

But, that will be determined during camp.

Right now, Elias is focused on giving his coaching staff as many options as possible when it comes to putting together the best group for the 162-game schedule.

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