Lack of Action From Front Office Largely To Blame for Orioles’ Struggles

Poor decisions from front office have contributed to struggles of Baltimore Orioles this season.

Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton (50) walks off of the field during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

It has been a disastrous start to the season for the Baltimore Orioles, and their actions or lack thereof in the offseason can be blamed for their struggles.

For the last two years, no team in the American League has won as many games as the Orioles.

With a young core in their lineup, this looked like a team that was positioning itself to be very good for a long time. While they didn’t have postseason success in either of those two years, they did make it to the dance.

Now, they are off to an awful start and find themselves in last place in the AL East, well below the .500 mark.

While injuries have had an impact on the team, one of the main reasons for their struggles is the decisions that were made this offseason.

With a Ton of Success, Why Did Baltimore Seemingly Not Go for it This Winter?

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the outlook for the Orioles for the rest of the season, highlighting their lack of urgency this winter to capitalize on a team that has been quite good.

“The Orioles didn't act like a team in a World Series window coming into the season, and their play in 2025 suggests they aren't.”

This winter, Baltimore had two of their best players hit free agency in Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander. Burnes was the ace of the pitching staff last year, and Santander led the team in home runs.

Shockingly, while letting both walk in free agency, they didn’t adequately replace either of them.

In the lineup, they signed Gary Sanchez and Tyler O’Neill, both of whom have been injury prone and have missed time already this campaign. Furthermore, in the rotation, they signed Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton.

While Sugano has pitched well to be fair, some of his underlying metrics indicate some major regression could be coming.

For Morton, he has been terrible this season and has already spent time coming out of the bullpen after being so ineffective in the rotation.

Considering this was a team that appeared to be on the brink of sustaining success long-term, it’s a shame that they didn’t help support this young core of talent.

Now, the team seems to be in a tricky position to figure out. While that young core is still intact, they don’t appear to be anywhere near a playoff contender as of now.

Since it was just last year that Baltimore was in the playoffs, this campaign has been a massive disappointment, and a poor offseason is largely to blame.