Orioles Got Firsthand Look at Massive Mistake Made by Front Office

The Baltimore Orioles made a massive mistake this offseason, and they experienced that firsthand during their loss on Wednesday.

Feb 23, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitching in the first inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South | Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

Starting pitching is a conversation that has surrounded the Baltimore Orioles for years.

It was something that caused their elimination in the 2023 playoffs when the staff was overwhelmed in the American League Division Series by the Texas Rangers en route to a sweep.

That caused general manager Mike Elias to get aggressive and trade for 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes ahead of the 2024 campaign to give this team a true ace. And while the right-hander was exactly that for the Orioles, injuries piled up and prevented them from reaching their full ceiling.

Burnes left this past winter, and the Orioles didn't replace him with another top-end arm.

Someone they were eyeing to become the team's new ace was Garrett Crochet, the rising star left-hander from the Chicago White Sox who everyone in the baseball world knew was going to get moved during the offseason or ahead of the trade deadline.

Baltimore was interested, but they didn't make an assertive move to land him.

Instead, the White Sox shipped Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for a haul of prospects that featured four ranked inside the Red Sox's top 15 of their pipeline with two of those being inside the top 100 in all of minor league baseball.

The Orioles could have matched that.

While the rankings have shifted a bit, Baltimore still owns one of the best farm systems in the sport, and they have plenty of players who Chicago would have loved to get back in return.

But Elias didn't go through with it, and now, Boston has the star left-hander on their roster for years to come after he signed a lucrative contract extension worth $170 million over the next six seasons.

On Wednesday, the Orioles got a firsthand look at what it might be like to face Crochet for the next several years, and it wasn't pretty.

The lefty was brilliant, pitching eight scoreless innings where he gave up just four hits and struck out eight while walking just one.

On the season, Crochet has allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings to give himself a 1.38 ERA.

Baltimore made a massive mistake this winter by not going after him harder and making a deal with the White Sox. They could have paired him with their own two rising stars -- Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez -- and created a formidable trio for the next decade.

Instead, they'll have to face Crochet in division during that time.