Talented Core Might Have to Carry Baltimore Orioles Due to Pitching Concerns

Will the lineup be enough to carry the Baltimore Orioles in 2025?

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles will be starting Spring Training soon and the team will seek a third straight postseason appearance this coming year.

It was a bit of a frustrating campaign in 2024. Despite being built to win, injuries held the team back last year.

This offseason, arguably the worst-case scenario happened for them with their ace, Corbin Burnes, leaving in free agency. The trade to acquire the talented right-hander was a good decision for Baltimore, but there was always the risk that he would leave.

Even though the Orioles spent some money this offseason on pitchers, the additions of Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano will provide depth, but won’t replace the production of an ace.

Despite an active offseason, Baltimore will have a few looming questions heading into Spring Training.

Andy McCullough of The Athletic recently spoke about the biggest question for the Orioles heading into Spring Training. He highlights the loss of their ace, but also that they still have a great core of hitters.

“The strength of the club remains its excellent position player core. The hitters may have to carry them this season.”

Due to the loss of their ace and not an adequate replacement, Baltimore will certainly be relying on their talent core of position players to step up.

Fortunately for the Orioles, their lineup might be good enough to cover up the issues at the top end of their starting rotation.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson looks like he will be an MVP candidate for years to come in the American League and they have a plethora of young talent around him.

There will be a couple of key players for the team in the lineup that will need to be better in 2025. All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman will need to bounce back from a dreadful second half at the plate.

Furthermore, young former top prospect Jackson Holliday will need to prove that he can be the superstar he is projected to be. So far, his results have been mixed at the Major League level, but he has the talent to be a player like Henderson.

While in an ideal situation, the Orioles would be running it back with Burnes, a full season of Zack Eflin, and a healthy Grayson Rodriguez in 2025, but that unfortunately isn’t the case. That trio would have looked excellent on paper going into the next campaign, but they will instead have some looming questions.

If the starting rotation gets off to a bad start in 2025, there will be a lot of pressure on Mike Elias to make a move in the trade market quickly.