Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Agree to Contract With Former First-Round Pick

The Baltimore Orioles have added another outfielder to their midst by agreeing to a contract with a former first-round pick.
Brad Wakai|
Aug 21, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Dylan Carlson (10) before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Aug 21, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Dylan Carlson (10) before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles stated they are still looking for roster upgrades at this stage of the offseason.

It makes sense why that's the case.

After seeing two of their best players from last year's team depart in free agency, the front office made some additions to address those departures, but many analysts view this group as one that's worse on paper heading into the upcoming season.

Living up to the statement put out by Mike Elias regarding their willingness to add more players to this current group, the Orioles announced they made another move by agreeing to terms on a contract with outfielder Dylan Carlson.

Outfield is an interesting area to address.

After they signed Tyler O'Neill to take over Anthony Santander's spot in right field, the expectation was their former top prospect, Heston Kjerstad, would be used in the fourth outfielder role.

Adding Carlson seems to suggest they're either not ready for that to happen immediately, or they're just looking to create more competition during the spring.

The financial details were not released, but Roch Kubatko of MASN reports this was a Major League deal, so Baltimore designated infielder Jacob Amaya for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Carlson, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016, finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting during the 2021 season when he slashed .266/.343/.437 with 18 homers and 65 RBI.

Those were career-high marks that he hasn't come close to sniffing since.

Ahead of the trade deadline last year, the Cardinals traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays after he struggled during the first half of the season.

It will be interesting to see how Carlson factors into the Orioles' plans.

With 227 career games in center field and 221 in right, he seems like a prime candidate to become the fourth outfielder that Kjerstad was projected to be this year.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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