Baltimore Orioles Receive Mediocre Grade for Signing Former Top Rookie

One MLB writer wonders if a recent signing by the Baltimore Orioles move the needle at all for the franchise.

Aug 11, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Dylan Carlson (10) hits an RBI double against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

It has been a busy offseason for the Baltimore Orioles this winter and with Spring Training right around the corner, there are still some question marks for the team.

In 2024, the Orioles were once again able to have a solid campaign. They won over 90 games and reached the postseason for the second straight year. However, for the second consecutive postseason appearance, they were unable to win a game.

This offseason, Baltimore likely went in knowing that they would be losing to key players in free agency. Both Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander hit the open market as some of the best players available this winter. Unfortunately for the Orioles, both did end up leaving with some lucrative deals.

Baltimore has spent a bit this offseason, but they haven’t made the type of splash that would generate excitement.

In terms of replacing the production from Santander, the Orioles signed Tyler O’Neill to help with that. When healthy, O’Neill can be an be an impact player, but staying healthy has been the issue. With that potentially being a concern, adding depth behind him will be important.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently graded the move by the Orioles to sign outfielder Dylan Carlson to a one-year, 975,000 deal. He gave it a grade of a ‘C’ and highlighted that it doesn’t move the needle much for the franchise.

“It's surprising that Carlson was able to get a major league deal, but this is an utterly harmless signing by the Orioles. Though he's coming off minus-1.2 rWAR in 2024, Carlson was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2021 and he's still only 26.”

After bursting on the scene with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, there has been a steady decline in production for Carlson since then. In 2021, the slugger totaled a .266 batting average, 18 home runs, 31 doubles, 61 RBIs, and an OPS of .780.

The great rookie campaign resulted in him coming in third in the Rookie of the Year voting that season.

Unfortunately for Carlson, while his sophomore campaign was alright, it’s been a steady decline in production since.

In 2024, with the Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays, he hit a new low with a -1.4 WAR. This contract from the Orioles feels like it could be a make-it-or-break-it type of deal for the young slugger.

Even though he is just a couple of years removed from being one of the best young rookies in baseball, he hasn’t shown much since to be able to warrant many more opportunities.

Overall, the signing of Carlson for Baltimore will likely be meaningless, but there is likely some hope that he bounces back to something like his rookie campaign.