Best and Worst-Case Scenarios for the Orioles During the 2025 MLB Season

These are the best and worst-case scenarios for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2025 MLB season.

Aug 30, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) looks on during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

With Opening Day now here for the Baltimore Orioles, they are able to take the field with the motivation of proving people wrong.

All offseason, the narrative surrounding this team is they have gotten worse compared to last year.

Losing their ace and most productive hitter fed into that narrative, and when the Orioles decided not to one-for-one replace Corbin Burnes in the rotation and opted for a depth approach, that added more fuel to that fire.

But what has gotten lost in the discussion about Baltimore is the internal improvements that virtually this entire roster could have throughout the 2025 campaign.

While Gunnar Henderson only has one more true rung to climb on his ladder -- becoming an MVP winner instead of just a contender -- there are plenty of others who haven't reached their ceilings or are poised for a bounce back.

However, the downside is also there, as well.

So, as the Orioles get set for the long journey that comes from a 162-game schedule, what are the best and worst-case scenarios for this team?

Best Case

Winning the AL Pennant

While winning the World Series would have been the fun thing to say, it also has to be remembered that this team hasn't won a playoff game yet, let alone a playoff series.

Baltimore has the chance to finish the regular season as one of the two best teams in the American League, and if that's the case, they would be two series wins away from accomplishing this high-end scenario, which would be a massive achievement.

Getting there will be the challenge, though.

With Henderson on the injured list to start the year, others will have to step up and fill in for the rising superstar until he returns.

That responsibility will lie firmly on the shoulders of Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday.

Looking for bounce back seasons for different reasons, the former has shown he has the ability to be one of the game's best players at his position. He just wasn't able to show that off last year with a late-season collapse.

The latter is looking to prove he deserved all the hype he got as a prospect as the consensus No. 1 guy in his draft class and on the farm when he turned professional.

If those two can accomplish that this season, then they'll create a three-headed monster with Henderson in the lineup that can be bolstered by the play of 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Colton Cowser, veteran slugger Tyler O'Neill, 2024 All-Star Jordan Westburg and power-hitting slugger Ryan Mountcastle.

Pitching will be the question mark, especially with Grayson Rodriguez on the IL to start the year, too.

But the bullpen should be better with Felix Bautista back, and there's a chance both Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells return at some point this summer to bolster the starting unit.

Not to mention a blockbuster trade could be made by general Mike Elias at some point.

The Orioles have the ceiling to win the AL pennant, but it will come down to their young players taking the next steps in their careers.

Worst Case

Missing the Playoffs

This seems hard to believe that it could happen, but there is a scenario where it does.

Baltimore has not had injury luck on their side the past two years, and that already reared its ugly head during spring training with Henderson and Rodriguez.

What happens if others go down, too?

The Orioles were massively affected by not having Westburg during the latter part of the year, and it's not a given that no one else will miss extended time at any point during the season.

Charlie Morton is over 40 years old. Tomoyuki Sugano has never played Major League Baseball. Cade Povich struggled during his first stint in The Show. Zach Eflin was dominant after the trade deadline, but he's rarely played at that level for an entire season.

There are a lot of question marks in Baltimore, and if the worst percentile scenario plays out, then there is a chance this team misses the playoffs, something that would be a nightmare.