Bullpen Seems Like Real Priority for Baltimore Orioles This Offseason

There's been a lot of speculation about what the top priorities of the Baltimore Orioles will be this offseason and it seems like it could actually be their bullpen.

Many MLB reporters and insiders have noted that the Baltimore Orioles are likely in the market for an ace-level starting pitcher this offseason.

It's something that they clearly were missing last year and haunted their playoff series against the eventual champion Texas Rangers.

However, despite all this speculation, it could actually be the bullpen that the Orioles' front office aggressively attempts to upgrade.

Baltimore will be without their All-Star closer Felix Bautista for the entire 2024 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery. It was expected that their other All-Star reliever would step into that role.

That might not be the case for the front office after they watched what Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors points out during the second half of the year.

"The O’s have another All-Star, Yennier Cano, as a potential alternative option in the ninth inning, though he was far more successful in the season’s first three months (1.14 ERA) than in the second three (3.24 ERA). That’s not at all to suggest he can’t be an effective endgame option for the Birds, but rather to simply point out that as the year progressed, Cano didn’t quite look to be Bautista’s equal (as he did in the earlygoing)," Adams writes.

If Orioles fans and writers know the drop off that Cano had late in the season, then general manager Mike Elias does as well.

So, while all the attention is on starting pitching, maybe Baltimore targets someone like Josh Hader after all.

Having Bautista, Cano and Hader in the mix going forward would be one of the best relief staffs that any team in the MLB would have.

Even if they don't target the left-handed superstar closer, there are plenty of other options for the Orioles.

"The trade market, of course, will feature prominent names in both regards, but the Orioles’ payroll is practically a blank slate, which gives them the opportunity to pursue just about any pitcher," Adams writes.

They're set up to be major players going forward and can use this offseason to ensure they're at the top of the game for the foreseeable future.