Three Christmas Gifts For The Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the best teams in baseball and the future is bright. What more could the team want?

Well, a World Series title. The Orioles haven’t been to or won one since 1983. The O’s are built for it. But there are a few things they still need.

Here, on Christmas Day, are three things that could make things brighter for the Orioles.

Get The Deal Done

One part of the Orioles’ future is secure. They have a new lease for Camden Yards for 30 years that has been agreed upon by all parties. It also comes with a no relocation clause.

Next up? Team ownership. David Rubenstein, who is the co-founder of Carlyle Group Inc., has reportedly been talking with the Angelos family about assuming ownership of the team.

Since Peter Angelos bought the team in the 1990s, his ownership has been somewhat controversial. Now, his son, John, runs the team. In August, John told the New York Times that O’s fans could forget about the idea of young stars like catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson becoming long-term stars of the team due to money.

The O’s have one of the youngest teams in baseball and one of the best farm systems in the game. At the same time, they have one of the smaller payrolls in the game. That’s only going to last for so long.

An owner like Rubenstein, who works in private equity, might be more likely to spend money, at the least spending the money to keep its young stars.

For those O’s fans that don’t like the current owners, they would love nothing more.

Trade For A Starter

If the season started today, the Baltimore Orioles would have a solid, albeit young rotation. With the departures of Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty, the Orioles really don’t have any significant veteran backstop in the rotation.

The Orioles can solve that problem in free agency or by trade and given the amount of talent they have on their team and in their farm system, a trade might be the way to go.

The Orioles have been connected to several pitchers so far, but Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox makes a lot of sense.

Cease is under team control for two more years and he wouldn’t break the Orioles’ bank in 2024 or 2025.

By adding Cease, the Orioles would have the starting pitching depth they need to make a serious run for the World Series in 2024.

Lock Up The Youngsters

This may have to wait until the Orioles have an ownership change, but wouldn’t it be nice for Orioles fans to have players like Rutschman and Henderson locked up for the long haul like Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez and Arizona’s Corbin Carroll?

Yeah, Orioles fans would appreciate it because that pair, combined with No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday, are this team’s future and they could keep the Orioles relevant for the next decade — if the team is willing to make the commitment now.