The young Kansas City Royals knocked the Baltimore Orioles from the postseason with a single run in 18 innings of play.
The narrative’s wheels are turning the other way after emerging as baseball’s most thrilling underdog story—a group of young, underpaid dogs with endless potential.
The O’s have now dropped their last 10 postseason games overall since 2014 as well as four of their previous five Wild Card games against this bunch. A fan base gets upset by this kind of dry time, especially when the club is so close to being great. In recent years, Baltimore has been a major tease, showing off all the quality required to win a World Series but falling short once October rolls around.
What this team’s future holds is unknown. Baltimore’s farm system continues to be one of the greatest in baseball, and the young talent coming through the system is happening at an unprecedented rate. In his first taste of MLB action, Jackson Holliday was wildly uneven, but with every year that goes by, he ought to get more consistent. The AL Rookie of the Year award may go to Colton Cowser. Even at 23, Gunnar Henderson is a strong candidate for MVP, and he keeps improving.
Although we will likely hear from Baltimore in the future, something obviously needs to change. Theoretically, the new ownership should provide the front management greater freedom to adopt an aggressive strategy, bolstering the roster’s inexpensive, youthful talent with more costly, seasoned veterans.
That has never been the Orioles’ approach in free agency, though, and Baltimore may find it difficult to hold onto a number of significant incumbents if they want to leave.
These are the players the O’s must sign in order to advance, and these are the players the front staff should adamantly stay away from.
The Orioles must put up a strong fight at Pete Alonso
With Corbin Burnes scheduled to hit free agency, the Orioles’ major focus will still be on the pitching staff; but, Baltimore’s offense was dreadful throughout the postseason. Despite this lineup’s “untapped potential,” Henderson and Anthony Santander—the latter of whom is set to become a free agent—are the only players who keep it together.
When it comes to forking over large sums of money for a subpar defensive first baseman who is past thirty, there is reasonable apprehension. Pete Alonso will eventually be used as a DH, and players who share his skill set typically do not get paid very much. It would take a lot of courage to break Baltimore’s long-standing ban on free agents in order to make such a bold move, and it would certainly be considered a huge risk.
Having said that, Alonso is among the top power hitters of his generation and a grade-A slugger. The O’s need that, especially from a veteran who has at least a semblance of verified October experience. Alonso has batted.240/.329/.459 this season, with 34 home runs, below his typical level of performance. The Baltimore offense would undoubtedly benefit from that, especially if Santander leaves.
