Baltimore Orioles Have Fallen From Ranks of Contenders in American League

There may not be a team in baseball that has been as disappointing as the Baltimore Orioles over the first few weeks of the 2025 MLB regular season.

Entering play on April 23, they are 9-13. Only the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have worse records in the American League. They are one of only seven teams that have yet to win double-digit games to this point.

Certainly not the kind of start a team with World Series aspirations coming into the campaign was hoping for.

A lot has gone wrong for the team, with a lot of the same issues that plagued them during an underwhelming second half in 2024 carrying over into this year.

The offense has been maddeningly inconsistent with a team slash line of .224/.297/.403 and OPS+ of 108. 

There have been some real standout performances, such as center fielder Cedric Mullins, utility man Ramon Urias and designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn.

But for each standout there is someone struggling, such as first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, third baseman Jordan Westburg and second baseman Jackson Holliday.

Injuries have led to a slow start for shortstop Gunnar Henderson and placed 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner up Colton Cowser on the sidelines.

With the offense not playing up to its potential, it has exacerbated the issues with the pitching staff, which everyone except the Orioles themselves, foresaw becoming an issue.

Charlie Morton, their biggest free agent addition on the mound, has a 10.89 ERA. Dean Kremer is at a 6.84 ERA and Cade Povich has produced a 6.38 ERA.

The bullpen has been excellent for the most part, but they haven’t been able to showcase their dominance as frequently as anyone would like given the struggles of the starting rotation to keep games close.

Given how much the team has struggled out of the gate, and how poor their outlook is in some regard, it comes as no surprise that Baltimore has dropped from the ranks of the contenders in recent MLB power rankings.

Over at The Athletic (subscription required), the theme for this week was a year-over-year look, seeing where teams in 2025 compared to 2024.

The Orioles have taken a massive step back.

Last year, they were No. 3 in the rankings at this time. This year, they are No. 18 without many positives to get excited about.

“The team still has a lot of good young talent — Gunnar Henderson’s numbers are going to turn around — but concerns about their pitching seem justified, especially after Baltimore allowed 24 runs on Sunday. Right now, our voters see the Orioles more middle-of-the-pack than anywhere near the top of the sport,” wrote Chad Jennings of The Athletic.

Manager Brandon Hyde is starting to feel the heat, desperately seeking out lineup combinations that will work.

He has to hope to find something soon that will click or he could be out of a job if the Orioles fall out of the playoff race.

To avoid that, the team needs to aggressively seek out upgrades on the mound. It is the one clear-cut avenue that can help get the season on track.