Orioles GM talks big, delivers less while AL East rivals reload

The Baltimore Orioles' remarkable turnaround from 115-loss embarrassment to American League contender is now at risk. General manager Mike Elias faces growing criticism for an offseason marked by missed opportunities and tight spending that threatens to close the team's championship window before it fully opened.

"When we started with 115 losses in 2018 as one of the two smaller-market teams in the American League East, with a lowly rated farm system, no analytics department, no international scouting department, an ownership transition going on within the family — there was so much," Elias told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. "I didn't know if it was going to be possible to get back up into contention in the American League East — and we did."

Elias deserves credit for the organizational turnaround since his 2018 arrival. The blockbuster trade for Corbin Burnes last season showed boldness. But now Burnes is gone, and the Orioles' follow-up moves hardly inspire confidence, especially compared to their division rivals.

While the New York Yankees poured a little more than $238M into free agents and traded for center fielder Cody Bellinger and the Boston Red Sox invested $172.3M and acquired ace Garrett Crochet, the Orioles limped through the offseason spending roughly $88M. This meager investment came despite glaring pitching needs that threaten to undermine their recent progress.

Elias claimed the team was "very active in free agency," but results tell a different story. Pitchers Max Fried, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi signed elsewhere. The Orioles signed outfielder Tyler O'Neill to a three-year, $49.5M deal — the first multi-year free-agent contract during Elias' tenure. 

The rest of the roster additions came via one-year deals. The collection of fading veterans and mid-tier talents hardly resembles strategic spending for a team with championship aspirations.

The crying poor act rings hollow for a thriving East Coast metropolitan area. Elias continues playing the small-market card while also claiming the franchise has moved past rebuilding.

"We have to be really smart about where and how we invest," Elias said. "There's not a lot of margin for error in our division. I think it's going to look different every year with our free-agent approach, our free-agent pursuits and whom we ultimately reel in."

This approach isn't just disappointing — it's potentially disastrous. The Orioles are squandering the prime years of generational talents such as catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson. These cornerstones of the franchise are under team control for a limited time, and Baltimore is wasting their most valuable seasons with half-measures and budget constraints.

FanGraphs projects the Orioles for just 83 wins in 2025 — hardly befitting a team that has been the American League's winningest over the past two seasons. Without a true ace replacing Burnes, who signed with the Diamondbacks in the offseason, the rotation looks decidedly mediocre compared to the powerhouse staffs of New York and Boston.

The front office's prospect-hoarding mentality has become a liability. While player development remains crucial, championship windows are fleeting. The front office's refusal to trade prospects for proven talent reveals a troubling priority: maintaining a good farm system over pursuing championships.

Elias may soon discover that playing it safe was the riskiest move of all. His tepid approach this offseason betrays both the team's competitive standing and the fan base's renewed faith. 

If the Orioles regress in 2025 as projected, Elias won't be able to hide behind rebuilding rhetoric or small-market excuses. The time for bold action was now, and he blinked when competitors doubled down.

For an organization that once prided itself on going toe-to-toe with division heavyweights, this winter's surrender without a fight may prove to be Elias' defining legacy — and potentially his undoing.