It took patience and planning, but the Baltimore Orioles finally arrived in 2023 as a prime example of an effective rebuild. The team won 101 games to win their division and earn the top seed in the postseason. Unfortunately, it was a quick stay as they were swept by the Texas Rangers in three games. The good news for the Orioles is that they are a young, controlled team with plenty of growth and development in store for them to get better. There will be even more reinforcements on the way and 2024 will be another opportunity to make a run at the World Series. However, the team has done very little to address any needs for the new season and will essentially carry the same roster into the new season. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it could pose a threat to expose the same troubles the team had in 2023.

The main splash in free agency the Orioles made was signing Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal for $12 million with a $13 million club option for 2025. The move itself was a response to the fact that closer Félix Bautista would miss the season due to Tommy John surgery. Kimbrel brings a well-season arm that can slide into the closer role and be a leader in the bullpen. He’s an insurance policy and is a good pickup for the O’s. The bullpen has been untouched otherwise, showing that the team is likely comfortable with what they already have.

This is the same approach the team has taken with its position players. The team has a strong core of young players, which is fantastic. They are projected to add Jackson Holliday to the big league mix in 2024 and have plenty of other options available in the minors to fill out the roster as needed. FanGraphs’ Depth Chart projections have the O’s as the fifth-best offense in baseball. The confidence in a young homegrown group is paramount to the O’s success. It stands to reason that they wouldn’t try to add a bat to their lineup because they are already established in that department and have a strong bedrock to build upon for years to come. The biggest splash they could make offensively would be to sign one or two of their young stars to an extension, a possibility that could still happen.

The area of concern for many, however, is where the team stands in the starting pitching department. 2023 wasn’t a bad season on the mound, but their rotation was fairly average despite having plenty of decent options. In terms of fWAR their starting rotation ranked 16th in all of baseball with an ERA that ranked 11th. It wasn’t an awful rotation, but it was begging for an upgrade for the 2024 season.

As it currently stands, the Orioles’ rotation is projected to line up as such:

1. Kyle Bradish
2. Grayson Rodriguez
3. John Means
4. Dean Kramer
5. Cole Irvin

Bradish finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting last season with a 2.83 ERA. But, can the Orioles rely on him repeating that success and be a true top-of-the-rotation starter, or will he regress as more of a number two or three starter? The same goes for Rodriguez who was abysmal in the first half but grew into his own in the second half but it remains to be seen if he can’t continue to build on that second-half success or see another regression. Means will need to show he can eat innings again and be effective after losing significant time the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery and a back injury. These three options are fairly safe to rely on in the rotation, but the final two spots are less certain. Kramer was reliable and could be a dependable backend starter but could easily be replaced in the rotation. The same goes for Irvin who fills out the last spot in the rotation by default despite being the weakest in the bunch.

The Orioles are a team that is likely to be stuck in the mindset of always building for the future. It can be tough to make the transition from a rebuild to a win-now mindset. However, it’s a transition that has to be made at some point as a natural process in the cycle of a big league team. If the Orioles are serious about their vision and process of roster building, they have to be willing to make bold moves in the present to better set themselves up for the future.

Dylan Cease has been a target rumored for the Orioles mainly because the team has the resources that could get such a deal done. If they wanted to, they could aim for a Corbin Burnes trade and hope they can re-sign him after the season. The team could even come out of nowhere and sign someone like Jordan Montgomery to bolster their rotation. If the Orioles wanted to get a top-of-the-line starter, the only thing stopping them from doing so is themselves. They have both the financials and the quality depth surplus that a lot of other teams don’t have. There are things they can do that help them now without mortgaging their future. Hoarding prospects and players with the hope that everything will go the way they want to is a dangerous way of thinking in the world of professional sports.

The Orioles are in a unique spot as an organization with their strengths. The iron is hot and standing pat in the starting pitching market when there are available upgrades is a dangerous approach that could harm the Orioles. They can’t settle for a cost-efficient veteran like James Paxton, but should try for something more. Otherwise, when does the rebuild end and the future finally arrives?