The Baltimore Orioles took a huge step back this season. They came into the year with championship aspirations because of their young core of former elite prospects, but instead, they have been one of the biggest disappointments in the league.
The team is currently 64-76 and well out of the playoff picture, and they were even big trade deadline sellers. The letdown of a year was caused largely in part because the Orioles were unwilling to spend last offseason. The team let both their ace, Corbin Burnes, and their best home-run hitter, Anthony Santander, walk in free agency.
The Orioles can't afford to pinch pennies again. If the young core is to reach their potential, they need to be surrounded with the right veterans, and there are a number of players who make sense for Baltimore to pursue in free agency after the season.
Dylan Cease
There are plenty of bats in Baltimore. Even after trading Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, and Ramon Laureano, the Orioles still have a great young core of offensive players. Adley Rutschman, Gunner Henderson, and Jackson Holliday are former No. 1-ranked prospects who have star potential. Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, and Heston Kjserstad are great young players, too, and Coby Mayo, Dylan Beavers, and Samuel Basallo also were recently promoted to the majors.
The team has more than enough offensive depth, but they need pitching help to course-correct their mistake of letting Burnes walk in free agency. Cease is the top starting pitcher set to hit the open market. The Padres held onto him at the trade deadline despite rumors that they were going to move him, but they seem unwilling to pay what it will take to retain him.
Therefore, Cease could be departing in free agency. The Orioles need to capitalize and sign the player who was once a rumored trade target for the Orioles. Cease has never made an All-Star Game, but he has twice been in the running for the Cy Young award, and he certainly is one of the best players at his position in all of baseball.
The Orioles have struggled with injuries to their pitching staff, so they need somebody who could slot in at the front of their rotation and win games as their ace. Cease has nasty stuff and would help get the Orioles to the next level.
Devin Williams
The Orioles don't only need help at starting pitcher; they also need an influx of talent for their bullpen. Devin Williams, like Cease, is having a down year, but he was not only one of the best relievers in the game but one of the best MLB overall players coming into the season.
The Orioles should buy low on Williams and expect a return to stardom. Williams has one of the best and fastest fastballs in the sport and three consecutive seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA prior to this year.
The Orioles traded many of their top relievers, including Gregory Soto, Seranthony Dominguez, Bryan Baker, and Andrew Kittridge, so it'll take more than just Williams to get the bullpen to where it needs to be. The current New York Yankee would be a great start, though. He can work as a closer or setup man, which would work perfectly in Baltimore because Felix Bautista is an elite closer when healthy, but he has struggled to stay on the field in recent years.
Cease and Williams will be two of the best free agents available this offseason, and nothing about how the Orioles conduct business would make one assume that they'd be willing to spend the money that it will take to acquire them. Baltimore might need a philosophical change in how they approach spending if they are to maximize their young core, though.
