Through a turbulent offseason, the Orioles came out better on the other side | ANALYSIS
The Orioles entered this past offseason with one of the sport’s strangest dichotomies.
Their future on the field was perhaps brighter than any other club. Their future off it was anything but.
The embattled lease negotiations between the team and the state were reaching a crossroads, as just two months remained until the Orioles were technically homeless. The franchise’s financials were in doubt as the club repeatedly operated bottom-five payrolls and the never-ending Mid-Atlantic Sports Network dispute continued to have ramifications. Rumors about the Angelos family’s interest in selling the franchise swirled.
Through the uncertainty, the Orioles simply got better, and it was on full display during Thursday’s opening day at Camden Yards. New owner David Rubenstein was introduced, new ace Corbin Burnes dominated in his Baltimore debut and the offense put on a show en route to 11 runs and a blowout victory.
“It’s a bright day, a very bright inflection point for our franchise,” general manager Mike Elias said during the Rubenstein event. “We feel wonderful about where the Orioles are and where they’re going.”
A new era of Baltimore baseball began Thursday, and Rubenstein said he doesn’t want the 101-win 2023 season or the hype of Thursday to be the “high-water mark” for this iteration of the Orioles. It’s been 41 years since the franchise’s last World Series, and the 74-year-old Baltimore native said Thursday he hopes it’s not long before that streak ends.
There is no way to know how Rubenstein will operate as owner. The impacts of his stewardship might not be felt until 2025 and beyond, and there’s no guarantee it will work out in the club’s favor. But, in a fundamental sense, the franchise improved this offseason with ownership, as the Rubenstein-led group seems, frankly, more keen on doing what it takes to win than John Angelos did.
“When the team first came near in 1954, the purchase price was $2.2 million. My partners and I are paying a little bit more than that, inflation being what it is,” Rubenstein said with a chuckle about his purchase that values the Orioles at $1.725 billion. “But we’re proud of every penny we’re paying because it’s worth every penny we’re paying, because we really have a unique franchise with an incredible group of young players, the best general manager in baseball, the best manager in baseball, and I hope the best fans in baseball.”
While potential improvements by Rubenstein could reverberate for years to come, it was Burnes who might put the Orioles over the top in 2024.
His right arm — and the cutters and breaking balls that are fired from it — is truly astounding, and the Orioles are getting what they traded for this offseason. His 11-strikeout performance without a walk wasn’t just one of the best opening day performances by an Oriole, it was one of the most dominant by any MLB starting pitcher in an opener. The 29-year-old surrendered just one hit, a solo homer to Mike Trout in the first inning, before retiring the next 16 in order. The last time an Orioles starter pitched that well on opening day was Mike Mussina — also the last time the franchise had a pitcher of Burnes’ quality or greater — in 1998.
A baseball game amid a tragedy. A new era with new owner David Rubenstein. A dominant performance from new ace Corbin Burnes.
On the Orioles’ emotional and exciting opening day win at Camden Yards: https://t.co/QpkI2I0pff
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 28, 2024
A performance such as Thursday’s from Burnes shouldn’t be a surprise. Since 2020, no major league pitcher with at least 500 innings has an ERA as low as Burnes’ 2.85. The Orioles weren’t surprised, as catcher Adley Rutschman said it was “apparent” throughout spring training what type of pitcher the club now had.
“He continues to work, continues to get better,” Rutschman said. “That’s what makes him so impressive.”
But it’s not just Burnes’ teammates who were impressed. Burnes himself, as he said throughout spring training, said the Orioles’ opening day performance was proof that 2023 was no fluke.
“When you return as many guys as you did with the experience they gained from last year, it becomes a very scary team,” he said. “I think they showed that pretty quickly tonight, came out, jumped on ’em early, kept on ’em, put up 11 runs. If you can put up 11 runs every game, I think you’re going to be all right.”
The Orioles won’t score 11 runs every game, and it’s impossible to know whether they’ll actually be better than last year. A 101-win campaign is a high bar to clear, but for Baltimore to show its improvement this year, it doesn’t need to manifest in 102 or more wins. Instead, simply making the playoffs and being in a better position to go on a run — Burnes, a bona fide ace, helps with that — would be proof.
In 2023, Baltimore went from the American League East’s cellar to its mountaintop in just two years. This year, they’re the ones who the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are looking to knock off.
The Orioles believe they’re ready for that challenge.