The Baltimore Orioles did not wrest on their laurels after leading the American League with 101 wins last year.
Concerned about a young, inexperienced pitching staff that wilted during the playoffs, the Birds acquired two former All-Stars, trading for Corbin Burnes and signing Craig Kimbrel.
“Those moves were very significant,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde Saturday before Baltimore belted the Atlanta Braves, 10-3, at CoolToday Park in North Port, FL.
“We lost some guys but gained Corbin in a trade. He’s been a No. 1 starter and an All-Star, so that was huge for us. Our youngish starting rotation isn’t so young anymore.”
Burnes, 29, cost the Orioles three young players when the Milwaukee Brewers made him available during the off-season. The former National League Cy Young Award winner has averaged 2.6 walks and 11 strikeouts per nine innings over his entire career.
Like Burnes, Kimbrel is a former All-Star who throws right-handed. He passed 400 saves last season and is just five short of moving into the top five closers on the lifetime list in that department.
“Felix saved a lot of games for us,” said Hyde of injured Orioles closer Felix Bautista, sidelined after Tommy John elbow surgery. “But it’s huge to have guys like Craig who have gone through it to help out the younger guys and help our team.”
Bench coach Fredi Gonzalez, who has managed two major-league teams himself, agreed.
“We won 101 games but we didn’t win enough in the playoffs,” he said. “It was a great year for our young players to win all those games after winning something like 83 the year before. “We’re learning how to win and we’re learning together but I’d take 10 of those 100 wins back if we could have won them in the playoffs.”
Gonzalez has a history with Kimbrel, his closer when both were with the Atlanta Braves. “We sit around the clubhouse and trade war stories from back then,” he said of Kimbrel, who looks like a DeLorean with open doors as he peers into his catcher for the sign.
“Craig has pitched well and looks like he’s in great shape. When the bell rings, he’s going to be fine.”
Gonzalez has no doubts about Burnes either. “He’s a great addition to our staff, a true ace,” he said. “He’s been great in the locker room with some of our young pitchers.”
Burnes takes the roster spot of Kyle Gibson, a 6’6″ right-hander who jumped to St. Louis via free agency after posting a 15-9 record for the 2023 Orioles.
Burnes, who will earn $15,637,500 this season, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, instantly becomes the highest-paid player on the young Orioles roster. He’s eligible for free agency this fall, however, so the Birds know he could be a one-year rental.
Complicating that fact is that he’s represented by notorious super-agent Scott Boras, who typically delays transactions as long as possible in an effort to increase the player’s contract – not to mention his own commission.
But the Orioles are focused on the present.
In addition to Burnes, the Birds are likely to complete their rotation with Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, and comeback candidate John Means, with Cole Irvin waiting in the wings.
As the new No. 1 closer for the Orioles, Kimbrel should get help from set-up men Yannier Cano and lefty Danny Coulombe. Cano, a sinkerballer, could see some last-inning action as well.
Baltimore’s triple-digit win total last year was its first since 1980. But they’ll face stiffer competition from the Yankees, who traded for Juan Soto, and the Blue Jays, whose 99-win season left them two games behind the O’s in the division last year. Toronto could also mount a challenge.
Because it leans so heavily on youth, Baltimore has more financial flexibility than most of their rivals.
The team’s projected 2024 payroll of $114.4 million ranks 29th among the 30 clubs, according to Cot’s Contracts, ahead of only the lame-duck Oakland Athletics.