The silver lining to the Baltimore Orioles getting swept in the American League Wild Card Series last October was supposed to be a motivated owner who was willing to open up his checkbook in the offseason. Instead, David Rubenstein watched former Cy Young Corbin Burnes and All-Star outfielder Anthony Santander go elsewhere in free agency. Fans can understand how both situations shook out, but the difficult thing to grasp is the team’s fairly quiet response.
Baltimore signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract and inked 2017 World Series hero Charlie Morton, Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, 2021 All-Star reliever Andrew Kittredge and former Silver Slugging catcher Gary Sanchez to one-year deals. These potentially viable contributors join a core that includes franchise pillars Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, but are they collectively impactful enough to boost the O’s in 2025?
Following back-to-back playoff berths and 192 combined regular season wins, this ballclub can only succeed by contending for a championship. On the surface, the Orioles’ offseason approach does not express that type of mindset. Lower-key, savvy acquisitions win titles, and these particular signings are all intriguing in their own way, but there are more questions surrounding Baltimore this year than there were in 2024.
The uncertainty is compounded by the organization’s inability to secure long-term contract extensions for its most promising homegrown talents. While there is still time to cross off some of those boxes, the city is getting antsy. Rubenstein is trying to reassure the fan base by revealing his supposed spending philosophy moving forward.
When will the Orioles start spending big?
“I don’t have a financial limit,” the billionaire businessman, lawyer and former chairman of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts said at spring training, per the Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich.
Birdland has been waiting to hear those exact words since David Rubenstein officially assumed control of the franchise last summer. Though, until he puts his money where his mouth is, that is all they will be. The Baltimore native is expected to capitalize on this auspicious era of Orioles baseball and prove his commitment to the franchise and area.
When Rubenstein first purchased the team from the Angelos family, fans immediately fantasized about a bigger payroll. That vision is gradually diminishing. He can temporarily keep it alive with grand proclamations such as these, but action will eventually be demanded.
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