Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Baltimore Orioles, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Twins, Mariners, Cubs and more?
Postseason outcome
The Orioles were swept out of the postseason for the second year in a row. In their wild-card loss to the Royals, the O’s scored one run in 18 innings, as the offense wasted a gem from Corbin Burnes in Game 1 and failed to deliver in the key moments of Game 2. The blame for the early exit lies solely at the feet of Baltimore’s young hitters, as Gunnar Henderson and Ryan Mountcastle went hitless in the two games while Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander and Adley Rutschman collected just one hit each.
Things that went right
After making major improvements in 2023, the Orioles cemented their status as one of baseball’s best teams by contending for the AL East title until the final week of the season and playing in the postseason for a second straight year.
Offensively, the team finished fourth in runs scored, thanks to the leadership of Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander. Henderson made a major leap in his second full major-league season and finished the campaign 11th in MLB in OPS, sixth in runs scored and ninth in home runs. Meanwhile, Santander placed third in baseball with 44 homers.
There were fewer success stories on the pitching staff, but Corbin Burnes was one man who delivered on high expectations after he was acquired via trade in the offseason. Despite experiencing a notable drop in his strikeout rate, Burnes went 15-9 and ranked seventh in baseball in ERA. Perhaps most importantly, he was a workhorse who threw 194 1/3 innings and led the rotation all season.
Things that went wrong
Although this is still a franchise on the rise, it’s impossible to ignore the factors that led to the Orioles winning 10 fewer games this season than they did in 2023.
Overall, the pitching staff was mediocre. Beyond Burnes, no hurler threw 135 innings, and no one who made at least 10 starts produced a sub-3.70 ERA. While the starters were at least acceptable, the bullpen was another story. Closer Craig Kimbrel was mostly effective in the first half of the season (2.80 ERA, 23 saves, 6 wins) before falling apart after the All-Star break; he was designated for assignment in September. The setup crew, led by Yennier Cano and Cionel Pérez, was respectable, and Seranthony Domínguez tried his best to fill the…