Expectations were high for the Baltimore Orioles entering 2025. The team was coming off two straight playoff berths, and the roster has a ton of appealing, presumably ascending talent on it. Baltimore was projected to win around 88 games.
But sometimes reality bites. The Orioles are floundering at 36-47, last place in the AL East. Only the White Sox and Athletics — two teams that are hardly trying — are breaking Baltimore’s fall. Is it possible for a cartoon bird to cry?
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Bully to you if you saw this collapse coming. And extra credit if you figured that journeyman outfielder Ramón Laureano might become the team’s best offensive piece.
Laureano has bounced around in his eight MLB seasons; Baltimore is his fourth stop. He was useful down the stretch in Atlanta last year (.296/.327/.505, 10 homers in 67 games), which led to the two-year contract with the Orioles. He’s rocking a .273/.348/.515 slash for Baltimore, with 10 homers and three steals. The 144 OPS+ is a career-best, and tied for first on the team (along with Ryan O’Hearn, another surprise).
Imagine predicting all this before the season — that Baltimore’s most efficient hitter wouldn’t be Gunnar Henderson or Adley Rutschman or even Jackson Holliday, but rather, the overlooked Laureano. You’d be laughed out of the room.
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Laureano has been especially useful since returning from an ankle sprain, scoring 16 runs and knocking in 15 over the last 20 games. He normally bats in the middle of Baltimore’s order. His platoon split has been out of whack in 2025 — he’s crushing righties and slumping against lefties — though that’s not his usual trend. And heck, if it continues, most of the world is right-handed, anyway.
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Baltimore could have a roster glut when Tyler O’Neill gets healthy, but that’s not today’s problem. It’s also possible Laureano could be a trade target, given Baltimore isn’t contending. We’ll worry about that down the road. For now, let’s not ignore a productive player. Laureano is available in over 90% of Yahoo leagues, and is approved for immediate pickup.
As for other widely available hitters of note:
Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Astros (43% rostered on Yahoo)
It broke Houston’s heart to trade away Kyle Tucker, but the improvement of Smith is helping to soothe that wound. Houston remained patient with Smith despite some early growing pains and rewards have followed: Smith has a swanky…