It has seemed for the last few years like the Baltimore Orioles have had one of the best young cores in MLB, with prospects Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday getting ready to turn the O’s into a juggernaut. After two years of playoff failure, however, it looks like Baltimore’s window has closed. After losing two of their best players to free agency this offseason, a gut check was required for Baltimore, and they failed it, finishing 75-87.
The Good: Trevor Rogers, I guess?
The Orioles’ sole bright spot in 2025 was a surprise. After a stunning All-Star season as a Miami Marlin in 2021, Trevor Rogers spiraled. The 6’5 lefty stumbled to an ERA of 5.47 in 2022 and endured an injury-plagued season in 2023 when he made just four starts. After another slow start in 2024, Rogers was dealt to Baltimore in exchange for prospect Connor Norby. After the trade, Rogers was dreadful in the second half, pitching to an ERA above seven. Many people, including myself, chalked the trade up as a massive loss for the Orioles. In 2025, however, Rogers was sneakily incredible. Despite weak metrics, Rogers threw over 100 innings on his way to a 1.81 ERA. His x(expected)ERA, although a solid 3.34, was much higher, but Rogers was able to get outs throughout all of his starts. My search for an Orioles bright spot was much more difficult than expected, with Rogers being pretty much the only above-average player in Baltimore. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson, despite having an above-average season, came nowhere close to his 2024 performance, hitting 20 fewer homers. The worst part about Baltimore’s lack of strength is that it only gets worse from here.
The bad: Pretty much everyone else
A 15-28 start caused the Orioles to part ways with manager Brandon Hyde in mid-May, after faith in the former division-winning skipper had officially run out. It’s hard to say Hyde was the problem, however, as front-office mismanagement seems to have been the primary issue. The Orioles continually let quality players walk in free agency due to their inability to pay them, with former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and feared slugger Anthony Santander both leaving the team in the offseason. The team floundered early, with all of their arms either injured, unavailable, or unreliable. Outside of Henderson, Baltimore’s only hitter of any substance was Holliday, who made a push for an All-Star appearance in the first half but slowed down in the second half. Baltimore traded most of their best-performing hitters, including former All-Star and franchise cornerstone Cedric Mullins, a resurgent Ramon Laureano, and Baltimore’s lone 2025 All-Star, Ryan O’Hearn. Baltimore’s struggles drove them to rush star minor leaguers to the bigs, like Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, and Coby Mayo. All three underperformed, further proving that mismanagement was partially to blame for the Orioles’ struggles.
MVP:
Rogers. There’s no other choice. Rogers was the only player who played well this season relative to expectations. Baltimore may have something in the revived Rogers, a potential foundational rotation piece that the O’s can capitalize on.
One word:
Failure. Time is up in Baltimore’s rebuild. Their window has closed. It’s about time they blow this thing up again and move on, signaling more pain for fans in the DMV.
