Many Baltimore Orioles fans might say their team has been among the biggest losers of the offseason.
Their ace, Corbin Burnes, departed in free agency, signing a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
They haven’t done anything to replace him, either, as all of their targets have either signed elsewhere or were traded to a different team.
Lineup-wise, the team seems likely to lose All-Star right fielder Anthony Santander but did sign Tyler O’Neill in free agency. Catcher Gary Sanchez was also brought into the fold to replace James McCann.
The lack of splash acquisitions will certainly disappoint a lot of people, but the team seems to be banking on their youngsters taking that next step in their development to become difference makers.
The Orioles have also added organizational depth in free agency, signing numerous players to minor league deals.
That is a name some people will recognize because he was, at one time, a top prospect in the sport.
Selected No. 5 overall in the 2014 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins out of Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida, he possessed immense upside.
A unanimous top 100 prospect from 2015-2018, he never lived up to the hype in the Major Leagues after some productive campaigns in the minors. He has shown more power at the highest level, hitting 23 home runs in 1,027 plate appearances compared to 29 in 2,949 plate appearances in nine minor league seasons.
