Orioles GM Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde did not shy away from the disappointment of being swept out of the playoffs after one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history.
However, they could not hide their excitement about the potential of the club moving forward.
Just two years after losing 110 games, the Orioles finished the 2023 season 101-61 and were the top seed in the American League playoffs.
Nonetheless, they could not keep pace with the Texas Rangers in the Divisional Series and were swept in three games.
Now, the Orioles are looking to take the next step after their massive overhaul: winning the franchise’s first World Series title since 1983.
“The regular season, 101 wins in the American League East, we were dreaming of that when we started the rebuild,” Elias said. “It seemed impossible. The people here pulled it together. I think it’s just an historic achievement. This group of players, regardless of where else they go in their careers and their lives, I hope that the city of Baltimore remembers this group for kind of reminding the world that this is Baltimore and we do baseball here, and that’s my goal going forward as long as I’m responsible for keeping that being the case.”
The Orioles had an underwhelming trade deadline, acquiring reliever Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics and starter Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals. Both of those pitchers had mixed results and their future with the club is uncertain.
Elias admitted he could have been more aggressive in obtaining a top-echelon pitcher or powerful bat for the stretch run.
The team could be more assertive with free agents this offseason.
“I lament that our outcomes at the trade deadline, I guess, didn’t propel us through the ALDS,” Elias said. “On the other hand, I was very focused on winning the division and we did that. We had some guys that came in and sort of helped fill some holes at the right time to rest our pitching staff, and I think that was helpful. We had all kinds of things going on at the trade deadline that just didn’t happen.”
The Orioles have a strong nucleus of young talent that includes Adley Rutschman, DL Hall, Heston Kjerstad, Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson, who is the favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.
“We are very focused on keeping this organization as successful and healthy as possible within the constraints of reality,” Elias said. “Obviously, we have players here that we love, and you look at it right now and you go, ‘Boy, I wish we had those guys under contract for longer than they currently are.’ And a big part of the calculus of keeping this franchise healthy is pursuing or examining opportunities to possibly keep some of these guys longer.”
The Orioles won 100 games for the first time since 1980, when they finished 100-62. However, it still stings to get bounced out of the playoffs in three games. Hyde said the disappointing performance in the playoffs is not indicative of the Orioles’ season as a whole.
“I’m disappointed,” said Hyde, the frontrunner for AL Manager of the Year. “I don’t really read a ton. When the season’s going on, all I’m worried about is that night’s game. What’s happening around me, sometimes I’m not aware of what I’m being told. But I’m just trying to get better every day and I’m trying to put our team in position to win as much as I possibly can.”
This past season was the fifth-best regular season in team history. Elias is optimistic that success will carry over to 2024, in part because more talent is on the way.
The Norfolk Tides won the Triple-A championship and have several more prospects — Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Joey Ortiz — who will be pushing for a regular spot on the major league roster next season. The biggest challenge could be finding room for all of those talented players. Promoting some of these players to the big league roster could come at the expense of veteran players.
The Orioles have the infrastructure in place to be successful for the next several seasons. Now, the front office, coaches and players need to make strides on the field because the team is facing lofty expectations.
“Do we have the talent and the organization to have another regular season as successful as our regular season was? Absolutely,” Elias said. “There’s other organizations out there trying, too, and we’re going to have 162 games next year and a lot’s going to happen.
“But I am exceedingly confident we’re going to have another very competitive, entertaining, excellent season next year. What that results in wins and losses or division titles and that stuff, I’m humble about how hard it is and what this group achieves next year. But we’re going to pursue that stuff.”
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