The Baltimore Orioles were one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball in 2023. Though they were swept in the American League Division Series, they are coming off a 101-win season with a young core that could have the team in contention for years to come.
The question now is whether the Orioles will spend in free agency to fortify that core. GM Mike Elias gave a rather concerning answer to that question on Thursday, dodging a question about a potential payroll increase by pointing out that the offseason only just started.
Asked whether fans should expect the Orioles to have a higher payroll next season, Mike Elias replied, “It’s Day 1 of the offseason.” He said plans for the offseason are already being discussed in the Warehouse, but it’s too early to get into specifics publicly.
— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) October 12, 2023
Elias did add later that the Orioles have and will continue to pursue players with larger contract demands, though he did not necessarily indicate that the organization was willing to break the bank on anyone.
Asked if the Orioles can give a free agent a contract totaling $40M-$60M, Mike Elias said they "have pursued [players] in the last 12 months that we didn't get them and were in the ranges that you're alluding to, and those pursuits will be on the menu again. We're trying to win."
— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) October 12, 2023
The Orioles opened the 2023 season with the second-lowest payroll in the league at roughly $60 million. The franchise is certainly not known for being a big spender, a perception reinforced by a fairly conservative trade deadline strategy despite their strong position.
The Orioles could really use some rotation help in particular. Whether they pursue that remains to be seen, but maybe fans should not get their hopes up too much in light of comments like these.
