O's aim to swing big in market if Burnes, Santander don't return

SAN ANTONIO -- Two marquee Orioles players became free agents on Monday in right-handed ace Corbin Burnes and slugging outfielder Anthony Santander. It’s possible either -- or both -- could re-sign with the team, but there’s also a scenario in which each heads elsewhere.

If that’s the case, what can be expected regarding how Baltimore plans to fill those holes?

General manager Mike Elias addressed that topic while meeting with the media during the GM Meetings at the JW Marriott in San Antonio on Tuesday, and he made the Orioles’ intentions clear: They’d love to return Burnes and Santander, but if they don’t, they know they’ll need high-level players to take their place.

So if it’s not Burnes and Santander, then the O’s aim to pursue similar players of that ilk.

“I think we will,” Elias said. “Anthony being a free agent right now, the possibility of losing him from the right side of the plate is something that we’re looking at. And then, our best starting pitcher from last year is going into the free-agent process.

“We hope it’s those guys. But those profiles will definitely be missed if it’s not those guys, and so we’re going to have to look at the market for alternatives, too.”

Baltimore extended $21.05 million qualifying offers to both Burnes and Santander on Monday, but it’s widely expected they’ll each decline it ahead of the deadline (Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. ET). Burnes is arguably the best starter on the market, while Santander has rare switch-hitting power. So they could each land large multiyear deals north of nine figures.

In terms of the rotation landscape, the O’s are in a similar spot they were in last winter. They have plenty of solid pieces, but they lack a true frontline ace -- an issue they temporarily remedied by acquiring Burnes in a Feb. 1 trade with the Brewers.

Burnes, the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner, pitched as well as expected, recording a 2.92 ERA in 194 1/3 innings over 32 starts. The 30-year-old was an All-Star -- starting the Midsummer Classic for the American League -- and should finish high in AL Cy Young Award voting later this month.

The Orioles want a Burnes type -- which, of course, could be Burnes himself -- to be their No. 1 starting pitcher.

“I do think we’re going to make every strong effort -- like we did last year -- to bring in somebody who’s proven and healthy, able to help lead the pitching staff, rather than just kind of be depth,” Elias said. “That’s a very strong hope of ours.”

Only this time, there’s a stronger possibility that Baltimore could make a free-agent splash instead, largely because of the new ownership group that took over in March, a team led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein.

“I think that our owners, they’re fresh, they’re new, they’re very robust. It’s a strong group. They’re very eager to win,” Elias said. “Whether it’s free-agent spending or it’s support for my staff or the baseball organization, I think we have everything that we need financially to make the optimal decisions for the long-term health of the franchise. And a lot of that’s going to be in my judgment.

“But certainly, if we have something that we want to do and we need financial support for it, I’m exceedingly confident that that’s going to be there.”

An ace is only part of the offseason puzzle for the Orioles. They need right-handed-hitting power in the outfield, as the switch-hitting Santander led the team with a career-high 44 home runs in 2024, while belting 105 over the past three seasons.

As the roster stands, Baltimore’s projected starting outfield has three lefty hitters -- Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad. First baseman/corner outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, whose $8 million team option was exercised on Monday, also hits left-handed.

Like Santander, right-handed-hitting outfielder Austin Slater is now a free agent as well.

In addition to a frontline starter and a righty outfielder, Elias named “more catching” as a need, with James McCann (Adley Rutschman’s backup the past two seasons) hitting free agency. The O’s have Blake Hunt and René Pinto on the 40-man roster.

Elias also didn’t rule out adding to the bullpen, though he acknowledged the Orioles are already off to a “good start” with the arms returning to the group.

It could take some time before Baltimore begins to make moves. Elias has been in “information-gathering mode” at the GM Meetings this week, as he starts to have discussions with players’ agents and executives from other clubs.

But eventually, the O’s will add more pieces to a club they hope will make the postseason for a third consecutive year next fall. And based on Elias’ stated plan, those could be big pieces.

“We’re going to kind of hear and see what’s out there and, like any team, look for opportunities,” Elias said. “I think we’re going to look at the whole menu of players and see what’s out there in the market and see where the opportunities lie.”