This story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SARASOTA, Fla. -- In 2022, the Orioles were an upstart club that came out of nowhere and flirted with postseason contention. In ¡®23, they became the best team in the American League and won the AL East. In ¡®24, they reached the playoffs for a second straight year.
But one thing still eludes Baltimore in this era for the franchise: October success.
After getting immediately swept out of the postseason in each of the past two years, the O¡¯s enter the 2025 campaign aiming to make a much deeper run. Not only that, but they want to win it all.
¡°Our team¡¯s identity is still to come throughout this year,¡± catcher Adley Rutschman said. ¡°Our goal is to try and eliminate external noise, external expectations, and really just focus on what we want to do. Because our goal is to go as far as we can and win a World Series."
¡°I think the goal for every one of us is to win the World Series,¡± said right-hander Zach Eflin, who will start Thursday¡¯s Opening Day matchup in Toronto. ¡°We have a collective energy and thought process of winning every single game. Beating people into the ground, that¡¯s the kind of mentality this team takes.¡±
What needs to go right? The former top prospects keep taking steps forward
Baltimore didn¡¯t make a ton of splashy moves over the offseason. The biggest reason for that was the belief that the young guys on the roster -- many of whom were once among the top prospects in baseball -- will continue to get better.
Rutschman needs to bounce back from his tough second half of 2024. Colton Cowser must build on his strong rookie season. Jordan Westburg has to build upon his breakout sophomore campaign. Jackson Holliday needs to be more productive than he was during his disappointing debut year. And if Gunnar Henderson can keep getting better -- which is tough to fathom, considering how good he has already been -- the O¡¯s offense should be even more dangerous than many expect it to be.
Great unknown: Is the rotation strong enough without a true ace?
The O¡¯s had a bona fide ace in 2024, but Corbin Burnes is gone, having signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the D-backs. Now, Baltimore is hoping its rotation -- which will initially feature Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich, then eventually recent free-agent signee Kyle Gibson -- is strong enough to power the team to success.
If it¡¯s not, the Orioles will need to target a frontline starter ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline. The O¡¯s have aspirations of a deep October run, but they¡¯ll need their starting pitching to help get them there.
¡°The experience is certainly nice to have,¡± general manager Mike Elias said of the veteran-filled rotation mix. ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t a goal in and of itself to have the oldest rotation, but I do think it speaks a little bit toward the durability and track record that these guys have presented.¡±
Team MVP will be ... Gunnar Henderson
Although Henderson (mild right intercostal strain) is opening the season on the injured list -- the first IL stint of his MLB career -- the 23-year-old star shortstop shouldn¡¯t be out for long. There will be plenty of time for him to put up the type of impressive numbers he did during his 2023 AL Rookie of the Year campaign and his even better ¡®24 All-Star sophomore season.
The two-time defending Most Valuable Oriole should make it a three-peat this year. Henderson is one of the best players in baseball -- hence his fourth-place finish in AL MVP voting last year -- and could be even better once healthy in 2025.
Team Cy Young will be ... Zach Eflin
After getting traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore last July 26, Eflin became a consistently strong presence in the O¡¯s rotation, recording a 2.60 ERA over nine starts. The 30-year-old has been solid over the past two seasons.
On a staff without a true ace -- at least for the time being -- Eflin should be leading the way.
Bold prediction: The Orioles will reach the World Series
The offense has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. The rotation could get impactful in-season additions, whether those are external or internal (Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are all beginning the season on the IL). The bullpen can be addressed later on.
There¡¯s enough talent here to not only get Baltimore its first win in a playoff game since 2014, but also to get the O¡¯s to a World Series for the first time since they won a championship in 1983.