Building a wish list, from a new starter to a Holliday gift
O’s in position to trade for a pitcher, call up top prospect
At the end of the MLB winter meetings earlier this month, Orioles general manager Mike Elias expressed why he was leaving Nashville, Tennessee, satisfied.
“We don’t force this stuff while we’re here, but it’s nice to go home with one of our big wish list items under the tree,” Elias said after signing closer Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $13 million contract.
The Orioles and the state provided fans with another wish list item under the tree last Monday: a new lease to keep the team at Camden Yards.
After years of negotiations and false starts along the way, two state boards approved a lease that will keep the team in Baltimore for at least 15 years.
But, if it were up to Orioles fans, what other “big wish list items” would be waiting under their trees? Here’s what Orioles fans should have been asking Santa for:
A trade for a starting pitcher: This is a big ask of Kris Kringle, but he’s got what it takes.
The Orioles boast the best farm system in the sport, giving them the potential to outbid any team for the starting pitchers available on the trade market — the Chicago White Sox’s Dylan Cease, Cleveland Guardians’ Shane Bieber, Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes and several members of the Seattle Mariners’ rotation.
An “upgrade” for the rotation is the top item on the wish list Elias spoke of at the winter meetings. Whether that comes via free agency or trade doesn’t matter, but the Orioles can be more competitive in the latter than the former since starting pitchers are getting $20-plus million per year on the free agent market.
But adding an arm to join Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez atop the rotation would give Baltimore a better chance of repeating as American League East champions in 2024.
An extension for … someone: This is the item on the list that everyone knows is probably out of Ol’ Saint Nick’s range, but it can’t hurt to put it down anyway.
The Orioles have a long list of players they could extend, although some would be more challenging than others. From young stars Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Rodriguez to prospects Jackson Holliday and Samuel Basallo to the several established big leaguers on the roster, there are plenty of options to choose from.
A large portion of the fan base is wary about the players they love going elsewhere in free agency because of the team’s reluctance to hand out large contracts. It is impossible to assuage those fears in one offseason, but one extension would be a step in the right direction.
Jackson Holliday to make opening day roster: An MLB debut is always a special moment for the player, but it can sometimes be anticlimactic.
In 2023, six Orioles made their MLB debuts. The only one that came with the player starting the game at Camden Yards was Jordan Westburg in late June. Westburg wasn’t the flashiest prospect in the system, but the excitement from fans was palpable — evidenced by the “Westy” chants that broke out when he stepped to the plate.
Of course, not every debut can be that way. Rodriguez, Joey Ortiz and Colton Cowser made theirs on the road because the team needed them in those moments. Heston Kjerstad’s was in a pinch-hit opportunity at Camden Yards after his September call-up.
But if it were up to the fans, Holliday’s MLB debut would be a celebration the way Rutschman’s was in May 2022. It would just be a cherry on top for it to come March 28 in front of a packed house at Oriole Park.