Bullpen help
In 2022, Baltimore showed there are many ways to build an effective relief corps, with a collection of waiver claims and castoffs posting a 3.49 ERA that ranked as the ninth best among major league bullpens. But the group showed signs of wear as the season went on, especially in the wake of closer Jorge López being traded to Minnesota. Thrust into a larger role, Joey Krehbiel struggled to the point of a demotion. Although he continued to perform well after replacing López as closer, Félix Bautista dealt with arm fatigue late in the year as his heavy usage caught up to him. With regression also a possibility, adding another reliable and trustworthy arm to Hyde’s options would be beneficial while not requiring pursuit of the top backend relievers.
Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen, Taylor Rogers, Rafael Montero and Michael Fulmer all hit the market with closing experience, though the Orioles don’t need a ninth-inning option. Right-handers Chris Martin and Adam Ottavino or left-handers Matt Moore and Andrew Chafin could also prove useful.
Backup catcher
When Adley Rutschman was their starting catcher, the Orioles went 50-34. They were 33-45 otherwise. Although Rutschman served as Baltimore’s designated hitter in many of those games, the Orioles clearly took a step back when he wasn’t behind home plate and a spot in the lineup had to be devoted to a different catcher. Finding a backup who can make an impact with the bat would be nice, but it would be satisfactory to find one serviceable defensively, given Robinson Chirinos ranked as baseball’s worst framing catcher, according to Baseball Savant, and was third worst among players who caught at least 500 innings in Defensive Runs Saved, according to FanGraphs.
Willson Contreras is clearly the top catcher on the market and has ties to Hyde from their time with the Chicago Cubs, but signing him to tandem with Rutschman would limit Hyde’s flexibility with the DH spot. If defense is the priority, Christian Vázquez, Omar Narváez or Austin Hedges could be a fit, while seeking the greatest offensive impact beyond Contreras might lead to Gary Sánchez or Mike Zunino, both low-average, homer-happy types.