4. More ninth-inning light shows

One pitcher hasn’t been responsible for more than half of the Orioles’ saves since 2017, and even then, Brad Brach narrowly managed to do so by recoding 18 of Baltimore’s 35. Inconsistency in the ninth has been a hallmark of recent seasons, but thanks to Félix Bautista, that figures to change in 2023.

Unexpectedly handed the role to open 2022, Jorge López handled it well, becoming Baltimore’s lone All-Star before being traded to the Minnesota Twins for four minor leaguers. Bautista took over the ninth from there and did so with aplomb, with the Orioles welcoming him to the mound at Camden Yards with Omar Little’s signature whistle from “The Wire” and a subsequent light show. Now, manager Brandon Hyde will head to spring training with a clear closer for the first time in his five-season tenure.

After the López trade, Bautista converted 12 of his 13 save opportunities, with the lone exception accounting for half of his earned runs allowed in that time. Beyond that outing, he gave up four runs in 21 innings, a 1.71 ERA, and struck out 30 of the 80 batters he faced. FanGraphs project him to be responsible for more than half of the WAR the Orioles will get out of their bullpen, but the arms who will set him up — Dillon Tate, Cionel Pérez, Bryan Baker and Mychal Givens — should be valuable, as well.