We often hear about athletes having rituals to keep their mind focused. They approach each day as a new part of the process. No sport demonstrates this more than baseball, which is made up of 162 games, and games most every day for six months. A loss one day has to be forgotten the next and players keep moving forward.
It’s easy to get caught up in the present. The Baltimore Orioles are coming off a season that ended in heartbreak and controversy. They have lost several players to free agency and are still in discussion with others. The rumors are swirling about what the front office’s plan is now.
But what does the future look like for the O’s?
This is a huge year for Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter. Much of the Orioles’ core is reaching a point in their careers where a huge payday is in order. The window of opportunity is slowly closing as their homegrown team is hitting their prime and the asking prices are rising. It is almost certain that many of the current stars could be elsewhere within a few seasons.
What is concerning about the Orioles’ future is that the farm system is not exactly stocked with the right groceries. Baltimore’s prospects are ranked poorly by experts and the front office struggles to find teams willing to make a deal. Most teams want to start trade discussions around Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman, but the O’s are not willing to deal them.
Looking at the future payroll, there are almost no commitments beyond the 2018 season other than Chris Davis. Gausman and Bundy still have several years of arbitration left, but we could be looking at a completely different team by that time. Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, Manny Machado, Zach Britton and Jonathan Schoop could all be gone in a three-year span. It is crushing to fans, because we know that ownership will not fork up the dollars needed to keep all the guys we all love. That is part of the game.
The key will, of course, be what the organization does with Machado. His asking price is expected to be astronomical and it’s going to take some serious negotiating to make the finances work. If Uncle Pete can somehow keep the star third baseman in Baltimore, then we are left to wonder what money is left the pay the rest of the bunch.
Closers received huge deals this offseason, stirring some speculation that the O’s should consider dealing Britton before he walks via free agency. There is almost no chance the Angelos family will give Britton the contract he deserves. Darren O’Day is already commanding a high salary for a reliever. Two of the best at their position could be gone just like that.
Gausman and Bundy are the future of the position, but Tilly has earned his place in the rotation as well. When he takes the mound, the Orioles are likely winning the game. Can they afford him if they were to sign the two aforementioned names? Will his asking price be too high? These are all questions that will need to be answered after this season.
And then there is Jones, the undisputed leader of the clubhouse. He has been the one constant in an outfield that has been ever-changing over the past few seasons, but what else do the Orioles have in the outfield? There is no prospect projected to take over any of the outfield positions so it’s almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which Jones is not around once his deal ends. He could be shifted to a corner outfield spot in the near future, but of all the stars that could be on their way out, he seems the safest to stick around in the orange and black.
Another monster season from Machado and Britton will likely make them too expensive for the long-term plan. That could be advantageous to Jones and Tillman. The opposite could be the case if Machado has a down season, driving his price tag down just enough to keep him around, but could cost the club others.
There are plenty of other questions as we look ahead at the fate of the franchise. Will Davis continue to be worth his contract? Who takes over at shortstop once J.J. Hardy is gone? Will Hunter Harvey live up to his hype? Is there a diamond in the rough in the farm system? Who stays and goes at this year’s trade deadline? It will come down to whether or not they are in contention come August.
The 2017 season could go a long way in determining who sticks around for the long haul. The Orioles have been a playoff contender because they have developed their own into quality players. That’s how this franchise is going to build a winner. However, every successful franchise – outside New York, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles – loses to free agency at some point.
The Kansas City Royals are a perfect example of this. After some great seasons led by their homegrown players, there is already talk about blowing the team up just two years after winning a World Series. At least they got the taste of victory. Baltimore is still hoping to reach the Fall Classic.
The future of the Orioles is uncertain – and it is scary. No one wants to go back to being the laughingstock of the league and it make take just one poor season to results in sweeping changes – without any titles to show for it.
