![\"Corbin](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5713,h_3213,x_0,y_101\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/229\/01jh90d7dqm3vjzkk3ha.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It has been a woefully underwhelming offseason for the\u00a0Baltimore Orioles.<\/p>\n
There was so much hope tied to new owner David Rubenstein, who wields a net worth of more than $4 billion. After toiling under the ultra-cheap Angelos for so long, O’s fans were excited to finally have a front office empowered to spend.<\/p>\n
We’ve never seen Mike Elias with actual financial backing. Maybe, just maybe, Baltimore could operate on the same financial level as New York or Boston in a competitive division.<\/p>\n
Well, those dreams are dead. All hope is lost. Elias did hand out the first multi-year deal of his tenure as O’s GM. It was a three-year, $49.5 million contract for Tyler O’Neill, which includes an opt-out after the first season.<\/p>\n
That contract all but guaranteed that fan favorite Anthony Santander will not be back in 2025. That was his reward for a career-high 44 home runs \u2014 a ticket out the door.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the O’s let Corbin Burnes walk for a six-year,\u00a0$210 million contract\u00a0in Arizona, which will pay him roughly $35 million annually. Burnes has family ties to the Phoenix area, which clearly influenced his decision, but the O’s never felt like a serious contender in the Burnes sweepstakes, which sucks considering they were the incumbents.<\/p>\n
Instead, Baltimore has endeavored to replace Burnes by committee \u2014 and done a rather poor job at it.<\/p>\n
Unlike a great position player, there’s really no way to replace an elite pitcher in the aggregate. Burnes more or less offered a guaranteed strong performance on the mound every fifth game for Baltimore. There’s no way to replace his net value every fifth start without re-signing him or adding an ace of his caliber, of which there are precious few.<\/p>\n
The O’s can improve their starting depth all they want, but Burnes’ absence will be deeply felt. Especially with Kyle Bradish still working his way back from injury.<\/p>\n
Baltimore’s so-called replacement plan has so far consisted of\u00a0Charlie Morton\u00a0(one year, $15 million),\u00a0Tomoyuki Sugano\u00a0(one year, $13 million), and high-end reliever Andrew Kittredge (one year, $10 million).<\/p>\n
That is a $38 million investment for the 2025 campaign. The O’s\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0spending, just not on premium assets. In the end, that has Baltimore spending more than Burnes’ new annual salary on… what? A couple mid-to-late rotation vets and a solid bullpen arm?<\/p>\n