Baltimore Orioles: Problems still exist after buying at the trade deadline

Now that the trade deadline has passed, the Baltimore Orioles have made their season intentions crystal clear.

The Baltimore Orioles had one of the most desirable commodities in the MLB in Zach Britton.

But, instead of cashing in on the closer’s market, Dan Duquette kept his asset for at least one more season.

As the general manager of the O’s, Duquette has to be aware of the stats at Fangraphs. This website released their current playoff odds as of July 30. The Orioles have very little chance of getting to the playoffs at their current pace.

The chance of winning the AL East outright is 0.4%. Their chances of getting to the Division Series is quite low at 1.7%. Their best chances are winning Wild Card spot, but this number is not good: 3.1%. And, the final percentage is the O’s chance to win the division or get a Wild Card spot is 3.5%.

So, overall, the O’s have a more than 90% chance of NOT making it into any of the playoff games.

This is quite a hill to overcome. But, the Orioles are not giving up, which is what makes this team so easy to like (or question?). With a new pitcher in the mix and a better shortstop, the O’s are hoping to get more wins.

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But, the same problems still remain. Jeremy Hellickson will provide a band-aid to the rotation, but he won’t cure the problem that is looming on the horizon. Tim Beckham will add some oomph at the plate, but he can’t fix the batting averages of the other infielders who are struggling. And, the farm system is still one of the worst in the MLB and it isn’t getting any better. To get the new pitcher and new infielder, Duquette gave away a few more farm pieces. By continuing to give away international signing money, the O’s are continuing to rely on other teams to draft players and hopefully trade them away.

Who knows exactly what Duquette and the rest of the team are thinking, but the last bit of the season could bring more wins. Yes, there are still several Division series left, but the O’s also face the Oakland Athletics, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Angels.

Since the O’s are only 6.5 games back, these easier series could help move them up in the standings. The AL East is one of the tightest races along with the NL Central where only 5.5 games separate the first and fourth teams. In the East, the top and bottom teams have an 8.0 game difference.

Next: Welcome to Birdland, Tim Beckham!

As buyers, the O’s are in it to win. While they may not have all of the proper pieces in order, the team will still be fun to watch for their last 50-plus game.

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