3 Orioles upgrades they passed on last offseason that would have changed everything

The Baltimore Orioles entered the offseason with many of the same needs that they had entering the hot stove season last year. A front of the rotation arm is still needed. Depth in the rotation, too. Tyler O'Neill was supposed to be the power-hitting outfielder they craved, but his failures led to this winter's Taylor Ward trade.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if the Orioles had made different choices last offseason, they'd be in a stronger position this year. To that end, we're going to take a look at some realistic things they could have done which may have saved 2025, and left Mike Elias much less work to do.

3 Orioles upgrades they ignored last offseason that would have changed everything

The Orioles should've signed Blake Snell after Corbin Burnes spurned their $180 million offer

The Orioles tried to take care of the top of the rotation by offering Corbin Burnes a four-year, $180 million deal that he declined. Playing closer to home seemed to matter a lot for Burnes, but so too did long-term security, and those extra two years, even at a lower AAV, seemed to matter.

Elias said going into this offseason that he understands he'll have to pony up in terms of both dollars and years, though whether or not he does remains to be seen. However, he could have split the difference by signing a different free agent last winter, Blake Snell.

The Dodgers gave Snell five years and $182 million, so not quite as long as what Burnes got, but nearly the same money as the Orioles offered him. Paying a premium for high-end starters is tough. There's always the risk of injury (see Burnes going down and needing Tommy John surgery), and Snell is less durable than most. He's also a two-time Cy Young winner and arguably a better pitcher than Burnes. Making this move would have eradicated Baltimore's top need this offseason.

The Orioles should've taken the $28 million paid to Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano and given it to Matthew Boyd instead

Elias tried to get cute, turning to the sunsetting Charlie Morton and the low-ceiling Tomoyuki Sugano in an attempt to fill out the rotation. In doing so, they committed one year, $15 million to Morton and one year, $13 million to Sugano, getting little return on their investment in 2025, and leaving them with holes to fill ahead of 2026.

Instead, for just $1 million more, they could have rolled the dice on two years of Matthew Boyd. This time last year, Boyd was a gamble with a lengthy injury history and an inconsistent track record, but so were Morton and Sugano. At the very least, he entered last winter with some promise, tossing 39.2 stellar innings to close out 2024.

In 2025, Boyd stayed healthy with 179.2 innings pitched and be incredibly productive with a 3.21 ERA. Most importantly, taking the combined investment in Morton and Sugano and spreading it out for two years of Boyd would have eliminated another hole in the rotation that Elias has to deal with now.

The Orioles should've signed Teoscar Hernandez over Tyler O'Neill

The Orioles gave Tyler O'Neill three-years and $49.5 million believing he could be the power-hitting corner outfielder they needed to bolster the lineup. That was a big bet, considering that outside of 2021 and 2024, O'Neill has been a below average bat with a strikeout problem.

Instead, ponying up a bit more Teoscar Hernandez would've made sense. Hernandez signed for three years, $66 million, but with $23 million of that money deferred, making the present-day value much less. Theoretically, Baltimore could have nabbed Hernandez for less than $66 million if it didn't include any deferrals.

Of course, Hernandez was always going to wind up back with the Dodgers assuming they wanted him back, but for the purposes of this exercise, let's just imagine that he would have been open to any team that paid him roughly the same value. Unlike O'Neill, Hernandez and his 117 career wRC+ have consistently been above average at the plate. Such a signing also would have either kept Grayson Rodriguez in the fold, or allowed for a different sort of maneuvering with him instead of swapping him for Ward.