Ken Rosenthal thinks Orioles have taken step back despite recent additions

The Orioles aren't a perfect team. We know they have deficiencies, and there are certainly spots on the roster that could be upgraded. But when Ken Rosenthal went on Foul Territory on Friday and spoke about the Orioles being a worse team on paper in 2025 than they were in 2024, it makes you wonder whether that's a fair assessment.

On one hand, the O's are missing some star power. We've spent nearly the entire winter talking about how the Orioles need to replace Corbin Burnes at the top of the rotation in 2025. And despite the handful of additions that have been made, there are still very few players in the O's system who possess the upside of a healthy Burnes.

Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish are probably the only two guys who you look at and think there's a chance you'd get ace-level production in a best case scenario. But outside of that, there are a lot of mid-rotation types, and depth pieces beyond that.

However, the O's have clearly made a number of strong signings, including to the rotation. If Charlie Morton remains healthy, and if Tomoyuki Sugano's stuff translates, the O's pitching staff is going to be good, and deep.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal doesn't like the Orioles' off-season so far

The addition of Andrew Kittredge, who has been an exceptional reliever the past couple years, makes the O's bullpen considerably better. And a returning Felix Bautista will give this team the weapon at the back of the bullpen that it sorely missed down the stretch in 2024.

On the offensive side, yes Anthony Santander will be missed, assuming he doesn't return to Baltimore. But Tyler O'Neill has a lot of potential in the tank. It's optimistic to think he can stay healthy but in the event that he actually is, O'Neill can be a devastating bat against lefties.

When you add in the expectations for some of the younger players, guys like Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad, you can start to see the makings of a division title winner here.

So on one hand, sure, you can make the case that the Orioles are worse on paper heading into 2025 without Burnes in the rotation and Santander in the lineup. But to be fair, there's still over a month of off-season left before players start reporting to spring training. And even then, we're nearly three months away from Opening Day. There's a lot of time left for Mike Elias to make some additional roster adjustments.

Even if this current group is the one that the Orioles take to camp, this is a good team. There's a strong mix of veteran talent and young players with upside. The rotation could use a true ace but is about as deep as anyone in the AL East. And while the lineup had some challenges in 2024, there's some real star power in guys like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Cowser, and Westburg.

There's plenty of reason to have faith in this team, even if guys like Ken Rosenthal think the roster is incomplete. Even if it is, this team will be competitive in 2025. If they continue to add prior to Opening Day, it'll only make them more of a threat to bring a World Series title back to Baltimore.