Mike Elias’ latest Orioles payroll comments will have Baltimore fans ready to revolt

Nearly every Baltimore Orioles fan agrees that if this team is going to be competitive going forward, the front office is going to have to spend more to reinforce their roster. Hopes were understandably high when new ownership took over the Orioles that Baltimore would finally start being players for top free agents and trade targets again. However, what has happened since then has unfortunately looked rather similar.

While there is now some reason to believe that owner David Rubenstein may not be as spend-happy as fans were hoping, the larger issue is that front office head Mike Elias seems to abhor spending more (when in money or trade capital) than what he thinks a player is worth, even if the market says otherwise. There is some wisdom in getting the best value for one's dollars, but the end result has been that the Orioles have been forced to rely on their inconsistent player development to field a strong team, and the results last season showed that that is not going to be enough.

So far, there has been a lot of chatter this offseason that the Orioles are finally going to be active this offseason, with pitching being a clear focus area. However, based on Mike Elias' payroll comments he made in the wake of the GM meetings, Orioles fans may want to temper their expectations.

Mike Elias provides another hint that the Orioles are yet again not a lock to increase their payroll

Everyone should take what executives say this time of year with a huge grain of salt. None of them wants to telegraph how much money they can or cannot spend, as it could adversely impact their leverage in talks both with free agents as well as other clubs when it comes to trades.

However, Elias seemed to indicate that the Orioles' 2025 payroll was somehow a baseline that the team aspires to replicate is a bit disturbing. In comments to the media, Elias said, "We’re still down from where our 2025 payroll was. We’ve got quite a bit to go just to get back to 2025 levels, and I think that’s definitely a possibility if we want to go there, and we’ll assess opportunities beyond that." Yes, Elias said that even Baltimore's subpar 2025 payroll level was a goal and one that is not guaranteed.

In fairness to Elias, he also said that ownership is very willing and able to invest in the team and wants to win, so there could easily be some front office gamesmanship in play here. Virtually every other report on the Orioles is that the team is expected to be a very active buyer at the top of the rotation and bullpen markets this offseason.

As to whether or not Baltimore will keep their promises and actually try to add big names this offseason, fans should believe it when they see it. Yes, most of the reports right now are that Baltimore has finally gotten the memo that they can't rely solely on their farm system for help. However, as Elias' comments reminded everyone, that does not mean they are willing enough to spend to make that desire a reality.