Orioles owner has a lot to prove—and this free agent splash would do it

David Rubenstein was on hand for the introductory press conference of Craig Albernaz on Tuesday, and the Baltimore Orioles owner talked a big game. Fresh off the Toronto Blue Jays losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, Rubenstein all but suggested that the Orioles could be the 2026 version of the Blue Jays.

To be clear, Rubenstein very much skated past the elephant in the room when it comes to where the Orioles are and where the Blue Jays were entering the 2025 season. The Blue Jays finished the 2025 season fifth in total payroll, spending over $255 million on their roster. For reference, the Orioles finished at No.16, spending $100 million less than their American League East counterpart.

The Blue Jays made the case that going from worst to first can be done if the front office has the green light to spend. That hasn't been the case for the Orioles, and it's hard to envision that changing this offseason.

Rubenstein suggested there won't be general constraints for Mike Elias and Co. this offseason, and he defended his take with an explanation that doesn't exactly back up how the team has acted over the last year.

“We have the resources to acquire the players we need. We have investors who are pretty thick pocketed so we can do what we need to do. We don’t think we need to set payroll records but we do want to get good players.”

Baltimore Orioles say they have money to spend this offseason, but we've been down this road before

If the Orioles had the resources to acquire the players they needed--how come Charlie Morton was their answer for a departing Corbin Burnes last offseason? No one is asking the Orioles to set payroll records; we are simply asking Rubenstein to back up the false sense of promise he provided when he took ownership control of the Orioles.

This would be the offseason to do it, considering the Orioles have needs across their pitching staff, and a pitcher like Framber Valdez would make a ton of sense for a team trying to find their way back to contention. FanSided's very own Zachary Rotman predicted the Orioles would be the team to sign Valdez this winter. As it stands, Valdez is expected to land a deal that could approach $200 million.

The honeymoon stage for Rubenstein has ended. There needs to be substantial changes to the Orioles' offseason activity, and it's not as simple as hoping they could be the next team to have a dramatic turnaround from their previous season.