Orioles rumors: Sean Manaea buzz, and another big spending prediction

Saturday was a busy day for the Orioles, as they went out and signed both Tyler O'Neill and Gary Sanchez to major league deals. Sanchez is clearly a replacement for James McCann and with the recently claimed Rene Pinto also in the system, it looks like the O's are done with their catching group for now.

O'Neill is a bit more interesting. On one hand, it does signal that the O's are moving on from Anthony Santander. The switch hitting All Star is seeking a significant contract in free agency this winter and the Orioles clearly didn't want to give him 5-6 years and upwards of $100 million. O'Neill has plenty of upside, albeit with a ton of health risk, but if he's healthy the Orioles will be in a good spot in 2025.

The O'Neill move shouldn't preclude the Orioles from making a trade if there's something viable out there, though. O'Neill and Sanchez give Baltimore a bit more right handed power in the lineup but it's extremely unlikely that the O's are done tinkering with their roster.

Orioles 2025 roster starting to take shape with most recent signings

One major piece that all Orioles fans know the team needs is another starting pitcher or two. The Birds have been linked to a number of guys, including Corbin Burnes and Max Fried at the top of the free agent class, as well as depth starters toward the bottom.

One interesting name that came up recently is former Mets' lefty Sean Manaea. While Manaea isn't the ace that guys like Burnes or Fried are, he was very good in 2024 after making some changes to his delivery and pitch mix.

Manaea effectively ditched the four-seamer in favor of a sinker, and paired that with a big slider that worked a lot better for him in 2024. He showed up in New York with a 4.10 career ERA and put up a 3.47 mark with a 184 strikeouts in 181.2 innings that garnered down-ballot Cy Young votes.

While most people agree that the Orioles need pitching, The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently predicted that Baltimore could pursue Manaea this winter and scoop him off the free agent market at a more attractive price point than someone like Burnes or Fried. That's true, but despite the things Manaea has going for him, he's not the same caliber pitcher as those other two guys.

Buster Olney of ESPN seems to agree with the sentiment that the Orioles need to pursue someone at the top of the free agent pool. Olney wrote recently that the O's should be seeking to add top-line pitching, either through free agency or via trade, and that the Orioles are "in their window to win right now".

The O's were a surprise in 2023 when they seemingly came out of nowhere to win 101 games and an AL East title. Despite falling short of the division title in 2024, things are still pointing up for Baltimore. There are a number of young, talented players on the roster and it seems like the best possible time for Mike Elias to add external talent to supplement the roster.

They did so with Burnes last offseason and it worked out quite well, despite the fact that Joey Ortiz, who they sent to Milwaukee in the deal, looks like a major league regular moving forward. The Orioles might have to sacrifice some talent to make an acquisition or two, but if it helps put the team in a stronger position for the future, it'll be the right move. And if that fails, adding via free agency where those guys only cost a bit of money is always a viable strategy. We'll see if Olney's predictions come true later this winter.