3 Orioles free agents who will leave, and 2 who will return in 2024

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The Baltimore Orioles had one of the most anticlimactic ends to a season of anyone in baseball. The second most winningest team in the league, with 101, and one that avoided being swept until their first postseason series, fell to the World Series-bound Texas Rangers in the ALDS. Still, the Orioles and their fans have a lot to watch out for going into 2024, including potential shakeups in both their pitching staffs and lineup, with 10 players reaching free agency this offseason.

3 Orioles free agents who won't be back, 2 who'll return for 2024

The Orioles roster will remain mostly intact, most likely for the better, but given that they were so easily toppled in the postseason, a little change could never be a bad thing. Here are four free agents who won't be coming back to Oriole Park, and two who might.

Orioles Free Agent Who Will Leave: Jack Flaherty

As far as falls from grace go, Jack Flaherty’s has been pretty brutal. After a career year for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, which earned him Cy Young votes and his second All-Star appearance, he’s never been able to get back to the same measure of brilliance, due in part to a shoulder injury that sat him at various times throughout the 2021 season. He fell out of public favor it St. Louis, which led to his trade to the Baltimore Orioles for prospects in 2023.

He didn't fare very well during his year in Baltimore, either. After a few rocky starts, he was relegated to a bullpen role and only made one postseason appearance as a reliever. It's unlikely that the famously low-spending Orioles will want to keep Flaherty, one of their higher paid players, especially as his performance continues to decline.

Orioles Free Agent Who Will Leave: Kyle Gibson

Speaking of higher paid players, Kyle Gibson is Baltimore's no. 1, with his salary representing 14% of their payroll alone. Gibson is a veteran and a work horse, one of the most seasoned players on a very young team, and he put in more innings than any other Orioles starter during the regular season, but he's also given up more hits than the rest of the rotation by a considerable amount. He was also kicked back to the bullpen for his one postseason appearance.

Younger, promising arms like Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, and Grayson Rodriguez have looked more dominant on the mound, and have a lot more years in them to give to the organization than Gibson does. Based on the young guns coming up behind him and the just okay performances he's put on in Baltimore, it's more likely than not that the Orioles won't be willing to pay him what he'll want to stay with their organization.

Orioles Free Agent Who Will Leave: Aaron Hicks

How do you solve a problem like Aaron Hicks? The New York Yankees didn't know, and it's still unclear if the Orioles do either. Hicks had a rough go of things in his last months in New York (and that might be an understatement) and his hints at a resurgence in Baltimore might be the result of relief. No more booing during role call in Baltimore, at least. It does seem like Camden Yards has been good for Hicks; in 2/3 of a season there, he's managed to put up numbers that look very similar to his entire 2022 season with the Yankees.

Hicks signed a one-year deal with the Orioles for the league minimum of $720,000 at the start of the season to keep his career alive, but he could have made an argument for more based on his performance for them. It seems unlikely that they'll want to pay it, given that Cedric Mullins, who Hicks was brought in to replace after Mullins went down with a groin injury, can go back to playing center field everyday in 2024.

Orioles Free Agent Who Will Return: Adam Frazier

There's something scary on Adam Frazier's horizon, and his name is Jackson Holliday. Holliday, the 2022 draft's first overall pick, has rocketed through the minor leagues, going from the Orioles' low-A affiliate to Triple-A in a matter of months. He'll be eyeballing the spot Frazier's been occupying well at second base, but Frazier's performance and experience there shouldn't be underestimated.

As a known clutch hitter with 60 RBI in the regular season and nine years in the major leagues, Baltimore should look to keep Frazier as a dependable bat who can mentor a still very young Holliday and come up in tight spots even if he doesn't occupy an everyday role.

Orioles Free Agent Who Will Return: Shintaro Fujinami

Like almost every player that passes through Oakland, Shintaro Fujinami didn't have a great go of things with the Athletics to start off 2023. He did strike out Mike Trout in his MLB debut, but he also went on to allow eight earned runs, which ballooned his ERA to a whopping 30.86. However, he's looked a lot better since his move to Baltimore in July, where's he's cut his final ERA in Oakland down by half.

He came with some hype from Japan, where he spent nine years in the NPB, and he's shown some signs of living up to it with the Orioles, coming in during high leverage situations and delivering despite some issues with control. He managed to get words of praise out of manager Brandon Hyde, which might be a point in his favor as he approaches the offseason.

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