3 Orioles players who definitely won't be back in 2025

The Orioles battled through the entire 2024 season, fighting through countless injuries and poor performances while managing to lock up the top Wild Card spot in the AL. Unfortunately, things weren't meant to be as the O's were swept by the Royals, scoring just 1 run across their two playoff games.

While several of those injured players are due to return in 2025, there are going to be some tough decisions to be made over the next several months. Between players leaving in free agency, non-tender candidates, and the trade market, next year's team is bound to look much different than the current one.

Here are three players from the Orioles' 2024 roster that we won't see in an Orioles uniform next year.

The Orioles can't afford to bring Eloy Jimenez back

Throughout his career, Eloy Jimenez has been a solid hitter. He hasn't been a star but he does have a career .269/.318/.462 line, good for a 112 wRC+ (12% above league average). The problem with Jimenez hasn't been his production - its been his availability.

Through 6 seasons, Jimenez has averaged just 89 games per season. The 27 year old did play a full year in the abbreviated 2020 season but in normal years, Jimenez has surpassed 100 games played just twice.

2024 was Jimenez's worst year to date. After struggling heavily with the White Sox, the Orioles acquired him at minimal cost. He played well for a short time in Baltimore but eventually fell off to the point where the O's optioned him to the minors.

The biggest factor that'll push him to free agency is that he has a $16.5 million team option for 2025. There's just zero chance the Orioles opt into that deal with how poorly he played this year. The O's have enough talent and depth in the minors to replace Jimenez's production, and at a fraction of the cost.

Seranthony Dominguez's expensive club option will prevent a return to Baltimore

After being acquired at the trade deadline, Seranthony Dominguez functioned as the Orioles closer because there wasn't anyone else in Baltimore capable of locking down the role. Dominguez had a few moments with the Orioles but overall, he was unreliable.

Overall, Dominguez pitched to a 4.45 ERA in 2024. That mark was a bit lower in Baltimore, coming in at 3.97, but he also posted a 5.33 FIP during his time with the Birds. Dominguez's near 30% strikeout rate was one of the few things that carried him this year. Outside of that, he allowed too many baserunners and walked almost 10% of batters faced.

To make things worse, Dominguez has an $8 million club option for 2025. That's just going to be too much money for a guy who has had one good season in the last 5 tries. Dominguez has a $500k buyout that we should fully expect the Orioles to exercise this winter.

Don't expect the Orioles to spend a truckload of money on Corbin Burnes

This isn't a commentary about whether the Orioles should re-sign Corbin Burnes, nor is it a comment about whether Burnes may or may not be willing to return to Baltimore. There's just no chance that the Orioles pay the price to keep him.

Burnes struggled through the month of August but was completely dominant otherwise, steamrolling trough September and tossing one of his best starts of the year in game 1 of the AL Wild Card series against Kansas City.

All told, Burnes finished the year with a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings. He's now finished with an ERA below 3.00 in four of the last five years and is almost certainly going to demand a massive payday this winter.

The odds that the Orioles shell out the type of money Burnes will be looking for are slim. Even if Burnes wants to come back, the chance that the two sides come to an agreement are going to be quite low.