3 ways the Baltimore Orioles can increase payroll in 2025

The Baltimore Orioles had another very good year. They finished the regular season with 91 wins, good enough for the third best record in the American League and the top Wild Card spot. Just a few years ago that would have been a dream season in Baltimore, but things change very quickly. Having been swept out of the playoffs in consecutive seasons, the Orioles will be looking to make some moves to help them take the next step next season.

Orioles GM Mike Elias has done a superb job building this team. He has taken responsibility for any shortcomings and continues to put the onus on himself to improve the team. In his press conference the day after being eliminated, Elias said that he is going to do everything he can to help improve the team. He stated "We’re in a good position for that, but we need to get to a better position next year, and that’s going to be my responsibility.”

The good position Elias is referring to is the Orioles have become a desirable destination for top players in the league, and there is a new ownership group that possess a combined worth in excess of $100 billion.

MASN's Roch Kubatko tweeted "Elias is "pretty confident" payroll will increase. But will be smart". At the end of the regular season the Orioles were 22nd in payroll so an increase shouldn't be asking too much, but the owners of the Orioles didn't become successful by spending indiscriminately. Here are a few smart ways the O's could spend some money.

The Orioles can re-sign their impending free agents

Two of the Orioles top producers this season, Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes, will officially become free agents this winter. The Orioles should do everything in their power to bring them back.

Santander had a career year and led the team with 44 home runs and 102 RBI's. He's been a model of consistency with his production, has played at least 152 games in each of the last three seasons and is the only right handed hitting outfielder the Orioles have. Tony Taters will turn 30 years old in a few days and should have several very good seasons in front of him.

Burnes made it known early that he intended to test free agency at the end of the 2024 season. He told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic “I’ve heard from a lot of guys that process is not a fun process,” Burnes said. “I want to do it once, get as long a term deal as we can, get that security everyone is looking for.” That doesn't mean he won't resign with Baltimore, it just means that the Birds are going to have a lot of competition if they want to keep their ace who won't come cheap.

The Orioles should extend their current young core of star players

There may never be a better time for the Orioles to extend Adley Rutschman. He is coming off a relatively down season after he struggled in the second half, and they have one baseball's best prospects, Samuel Basallo, at catcher and just about ready to make the jump to the big leagues.

That doesn't mean that Rutschman shouldn't get a big contract. He's certainly earned the right to be the top, or one of the top paid catchers in the league. If they want to, the O's might be able to get the best deal right now.

Other young stars like Jordan Westburg and Grayson Rodriguez would also be good candidates for extensions, but first on the list has to be Gunnar Henderson. This kid is already one of the top players in baseball and is only getting better. The longer the Orioles wait to extend him, the bigger the contract will become.

The Orioles need to add a right-handed hitting outfielder

There are several very good outfielders that will be available on the free agent market, but none of them really fit what the Orioles need. Teoscar Hernandez and Tyler O'Neill could provide a lot of right handed pop for the Birds but neither is a strong defender. Juan Soto is the best outfielder on the market but is a left handed hitter and another below average defender. That being said the Orioles should sign Soto if they can but his potential $500 million price tag will likely put him outside their range.

One player the O's should take a look at is Heliot Ramos of the San Francisco Giants. Ramos had a breakout campaign in his first time getting regular at-bats in the majors. He hits the ball well to all fields and has enough power to be able to clear the wall in left at Camden Yards. Ramos has above average speed and can play center field, but he struggled to the tune of -5 OAA in center. He was +1 OAA in the corner outfield spots and has a plus arm making him an ideal candidate to handle the big left field in Baltimore.

This is the first full offseason that David Rubenstein has to help the Orioles get better. Elias expects him to dig into his wallet to help the Orioles end what will now be a 42 year World Series drought. At this point, the offseason transactions can't start soon enough.