Here are all of the Orioles players entering free agency after the 2024 season

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2024 has been a wild ride for the Orioles. After such a strong showing in 2023, expectations were rightly high for this team coming into the year. While some might look at the overall performance of the 2024 team and call it underwhelming, it's quite an achievement for the Orioles to be where they are considering the numerous obstacles they've had to overcome.

The endless list of injured players was an absolute drag on this team, starting in spring training and running through the final week of the regular season. While the O's have recently gotten a few players back to full health ahead of what should be a great playoff series against the Royals, there are still a number of "what could have been" scenarios running through the minds of fans.

Regardless of how the postseason plays out, Orioles fans have a lot to look forward to. There's still an extremely good, young core in Baltimore that's due to return in 2025, and new owner David Rubenstein should hopefully give GM Mike Elias and the front office a normal budget to work with.

Elias might need that extra budget over the winter because there are a few important names about to enter the free agent market this winter. Let's take a look at the group of impending free agents to get a glimpse of where the Orioles will be at in a month's time.

Corbin Burnes (2024 salary: $15.6 million)

Corbin Burnes has been everything the Orioles could have asked for when they traded for him this past winter. A 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings is well worth the price of admission, and it'll be a challenge for the Orioles to replace him.

Burnes is slated to pitch in game one of the AL Wild Card series, which is his last guaranteed start in an Orioles uniform. If the Orioles advance, he'll obviously pitch again. But if they don't, it's possible that Burnes leaves in free agency in search of a massive payday.

It'll be interesting to see how much Burnes inevitably gets. It's likely that he'll get upwards of $200 million but whether the Orioles will be willing to invest that much in him remains to be seen. It would be the first such move in Mike Elias' tenure so while it is possible that the O's back up the Brinks truck for Burnes, it would be much more on brand for the front office to try to replace his production using other means.

Anthony Santander ($11.7 million)

Anthony Santander was exceptional this year, hitting .235/.308/.506 with a career-high 44 home runs and 102 RBI. It's an incredible performance in a walk year that might be just enough to keep him from coming back to Baltimore.

Santander has always been a solid player but was never really seen as a star. He's a reliable corner outfielder with a good bat and iffy defense, but his power output this year will likely get him paid over the winter.

With so many young players in the system, it's unclear whether Elias is going to be willing to bring Santander back, especially at an increased cost. Santander will be looking for a multi-year deal and with Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad looking like every day players, the O's might see value in reinvesting Santander's $12 million elsewhere.

James McCann ($12.2 million)

James McCann will forever be an Orioles fan favorite after the way he handled himself this year. Top to bottom, from getting plunked in the face by a fastball and staying in the game, to being an exceptional clubhouse presence, McCann has been such a vital piece for an O's team filled with younger players.

The problem is that the Orioles have a stud prospect in Samuel Basallo at Triple-A Norfolk. While Basallo might not make the roster out of spring training, he could make his debut later in 2025. In a vacuum, it would be great if the Orioles could keep McCann around for his intangibles and leadership, but it'll depend heavily on his price.

If he's going to cost upwards of $12 million again, it's likely that he leaves in free agency. But if the Orioles can get him to return at a reduced cost, there's a chance the two sides could reach a deal.

John Means ($3.3 million)

John Means was a very good pitcher for the Orioles back in 2019 and 2021. Since 2022, he's thrown a combined 52 innings over the past three years. They've been respectable innings, sure. But that kind of volume is just so hard to trust moving forward.

With guys like Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott, and Brandon Young in the pipeline, it's hard to see the Orioles putting a ton of effort into retaining Means. If they can get him cheap on a 1+1, you can make a case for it, especially if the O's struggle to sign or trade for a Corbin Burnes replacement.

Unfortunately, it feels like we may have seen the last of John Means in an Orioles uniform. It'll be an unceremonious departure if he signs elsewhere but a team hoping to compete for a division title can only take so many risks. Means might not be one of them.

Austin Slater ($246k)

Austin Slater has been a fine addition to an Orioles team in need of outfield help in the second half. He's not perfect but has done enough to keep his roster spot for the past two months.

However, he won't be a priority in the offseason and almost certainly won't return to Baltimore under any circumstances. The Orioles have too much talent elsewhere to spend a roster spot on Slater moving forward.

Players entering option years

All five of Seranthony Dominguez, Eloy Jimenez, Ryan O'Hearn, Danny Coulombe, and Cionel Perez have team options at the end of the year.

Dominguez and Coulombe feel like locks to come back, while they almost certainly will decline the option for Jimenez. O'Hearn and Perez could go either way. Both have been solid contributors to this point but their production could theoretically be replaced, so we'll have to wait and see how the O's handle those cases.

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