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Projecting the 2025 Orioles lineup after surprise Tyler O'Neill, Gary Sanchez signings

How will the Orioles line up in 2025 with their current roster?

ByTim Smart|
Sep 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) makes contact with the ball during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Sep 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (17) makes contact with the ball during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

We're not even to the Winter Meetings yet and the Orioles' 2025 roster is starting to take shape. On Saturday night, the O's inked the pair of Tyler O'Neill and Gary Sanchez to a pair of contracts that'll help Baltimore add the right-handed power they've desperately been seeking.

A longtime Cardinals' outfielder, O'Neill spent 2024 in Boston and looked sharp when he was healthy. A .241/.336/.511 line led to 31 homers and 4 steals, albeit with rough defense thanks to Boston's tricky left field wall.

Sanchez spent 2024 with the Brewers and while he's not the star every-day catcher he was during his time with the Yankees, he still provides a good bit of pop with the bat. Sanchez knocked 11 homers in 89 games last year and has still shown solid plate discipline over the years, putting up an almost 10% walk rate in 2024.

Sanchez will work in a backup role, helping Adley Rutschman get some time off and potentially seeing occasional starts at DH. O'Neill should get far more regular playing time, and is likely a death knell for any hopes of the Orioles reuniting with Anthony Santander.

O'Neill could wind up in a platoon role with Heston Kjerstad in an outfield corner. O'Neill crushed lefties in 2024, to the tune of .313/.429/.750 slash line in 128 at-bats. Kjerstad's platoon splits were much less drastic but he did work primarily against right handed pitchers last year so we'll see how Brandon Hyde handles the roster he's been given.

Projecting the Orioles 2025 roster with Tyler O'Neill and Gary Sanchez

The biggest difference here will be having O'Neill starting most nights. Sanchez will be primarily on the bench, so the most interesting aspects will be how Hyde manages this current group of outfielders. And this is before considering that they still have Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo ready and waiting down in Triple-A.

Orioles projected 2025 lineup

  1. Gunnar Henderson, SS
  2. Jordan Westburg, 3B
  3. Colton Cowser, LF
  4. Tyler O'Neill, RF
  5. Adley Rutschman, C
  6. Ryan O'Hearn, DH
  7. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
  8. Cedric Mullins, CF
  9. Jackson Holliday, 2B

There's some wiggle room in there, for sure. Kjerstad could see more starts against righties, and we'll surely see a healthy dose of both Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo, at least as long as the latter is healthy. Plus we'll have Sanchez and infielder Emmanuel Rivera on the bench.

Also interesting to note is that these two most recent signings give the Orioles 14 viable hitters. It feels unlikely that they'll run with just 12 pitchers, so that could also mean Kjerstad gets sent back to Triple-A, or they find a way to trade one of Mountcastle or O'Hearn for an upgrade somewhere else.

It's something to keep an eye on as we move through the Winter Meetings and further into the offseason.

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