Proposed free agent target for Orioles is unhinged, but raises an important point

Most of the chatter to start the offseason around the Baltimore Orioles has centered around their need for pitching, and that is completely fair. The Orioles do need pitching depth for sure, and we have already heard Orioles officials state that pitching is going to be a priority this offseason. However, it may not need to be the only priority this offseason.

Peter Schmuck over at Baltimore Baseball recently discussed the Orioles' lineup needs and put forth the idea that Baltimore should go out and sign Bo Bichette. While that is a pretty ridiculous notion on the face of it, it does raise a very important point about the Orioles' lineup balance right now (or lack thereof).

Signing Bo Bichette would be a bad idea, but the Orioles absolutely do need another right-handed bat

Now, you won't find an argument in favor of signing Bichette here, as good a hitter as he is. Not only is he going to end up commanding a huge contract that outpaces his actual production when you factor in his abysmal defense, but signing him would require moving Gunnar Henderson to third which would be a waste of Henderson's talent, make the Orioles' infield defense strictly worse, and risks alienating Henderson when the team would probably like to keep him around if at all possible.

Where Schmuck is 100% right is regarding the lack of balance in Baltimore's lineup. If you are going to be imbalanced, having more lefty hitters is the way to go. However, what you want is to have guys on both sides that can do damage to make opposing teams have to actually strategize how to attack your hitters, especially when it comes to bullpen changes. The Orioles employed Jordan Westburg, Tyler O'Neill, Jeremiah Jackson, and Coby Mayo as their righties at the end of the season, and only Westburg and Jackson were even remotely passable.

Now, this urgency could change if the Orioles think Adley Rutschman can bounce back as a switch-hitter, and they can fix Mayo, who does seem to be a supremely talented guy. However, as things stand, adding a consistent right-handed bat that could give Baltimore an .800+ OPS in 2026 would go a long way towards making the offense more consistent. It just shouldn't be Bichette, as the risks and opportunity costs are just too high.