The Baltimore Orioles' 2025 season is a testament to the importance of the offseason. Their lack of winter activity has crept up on them an left them with no choice but to fire manager Brandon Hyde on May 17 after a 15-28 start to the season. Hyde has gone from being American League Manager of the Year in 2023 to getting canned in 2025.
Overall, their struggles have placed them in dead last in the AL East division with a displeasing 15-31 record. The O's stand 12 games out of first and 10 games out of an AL Wild Card spot.
While they've had several tough losses this season, none stand out more than the team's first game after firing Hyde.
Collecting 14 hits against the Nationals, which has been uncharacteristic for the O's this season, the team still only to plated three in a tough loss (4-3).
The Orioles have had a record under .500 across the last 162 games. This is following a stretch when they had the second most wins across the previous 250 games. Yikes.
Let's analyze how the Orioles offseason led them to their lackluster 2025 season .
A biopsy on the Orioles offseason and how it led them to this point
The Orioles' struggles this season come as no surprise considering that their offseason enhancements were deemed as underwhelming by many.
Their approach in the offseason didn't showcase aggressive spending through free agency, in addition to not taking the opportunity to lock in their young stars.
The Orioles did sign Tyler O'neill, who has an infatuation with homering on Opening Day. But since then, his power hasn't come alive, as he's only hit two home runs so far this season.
In addition, they also signed veteran Charlie Morton, who has been an outright disaster in the rotation and bullpen. They didn't add any other high-caliber starters to their rotation amid numerous injuries to start the 2025 season.
They lost significant starters such as Kyle Bradish (Tommy John) and Tyler Wells (right UCL), who are both missing significant time recovering this season. The Orioles have also been dealing with injuries to Zach Eflin, Albert Suárez, and Grayson Rodriguez. As a result, they've been left trotting out Kyle Gibson and Morton, when a team with their impressive core deserves better.
The Orioles also said farewell to Danny Coulombe, who was a reliable and cost-effective option in the bullpen. They brought in no one to replace him, instead hoping the return of Félix Bautista would suffice.
Losing Corbin Burnes in free agency to the Arizona Diamondbacks was a backbreaker, but don't forger the team's willingness to forego slugger Anthony Santander, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. It's difficult for any team to replace two All-Stars in one offseason, but it's especially difficult when the team barely tries.
Their passive approach in the offseason and free-agent market, particularly with pitchers following the loss of their ace, is coming back to haunt them now. It may just be one season, but wasting one season of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday's prime is organizational malpractice.