Orioles’ Elias says multi-year contracts to free agents ‘definitely on the menu’

I enjoy looking at team power ratings, whether it’s during the season or in the offseason. The rankings don’t count for anything, but in the last week, two publications, ESPN and The Athletic, have the Orioles rated fourth, higher than any other American League team.

Considering that the Orioles were swept in two games by Kansas City in the Wild Card round, and the team didn’t win its division, that might be surprising.

ESPN summed up the Orioles by writing: “Baltimore comfortably projects as a playoff team based on its offensive foundation” while The Athletic counters with: “The Orioles are still loaded with young talent, featuring former top prospects all over the diamond, and they should project to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season.”

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias agrees, telling MLB.com at the general managers’ meetings in San Antonio: “I think I wouldn’t trade it for anyone else’s young nucleus, and I think that says it all right there. I think if you say, ‘Hey, you can pick a young nucleus,’ I’m taking the Orioles.’”

After the Orioles scored just one run in the two-game sweep by the Royals, there was scrutiny of that young nucleus. The team is filled with young players that Elias has drafted — catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, third baseman Jordan Westburg, leftfielder Colton Cowser and outfielder/designated Heston Kjerstad.

Another top prospect, second baseman Jackson Holliday, was on the postseason roster but didn’t play in either of the losses to the Royals. Still another, corner infielder Coby Mayo, wasn’t on the roster to end the season but could play a prominent role next season.

Elias drafted so well that he traded other prospects — infielders Darrel Hernaiz, Connor Norby, Joey Ortiz and César Prieto — to get pitching.

The Orioles have some starters — Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, Grayson Rodriguez and Albert Suárez — but none of them were drafted by Elias. Rodriguez was taken by the Orioles in 2018, several months before Elias was hired.

With ace starter Corbin Burnes, whom Elias traded Ortiz and a draft pick for last February, on the free-agent market, Elias will have to replace him, and while the starters the Orioles have without Burnes are good, they’ll need another one or two to justify those high rankings.

Elias has yet to sign a free agent to a multi-year contract, and it looks as if this will be the offseason they finally do.

“I think they’re definitely on the menu,” Elias said in San Antonio. “They’ve been on the menu in past years, and we’ve offered them in some cases and it just hasn’t happened. But, certainly, with the sale of the team behind us, we’re in a position where, I think, those dictates will be made by the recommendation of the baseball ops department, and the financial support for things that my group wants or needs is definitely going to be there. And if that’s longer contracts, great, and I think this is a good time for it.

“But we’ll just have to see here. I’m kind of in the first couple days of the offseason, haven’t really sat down with agents yet. Free agency’s just opening. That’s what the GM Meetings are for. And I don’t have a good sense yet of what our preferred opportunities out there are quite yet on the free-agent front.”

Notes: Several former Orioles filed for minor league free agency. The most prominent was Bruce Zimmermann, who started the Orioles’ home opener in 2022. Zimmermann, who grew up in Ellicott City, was with the Orioles from 2020-2023 and pitched for Triple-A Norfolk this season.

Another left-hander, Nick Vespi, who was 6-0 with a 2.92 ERA and a save in 45 games from 2022-2024, also filed for free agency. Utility player Terrin Vavra and left-hander Matt Krook, who pitched one game for the Orioles, also filed.

Others in the Orioles minor league system filing for free agency were: right-handers Nick Anderson, Nolan Hoffman and Adrian Houser; left-hander Cooper McKeehan; first baseman Garrett Cooper; third baseman J.D. Davis; shortstop Niko Goodrum; and outfielder Forrest Wall.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.