O's Magic: Rubenstein In, and So Is Burnes As Baltimore Sets The Stage For What is Next!
Breaking Down Both Moves and How They Affect the O's Next Season and for the Future!
Welcome back to another edition of ‘O’s Magic’, a Cool Sports Newsletter series made by a die hard Orioles fan! The entire city of Baltimore has been consumed with the Ravens over the last few months, but now the Orioles want in on the action. First, David Rubenstein and a few private investors have bought the Baltimore Orioles from the craziness of John Angelos, and Rubenstein came in and made a splash. Baltimore has traded for 3x All Star and Cy Young ace, Corbin Burnes to add to a pitching rotation that is now one of the better ones in baseball. Let’s break it all down!
I think John Angelos selling the team has been something Orioles fans have been hoping would happen for a long-time now. For one, the chaos. Angelos got himself back in the news when he suspended Orioles play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown last season for sharing the Rays record against the Orioles over a time span during a pre-game broadcast. And considering Brown is one of the more talented and respected voices in the business, many found this childish and stupid.
Second, Angelos just was never producing a great baseball team in Baltimore. A lot of the blame rightfully goes to his father, Peter Angelos, who really ran the show until his son John stepped in his role in 2019. But the family wouldn’t spend money. Or they’d spend it on the wrong players; Chris Davis is a prime example of this. The Orioles had a great run in the mid-2010’s with Kevin Gausman (2x All Star since departure), Manny Machado (2x All Star since departure), Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and others. Yet he refused to pay those soon-to-be or already superstars. So Angelos blew the whole thing up, and the Orioles were AWFUL for about a half-decade. Luckily, they drafted well. The Orioles have again found generational talents like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, MLB Pipelines No. 1 prospect in Jackson Holliday, and others. But between his roots in Nashville and the worry he could possibly move the team out of Baltimore combined with his inability to spend, Orioles fans were afraid another great era of Baltimore baseball would be washed away because of Angelos.
But now Rubenstein has stepped in. He bought the team for $1.725 billion. And he seems committed to spending money and making big moves to help this team win. The past two offseasons, the Orioles have been coming off of very solid campaigns. And until just recently, they were about to waste both of those offseasons by adding no talent or veterans to help this team win in the playoffs. But Rubenstein is now here. And he didn’t waste any time to make a splash.
We’ve been waiting a long-time for the Orioles to add a polished and experienced pitcher next to Kyle Bradish. They thought Jack Flaherty was the answer. And let’s just say he wasn’t (and by that I mean if I ever hear his name again I may physically combust). So just two days into Rubenstein’s time as the owner, they finally did it, and Baltimore traded for the Milwaukee Brewers Cy Young ace Corbin Burnes. And to now pair him next to a guy who was 4th in ERA and 4th in Cy Young voting last season gives Baltimore one of the best pitching combos in Major League Baseball.
And the crazy part is, Baltimore didn’t have to give up much to get Burnes. I’m not going to lie, I hate giving up D.L. Hall. I was such a fan of his, and thought he could finally get it together. But let’s be honest for a second…he never did. He was maybe going to be a great reliever. I don’t think he was ever going to turn into a starter. The O’s also gave up Joey Ortiz, but Baltimore has so much infield talent with Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo, Connor Norby, etc. He was never going to be a rotational player for Baltimore. So they got a Cy Young for two players who didn’t fit their system or timeline. A major win for the O’s.
Now as for their amazing pitching rotation, it is unknown how long Bradish will play in 2024 if he even does, after a sprained UCL injury reported a few weeks back that could linger to more time missed than the initially expected ‘start of the season’. Especially when you hear Orioles Gm Mike Elias saying he’s ‘hopeful’ to have him pitch in 2024. However, if this is just a short-term injury like its predicted to be, Baltimore’s pitching rotation will be dangerous.
Burnes is going to come in and make a massive difference. It’s not just him and Bradish though. They also have a soon-to-be second year pro Grayson Rodriguez who is bound for a breakout campaign after a great second half to his rookie season. John Means may also, finally, be a healthy piece in Baltimore’s rotation. And if you can get his old All Star self or anything close to it at SP4, Baltimore’s once very ‘iffy’ rotation would be one of the more dangerous and horrifying to play against in Major League Baseball.
And that was something Baltimore has needed, as we saw how their average, inexperienced pitching rotation collapsed in the playoffs. Baltimore will still need to do more to get to the heavy contention level even after trading for Burnes though. I think they need a veteran bat and more help in the middle relief department. That’s assuming Yennier Cano takes a step back and Ryan O’Hearn doesn’t bat .290 for a whole season again. But now that Baltimore has what seems to be reliable and talented arms, with two of the best young players in baseball, it’s all just add-ons. And to know those guys may be locked up in Baltimore for the next decade because Rubenstein, unlike Angelos, is willing to spend to keep his stars and aspiring talents feels amazing as an Orioles fan. Burnes helps the team for the next few seasons. He won’t be here and this good in five years. But getting him just shows Rubenstein’s proven willingness to spend and make a splash, and should explain how the next decade is going to go in Charm City!
Chase Coburn
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