Orioles

Win Now ... or Win Never?

by Drew Duffy 7/27/23

The Baltimore Orioles have the ability to become one of the most fascinating case studies in MLB trade deadline history. Their success thus far in the season has situated them with the second best record in baseball, and best in the American League. Right now, everyone is clamoring as to how well the team is performing. The Orioles are riding the great play from a roster that is quite young, with more youth on the way. People are already announcing a successful rebuild, given the major league success and the minor league talent waiting in the wings. As of today, the Orioles have 8 prospects in the MLB Top 100. Headlined by #1 overall prospect, Jackson Holliday, this group of top 100 prospects is impressive to say the least. 

Where the Orioles as an organization currently stand is fascinating for baseball fans and front office executives. General Manager Mike Elias may have the most important decision of his career to make within the coming week. Do the Orioles push their chips in and improve the roster to win the World Series now? Or, do they take a more calculated approach and trust that the team will be better in another year or two as some more prospects develop?

While a difficult decision on paper, I believe that the Orioles need to play for the “now”. As with all teams in baseball and sports for that matter, winning is hard. Winning at a level that will crown you world champions is harder. There is no telling that next year will bring the same success and production from some of the players on the roster. Sure, there is a bright outlook with budding superstars in Adley Rustchman and Gunnar Henderson. There are a handful of current MLB players and minor league players who are set to progress and contribute as well. But, who is to say that it will all work out exactly like that? The Orioles are in a position, whether they want to admit it or not, to win now. Surely their young core brings excitement as the years unfold, but it is more important to think about the present. This roster has already played like a top team in baseball for the last four months. What they are able to improve in a week, might just be able to set them over the edge. For the Orioles, farm system rankings are a great validation of the work that their scouting department has done over the years. The Orioles would tell you that a World Series Championship means more. 

The Orioles will not trade Jackson Holliday. Honestly, their top five prospects could be off limits. However, their next chunk of prospects is just as impressive as other team’s top guys as well. Names like Joey Ortiz, Connor Norby, and Max Wagner are all guys that could be dealt for major league help. The Orioles will need to look into acquiring solid starting pitching help as well as plugging in some holes around the field. 

It is highly unlikely that every single one of these top prospects will break into Baltimore in the next two or three years. There simply is not enough space to fit everyone. But, if the Orioles are serious about reaching their main goal of winning a World Series, they need to be willing to move some of these players. Almost an equal benefit of having such a farm system for bringing players up is the flexibility it allows when trading for certain guys as well. The Orioles know thighs, and it is only a matter of time before we see how Mike Elias feels about his current team. There could be big things coming for Baltimore this fall, but this upcoming week will shed a light as to how high those expectations may become.