Members of the Baltimore Orioles watch from the dugout in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Baltimore. Boston won 10-1. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
With just more than a dozen games left this season, the Baltimore Orioles are 12 games out of the lead in the American League East, and five games behind in the hunt for an A.L. Wild Card slot. The team faces poor odds to be a part of the postseason, and analysts will use Baltimore’s final stretch of games as a glimpse of what to expect from the team next season. Unfortunately for Baltimore, it hasn’t been the prettiest forecast.
While the Orioles roster will undoubtedly experience some turnover in 2016, most of the players who are expected back haven’t played well at all. Baltimore will return nearly its entire starting rotation, with the exception of soon-to-be free agent Wei-Yin Chen. Starters Mike Wright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez will be back, but none have consistently pitched good games this season. Gonzalez and Tillman were once considered reliable options for the Orioles, but they both took steps back this season, combining for just 18 wins and 22 losses. Jimenez was the best starter for Baltimore in 2015, but with just an 11-9 record.
The same issue plague the Orioles’ lineup–just about everyone expected back has failed to bat consistently well. Chris Davis has been Baltimore’s best hitter, with 42 home runs this year, but Davis is also expected to leave the team via free agency this offseason. Baltimore will still have Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado, who lead the team with their .291 and .288 batting averages, respectively. All-Star center fielder Adam Jones will also be back; Jones has 27 home runs this year, and Machado has 29. But the Orioles will have to find a way to fill the void that will be left behind by Davis’ expected departure.
Big-time sluggers like Davis cost big-time money. Baltimore may spend it, but that’s money taken away from improving the shaky pitching rotation. Baltimore will ultimately need to be creative in free agency this offseason if it wishes to improve the team’s fortunes in 2016.
