What went wrong with the post-2023 Orioles? | MAILBAG

Question: I just cannot get past the fact that three short years ago the Orioles won 101 games, the AL East and looked as if they were going to be the cream of the crop in the AL for at least the next five-to-seven years. Instead, three years later they have only a few players remaining from the ’23 division-winning team, and they’re looking at the very real possibility of finishing in the cellar for the second straight season. How has this happened? From: Dave Gruber

Answer: Dave, you’re not the only one who thought that. Several knowledgeable baseball people told me, without me asking, that they thought the Orioles were set up for an extended run.

This is a subject that I know we’ll return to several times during the offseason, but the players the Orioles thought would continue to grow, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, never played as well as they did in 2023.

Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser haven’t played as well as was hoped. Others, Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays, moved on, and their replacements haven’t been as good as they were in their prime years.

The Orioles haven’t developed enough pitching, though the crop in the minors looks promising, and I don’t think the front office did a good job of surrounding the young players with suitable veterans.

After having seasons with few injuries in 2022 and 2023, they’ve had many injuries over the last three seasons.

That’s a brief and somewhat simple summary.

Question: If Collective Bargaining Agreement talks stall and the 2027 season is delayed, do the players under contract get paid? From: TheObxr

Answer: If there’s a lockout, players under contract do not get paid. No transactions involving major league players are permitted. 

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.