AL East Power Rankings after Yankees land Juan Soto and more
By Curt Bishop
2. Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles were the best team in the American League this season by record, winning 101 games. However, they were swept in the ALDS and suffered the same fate as the Rays, watching their season end at the hands of the Rangers.
But their young stars all burst onto the scene at just the right time. Gunnar Henderson won Rookie of the Year after Adley Rutschman was a contender in 2022. Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad are a few other young players who have bright futures and could help the Orioles.
Baltimore signed Craig Kimbrel to be their closer on Wednesday. Their starting rotation definitely needs some work, but pitchers such as Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, and Kyle Bradish took several steps forward. They also have D.L. Hall and Grayson Rodriguez to look forward to in the coming years.
The future is bright in Baltimore, and fans should be excited and encouraged by what they saw from their team this year. But to repeat as AL East champions, they are going to need to add some starting pitching to bolster their rotation.
Dylan Cease could be a pitcher they decide to look into.