Who will lead the rotation and more offseason questions for O's

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BALTIMORE -- The Orioles expected to be playing in mid-October. They planned on a deep postseason run, not an immediate exit in the American League Wild Card Series, where their 2024 season ended via a sweep by the Royals.

Baltimore is using the extra time to better prepare for the upcoming offseason, which will begin five days after the World Series.

“We want to examine our roster, aspects of the roster and aspects of the market,” general manager Mike Elias said. “One of the unwanted side effects of having an early playoff exit is you do get some time in October to do that more judiciously than had you gone deeper, so I’m going to make use of that.”

Here are five questions facing the O’s.

1. Will they greatly increase their offseason spending?

Baltimore’s first winter under its David Rubenstein-led ownership group may show how the club plans to operate in this new era. In the past, the O’s have been reluctant to spend large amounts of money via big deals. They haven’t signed a free agent to a multi-year contract since Elias was hired in November 2018.

Perhaps the Orioles will become bigger players on the Hot Stove market. They’ll need to be if they hope to bring back either starter Corbin Burnes or outfielder Anthony Santander (or to fill the holes created by those two hitting free agency).

2. Who will be the ace of the rotation in 2025 (and beyond)?

The answer could be Burnes, who recorded a 2.92 ERA over 32 starts after being traded from Milwaukee to Baltimore on Feb. 1. But the 29-year-old is likely to land a significant contract, so the O’s would have to spend large to retain their 2024 ace.

Internal options include Zach Eflin (entering the final year of his contract), Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish (expected back sometime in 2025, following recovery from Tommy John surgery). Or the O’s could explore the free agent/trade markets for a Burnes replacement.

3. How will they generate more offense?

For much of the second half, Baltimore’s bats were inconsistent. The team’s OPS dropped from .764 before the All-Star break to .731 after. Also, the Orioles were heavily dependent on home runs, ranking second in MLB in homers (235) yet only 11th in on-base percentage (.315).

Even if Santander returns after a big season (in which he hit a career-high 44 home runs), the O’s lineup either needs more of a punch or has to find a way to get better results out of the players it already has. The Orioles' offensive woes were on full display when they scored one run across two postseason games.

4. Who’s on first?

Ryan Mountcastle is set to get a raise through arbitration -- MLB Trade Rumors projects he’ll earn $6.6 million in 2025 -- and he was also featured in buzz ahead of the Trade Deadline. Meanwhile, the Orioles will need to decide whether to pick up Ryan O’Hearn’s $8 million club option for next season.

Both could return to Baltimore, or both could be gone. It’s also worth noting that Elias believes infielder Coby Mayo (the O’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall) is “furthest along” at first, despite most of his pro experience coming at third. The 22-year-old could be the club’s future first baseman.

5. Is Jackson Holliday the everyday second baseman?

Holliday had a tough rookie season, hitting .189 with a .565 OPS over 60 games. There were flashes of his potential, but the former top prospect mostly struggled. However, it’s important to remember he was only 20.

The Orioles remain confident that Holliday will become a star. If he takes a step forward during the offseason and Spring Training, he could solidify himself as the starting second baseman heading into his age-21 campaign. If not, the club may need to continue to rely more on Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías in its infield mix.