A Look at the Orioles Early 2025 Season

Orioles game from the stands. Image courtesy of Cole Simms.

The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2025 season with confidence. The team added hard hitting outfielder Tyler O’Neill and former Yankee Gary Sanchez to supplement the offense. The rotation added three veterans, with fans having mixed opinions on the haul. Tomoyuki Sugano, who's well regarded over his 12 seasons in Japan, joined the team on a one year deal. He’s looked solid over his first couple of starts in America and could be a key piece of the rotation all year. The O’s also added veterans Charlie Morton and Kyle Gibson to supplement the starting rotation that’s been hit hard by the injury bug early.

Young, core players like Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez began the season on the injured list. Pitchers Albert Suarez, Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, Chayce McDermott and Tyler Wells are all currently on the injured list as well. That’s a full major league 5 man rotation on the shelf.

Though the offseason brought some new names and contributors, the O's also had to part with two of its biggest names. Anthony Santander, who made his MLB debut with the birds back in 2017, signed with the division rival, Toronto Blue Jays, this offseason. Santander didn’t just bring home run power, he brought a positive and uplifting personality to the clubhouse, which is key over a grueling 162-game season filled with ups and downs. Corbin Burnes signed elsewhere as well, joining Arizona for 6 years.

The Orioles bullpen has been mostly solid so far. 6’8” flamethrower Felix Bautista has returned from Tommy John Surgery, and recent acquisitions Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez are off to solid starts out of the ‘pen.

Some fans are worried about the Orioles slow start out of the gate, especially in regard to the shaky results of our starting rotation so far. Ryan Ripken, a former O’s minor leaguer and podcaster wants fans to be patient.

“We have to let things play out. The starting staff will tell you they wish they had more consistent outings, but we really won’t get a sense for the first month or two of the year.”

Ripken is also the son of Hall of Famer and Orioles partial owner Cal Ripken Jr. Ryan played in the Orioles system himself, reaching the leagues highest minor league level before retiring. He says baseball is about patterns and trends.

“I won’t worry until we see a consistent pattern and typically that takes 50-60 games to really assess. If you look around the league, some teams are off to fast starts. However, most teams are still trying to find their footing.”

The Atlanta Braves, a team that’s reached the postseason every year since 2018, went 0-7 to start the year with a seemingly much more healthy roster than the O’s.

There’s a ton to be positive about. The Orioles still have one of the best farm systems in baseball, with prospects like Coby Mayo and Brandon Young waiting in the wings. This will be a season where new people step up and thrive.

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By COLE SIMMS

Staff Writer

Featured image courtesy of Cole Simms