Reports: A deal has just been finalized between Baltimore Orioles and rivals to trade top experienced pitcher in a blockbuster deal worth….Read more

In their pursuit of improvement following a respectable 2024 campaign, the Baltimore Orioles will face a number of significant decisions as they enter free agency.

In spite of the Orioles’ hot start to the season during the past two years, their success in the regular season has failed to carry over into the postseason. In both the 2023 and 2024 postseason series, the Orioles were unable to secure a victory.

Pitcher Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander are two significant players whose contracts are up for renewal this winter in Baltimore.

The contributions of both players to Baltimore’s victory were substantial. Burnes led the Orioles in victories and was the pitching rotation’s MVP. With 44 home runs, Santander established himself as a top-tier baseball power hitter.

Both will be in great demand as free agency heats up. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer recently speculated on Burnes’s future and said that the New York Mets would be the team to sign him to a seven-year, $210 million contract, bringing him back to the National League.

He mentioned that Burnes may return to Baltimore and that at least five other teams in the major markets would be interested in signing him. On the other hand, Burnes has a former boss in New York who can connect him in a way no one else can.

“The Mets’ front office is headed by David Stearns, a former Brewers general manager, and owner Steve Cohen may have enough money to sign Burnes even if Juan Soto is signed first.”

Despite widespread belief that the Mets will primarily target Juan Soto, a player from the Mets’ crosstown rivals the Bronx, in free agency, the organization still poses a threat to acquire him. But if the Mets don’t get him, they can switch gears and try to snag the top pitcher available.

No amount that Baltimore could pay for the right-handed Cy Young winner would be acceptable to one of baseball’s wealthiest owners, Steve Cohen. The majority of the Mets’ 2024 rotation is about to reach the market, but they’ll also need to add to it.

Another free agent who did a good job for the Mets last season was Sean Manaea. At the head of a rotation, Burnes, though, is a different kind of pitcher. While the Orioles should do all in their power to hold on to their ace, they need also be prepared to deal with the Mets aggressively if they do.