Mike Elias, the general manager of the Orioles may be transforming into Jerry Jones – the Dallas Cowboys’ oligarch. What have they done to improve the team? They made one big move last year, trading for Corbin Burnes, and that was a rental. So… what are they doing?
Pitching Overflow
The Orioles have a whole lot of old and non-proven starting pitchers. They have to rely on the newly acquired Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano to lead the pack of young pitchers. The team has embraced the challenge of finding the right pitching group. Have they checked up on the strength of rivals’ pitchers?
I don’t think they’re ready for the task of going toe-to-toe with the Red Sox and Yankees. Not in the slightest.
Big Payroll
The Orioles found themselves near the bottom of league spending last year. Now, they’re right in the middle of the pack at 15th. Big spenders! Kind of…? They’re on track to plummet down to the bottom once again in the 2026 season.
Sure, not signing young players to long-term contracts come with some positives. But this is a business. There are opportunity costs. The team is paying 41-year-old Morton and 35-year-old Sugano a combined $28 million. After a short trip to my calculator, the Yankees are paying all-star pitcher Max Fried a bit north of $27 million. Not very equivalent skillsets.
Cheap, Cheap Man
Alongside Hal Steinbrenner, Orioles owner David Rubenstein is advocating for a salary cap in the MLB. Oh boy. When will we learn this won’t be implemented?
As if being one of the cheapest teams in the league once wasn’t enough, Rubenstein shows that it will be a trend. Doesn’t sound like a man that wants to spend money. That reminds me of someone else in the sports world. Prominent owner Jerry Jones. The man who coined the phrase “we like where we’re at.”
I pray for Orioles fans that this new ownership doesn’t curse them the same way it’s plagued Cowboys fans.
Skates, Spikes, and Sidelines 
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