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World Series, this is the Orioles.
Baltimore goes to the World Series.
After not appearing in the World Series in 41 years and going 10 years without even winning a postseason game, the Orioles are gearing up for that magical season.
Spring training doesn't start for another 10 days, but considering the week the Orioles just went through, there's no reason to believe they won't play until November.
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They won 101 games last season and dominated the American League East, and signed a new ownership deal on Tuesday, and the Milwaukee Brewers announced Thursday night that the Cy Young Award winner and three-time All-Star will be joining the team on Thursday night. Acquired pitcher Corbin Burnes.
Barnes is exactly what the Orioles needed, a legitimate ace in the top five starters in baseball. The player has finished in the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting in each of the past four seasons, pitching an average of 188 innings and striking out 226 batters over the past three years, striking out a ball every five days. ing.
“Corbin was nothing but a warrior for us,” Brewers GM Matt Arnold said. “He's been great in every way, pitching in games that mattered to us, getting the ball all the time, just being a winner. I'm excited for him and his opportunities going forward.”
The trade was a stroke of genius for Orioles GM Mike Elias, who is copying the blueprint left by his former manager during their time together in Houston.
Under former GM Jeff Luhnow, the Astros lost 106, 107 and 111 games in consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2013.
They reached the postseason for the first time in 2015 with a young core of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer and Alex Bregman. Then in the summer of 2017, Luhnow finally decided it was the right time to trade the prospect and go for it. They acquired ace Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers as three of their top 11 prospects.
Two months later, they were World Series Champions.
Then, three months after winning their first World Series, they struck again, this time sending four players to the Pittsburgh Pirates for ace Gerrit Cole. They returned to the World Series two years later, then again in 2021 and 2022.
They built a dynasty in the heart of Texas, winning the American League four times, winning the World Series twice and advancing to the ALCS in seven consecutive seasons.
In 2018, when Elias took over as GM, the Orioles lost 115 games. He continued his losing streak, losing 108 and 110 games over the next two seasons. They finally had a winning season in 2022 and surprised everyone last year by winning the AL East championship with the kiddie squad led by Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.
Elias decided it was time to tackle the carotid artery.
They traded for a legitimate No. 1 starter.
They too got their lovers without compromising their future or present.
Sure, rookie infielder Joey Ortiz is a good defensive player and will probably win a Gold Glove someday, but there's no room for him to become an everyday player in the Orioles' stacked infield. There wasn't.
Left-handed pitcher DL Hall was a great addition to the Orioles' bullpen, but he didn't start right away or even settle into the back end of the bullpen.
In fact, perhaps the most painful loss for the Orioles was giving up No. 34, a competitive balance pick.th Given the way he struck gold in recent drafts, he'll likely be the overall pick in this summer's draft.
The Orioles would happily trade all of that to hang a World Series flag at Camden Yards. The new ownership is basking in the sun accepting the trophy on stage with Commissioner Rob Manfred as confetti flies from the warehouse at night.
As for the Brewers, well, you guessed it.
One minute later, they're telling the world they're committed to winning the National League Central division again, playing in the big leagues while signing rookie Jackson Choriot and a free agent first baseman. He previously signed a record eight-year, $82 million contract. Signed Reece Hoskins to a two-year, $34 million contract.
Next, they're selling the present for the future, taking Burns' $15.637 million contract off the books and saving about $14 million.
“The reality of our situation is we had one year left with Corbin,” Arnold said. “I think Corbin has been pretty public about this being his last year as a Brewer.”
It's true that Barnes made no attempt to hide his anger when the Brewers took him to salary arbitration a year ago, but he has since taken a turn and hired Scott to represent him when he becomes a free agent this winter. I hired Boras.
The Brewers, who are in baseball's smallest market, had no intention of winning the race for Barnes (at least until the Oakland Athletics moved to Las Vegas).
So the Brewers replaced Barnes with Hall, giving Hall a chance to earn a starting spot this spring and acquiring a future shortstop by releasing Willie Adams as a free agent after the season, unless they trade him. become. beginning.
“I don't think of this as any kind of reconstruction at all,” Arnold said. “In fact, we think this will be useful now and in the future.”
But let's be honest here: When was the last time a team traded away their ace and it turned out to be a coup?
Remember, the Tigers traded Verlander and acquired three valuable prospects, but they haven't made the postseason in a decade. The Pirates really liked the package they received for Cole in 2018. That was the last season they had a winning record. Philadelphia traded away Curt Schilling in 2000 and watched as he helped lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to the 2001 World Series and twice finished runner-up in Cy Young Award voting. Boston traded ace Jon Lester to Oakland in 2014, but 10 years later, they still haven't replaced him.
“We understand that there will be some pain,” Arnold said. “This is not an easy decision for us.”
Of course, the Brewers are in the best division to remain competitive. No one is talented enough to run away with the National League Central title. But it's a big blow for a team that has reached the postseason five of the past six years, lost manager Craig Counsell to the Chicago Cubs and non-tendered injured No. 2 starter Brandon Woodward. .
The Brewers' pain is the Orioles' gain, with Elias saying just last week that he wouldn't make a trade unless it was “the right deal, the right fit, the right trade.”
They talked with the Chicago White Sox about ace Dylan Schiess, who has two years of franchise control rights, but stopped short of making an offer that would tempt the White Sox. They talked to dozens of free agent starters, but weren't willing to make a $325 million bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, $200 million for Blake Snell and $175 million for Jordan Montgomery. I had no intention of spending it.
Perhaps a year from now, with new owners led by private equity mogul David Rubenstein, their spending habits may change. For now, with Peter Angelos' family still at the helm, adding just $15 million to his payroll would bring it to nearly $100 million, the most since 2018, but that's a bold move. What a great decision.
Still, the Orioles may end up laughing all the way to the shore. They have perhaps the most exciting young team in the American League and should draw 2.5 million fans for the first time since 2005.
They could have a strong rotation with Barnes, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, John Means and Dean Kremer, as well as Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin.
And they still have the No. 1 prospect in baseball in Jackson Holiday, along with four other top-100 prospects.
They have their own dynastic qualities.
See you in October.
It might even be in November.
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