Baltimore fans have two very different kinds of anticipation right now, and that split says plenty about where the city’s two big clubs stand.
With the Ravens, the mood is guarded but upbeat. After years of frustration under John Harbaugh, there’s a sense that a younger, defense-first approach can drag the team back toward its roots and make January football feel real again. The constant late-season letdowns that felt like Groundhog Day are supposed to give way to something tougher and cleaner.
The new setup has a lot to do with that feeling. Jesse Minter is in as head coach, Anthony Weaver is the defensive coordinator, and the expectation is that the Ravens will stop bleeding late leads and start getting off the field when it matters.
A pass rush led by Trey Hendrickson, second-year man Mike Green and rookie Zion Young is supposed to look more like a Ravens defense should, and that should help a secondary built around high draft picks. For that to really work, Marlon Humphrey has to come back close to the player he was before a subpar 2025 - even 80 percent of that version would matter.
There are still real questions on offense, though. Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers are the only pass-catchers with much of a track record, and Bateman remains one of the biggest swing pieces on the roster.
If the 26-year-old can match his 2024 production - 45 catches, 756 yards and nine touchdowns - the offense should be in good shape. If not, and if offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and Lamar Jackson let that slip away, that’s on them.
Doyle, 30, doesn’t use a fullback, which means Andrews and the rookie tight ends Josh Cuevas and Mark Hibner have to help carry the load. Hibner is the better athlete and may end up the better receiver, while Cuevas looks more like the traditional H-back type who can help in the run game with his blocking.
Up front, the line should be better with veteran John Simpson at left guard and rookie first-round pick Vega Ioane at right guard. Ethan Pocic, coming back from a torn Achilles, is expected to win the center job over Corey Bullock if he’s healthy.
And at kicker, Tyler Loop’s rookie season wasn’t clean, but the belief is he can mentally move past the 44-yarder in Pittsburgh that would have sent the Ravens to the playoffs. Still, a few more misses and the pressure will be on.
Rookie punter Ryan Eckley will draw plenty of attention too, especially because of his role as a holder, but the organization is confident it vetted him carefully.
The Ravens open the season at Indianapolis against the Colts on Sept. 13, and that’s a date fans are already circling.
The Orioles are a much tougher sell.
A late push is possible, but only in the loosest sense. The real conversation is about how president of baseball operations Mike Elias and ownership can give a restless fan base something to believe in for 2027, because exciting baseball has been in short supply since June 2024.
Owner David Rubenstein does not appear interested in cleaning house in the front office. But if another season goes sideways and the club still hasn’t figured it out by next September, Elias will be staring at serious heat.
The path back to relevance is messy and uncertain. With little minor league help on the immediate horizon, it likely comes down to spending, some internal growth and a good dose of luck.
Health is the biggest piece of that luck. Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley have to be available if the bullpen is going to have a real back end again.
Jordan Westburg needs to get back and produce right away, and he still has to settle in at third base. If Tommy John surgery pushes him to second, Jackson Holliday could move to third or shortstop, with Gunnar Henderson locked in at the hot corner.
Trevor Rogers is another major issue. The Orioles need to re-sign him, and the argument here is that it should be treated as non-negotiable if they want to solidify the rotation for 2027 and beyond. Elias has finally come around to the importance of pitching, but a system loaded with arms at High-A and Double-A doesn’t exactly light up a fan base looking for something to anticipate.
The outfield, meanwhile, is a problem. Taylor Ward didn’t bring the power he was supposed to.
Colton Cowser gives the club strong, even spectacular defense in center field, but not much else. Dylan Beavers remains hard to pin down, showing flashes and then drifting into weak contact.
Tyler O’Neill has one year left on a three-year, $49.5 million deal that has not aged well.
None of Beavers, Cowser or O’Neill should be viewed as locked-in regulars right now, which points straight toward free agency and trades as the way out of the mess.
And even that comes with a caveat. With the collective bargaining agreement still unsettled, there’s no guarantee there will even be a season to look forward to next year.
In Other News...
Gunnar Henderson Has Become A Worrying Sign For The Orioles
Gunnar Henderson has been one of the faces of the Orioles young core, so any hint of regression lands with extra weight in Baltimore. MLB Network analyst Dan ODowd recently raised alarms about Hendersons direction, pointing to a decline in both his hitting and defense since the 2025 All-Star break and framing it as more than a temporary slump. For a team built around internal development, concerns like that naturally spill beyond one player and into the broader question of how the Orioles are shaping their talent.
ODowd went a step further by suggesting the organization, under Mike Elias, may not be getting the most out of Hendersons ability. He even floated the idea that the shortstop could be traded by 2027, while also recommending changes to the developmental setup, including bringing in Bill Ripken as an infield coordinator and perhaps involving Buck Showalter in some role. Whether Baltimore takes any of that seriously is another matter, but the conversation underscores how important Henderson remains to the franchises future and how quickly expectations can shift when a cornerstone player starts to look off track. [Read more 🡒]
Gunnar Henderson Might Finally Have The Fix Orioles Fans Needed
Gunnar Hendersons recent slide had become one of the quieter concerns around Camden Yards, especially for a lineup that leans on him to help set the tone. So the sight of Pete Alonso spending time with Henderson in practice, working through batting mechanics and zeroing in on lower-half posture and hip stability, offered a different kind of development for Orioles fans to track. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes tweak that can matter as much as any box score, particularly when a young hitter is trying to regain the timing that made him one of the clubs most important bats.
What makes the collaboration notable is the source of the advice, with Alonso drawing on his own experience to help Henderson sort out the issues that have made fastballs such a stubborn problem this season. Henderson has shown signs of improvement lately after the prolonged slump, but the work points to a more specific fix than a simple hot streak. For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: if the changes hold, the Orioles might finally be getting closer to the version of Henderson they have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Fill Key Bullpen Need
Luis De Len has become one of the more interesting arms in the Orioles system this summer, and not just because of his prospect status. Baltimore is moving him into a relief role at Triple-A Norfolk, a shift that gives the organization a chance to see whether his stuff can translate quickly to a bullpen setting and possibly help fill a need later in the season.
De Len already made his first relief appearance recently, and he has impressed in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, which is why the transition is worth watching closely. Manager Craig Albernaz has been upbeat about De Lens talent and what he could bring to the club, and if the adjustment keeps going well, the Orioles may have found a candidate for the bullpen without having to look far outside the system. [Read more 🡒]