The Baltimore Orioles took a bold approach this offseason in crafting their bullpen, opting to trade away seasoned relievers for promising prospects. Initially, the signings of Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge seemed to set a solid foundation. However, the strategy of relying on minimal additions and hoping for good health has quickly backfired with Keegan Akin’s injury in the final days of spring training.
As the season kicks off, the Orioles find themselves with a bullpen that includes only two relievers, Helsley and Yennier Cano, who have pitched a full season in the last five years. Both are former All-Stars, but they’re coming off challenging seasons with ERAs of 5.12 and 4.50, respectively. It's not the reassuring performance you’d hope for from your bullpen anchors.
The rest of the bullpen is a patchwork of players who faced the waiver wire last year. While the unpredictable nature of relievers means anyone could emerge as a standout, banking on multiple comeback seasons is a risky gamble. This approach leaves the Orioles with a bullpen dependent on several players having career-best performances to stay competitive.
Every team has its "ifs"-those pivotal factors that could swing a season. For the Yankees, it's about Aaron Judge’s health, a reasonable bet given his track record.
For the Orioles, the "ifs" are numerous and daunting: they need multiple pitchers to outperform their history and veterans to rebound from subpar seasons. That’s a tall order.
By design, the Orioles have given themselves little room for error, and that margin has already shrunk. If their collection of underdog pitchers doesn't exceed expectations, they could find themselves losing many close games.
In such scenarios, it won’t be fair to blame individual pitchers like Jackson Kowar for late-game homers. Instead, the responsibility falls on the front office for constructing a bullpen that leaves manager Craig Albernaz with limited options in critical moments.