MLB offseason preview: American League Wild Card exits

Baltimore Orioles:

The Orioles built upon their success last season, finishing 2024 with a 91-71 record during the regular season. Sadly, the postseason was deja vu. A year after they were booted in the first round by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, they were dealt the same fate at the hands of the upstart Kansas City Royals.

Thankfully for the O’s, their infield should look the same next season. Incumbents Adley Rutschman (catcher), Ryan Mountcastle (first base), Jackson Holliday (second base), Gunnar Henderson (shortstop) and Jordan Westburg (third base) remain under contract for 2025.

Rutschman did not have the type of season many were expecting, with a .709 OPS after tallying a .808 mark combined in the two years prior. Backup James McCann will be a free agent this offseason, so they may look to add catcher depth.

Cedric Mullins and Colten Cowser remain implanted in the outfield, but there will be one Anthony Santander-sized hole to fill as the 40-home-run-bat is set to test out free agency and figures to land a sizeable deal. They do have Heston Kjerstad who can fill in, but the club will need to look to the free agency market to sign at least one outfielder.

On the pitching end, the Orioles have two starting pitchers set to reach free agency: Ace Corbin Burnes and veteran lefty John Means. The team will likely push hard to retain Burnes and his 2.92 ERA - after all, Cy Young Award winners don’t grow on trees.

For Means, having undergone two Tommy John surgeries that have put a halt on an otherwise promising career, he’s likely pitched his last innings with the club. With his injury history, the decision to let him walk will be an easy one, albeit sentimental, as he is one of the few holdovers from the team’s rebuild.

Look for the team to add greatly to their starting five this offseason.

Houston Astros:

2024 was supposed to signal the start of a rebuild for the Astros, but they still won 88 games in the regular season with a less talented roster than in years prior.

They were eliminated in the first round by the red-hot Detroit Tigers. The Astros have multiple impending big-name free agents on their hands, so they enter the offseason with far more questions than answers.

With these stars likely on the way out, it’s possible that 2025 will be the first step in the team’s rebuild.

The ‘Stros will have trouble replacing their third baseman, Alex Bregman. Bregman has been a part of the two World Series-winning Astros teams of the past decade, and to say he was a big contributor would be an understatement.

In nine years with the club, Bregman never posted an OPS south of .768, which came this year, during which he still clubbed 26 home runs and hit 18% better than the league average according to OPS+. Bregman will demand a large contract, and with the Astros looking to decrease their payroll, his return may be a long shot.

The club will focus on finding his successor.

Outfielders Ben Gamel and Jason Heyward are also free agents but were depth options to begin with, so their departures won’t be greatly missed.

The departures that will, without a doubt, be missed, are those of rotation mates Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander. Kikuchi, a trade deadline pickup who required multiple highly-regarded prospects to acquire, pitched to a sterling 2.70 ERA in 10 starts with the club.

Future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander had a far rougher go of it in 2024, with his near-career-worst ERA of 5.48, but the club may bank on that being just a blip in the radar in his otherwise-unbelievable career.

In the bullpen, lefty Caleb Ferguson and righties Kendall Graveman and Héctor Neris require replacements.

Don’t be surprised if the Astros fail to make a big splash this offseason.

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.