The Baltimore Orioles have a farm system brimming with young talent. With so much up-and-coming talent on the way, it's obvious the handful of pending free agents the team has will be making their final postseason run with the O's.
Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutchman, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle, and Grayson Rodriguez will lead the Orioles for years to come as the team awaits the arrival of the 2022 MLB Draft's first-overall pick and the top prospect in MLB, Jackson Holliday. The Orioles will be a team loaded with talent for years to come.
The Orioles are down 2-0 to the Rangers in the ALDS. Tuesday's game might be the final game for the 2023 Orioles, who were the first seed in the playoffs. These results could pose a disappointing offseason for the O's. But the team does have a very bright future.
The Orioles have some talented pending free agents performing in the first and final postseasons with the Baltimore club. Let's discuss those players.
Aaron Hicks is playing in his final postseason with the Orioles
Hicks is playing in the final season of his five-year contract worth $49.43 million. The Yankees released Hicks in May, and he was signed for the remainder of the season by the Orioles a couple of days later.
Since joining the Orioles earlier this summer, Hicks has hit .275/.381/.425 with an OPS of 806. It's a start improvement over the start to the 2023 season he was having with the Yankees. For the Orioles, he had seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 35 runs scored, and 31 RBIs throughout 65 games.
He's also done reasonably well in the ALDS for the Orioles. He's hitting .286/.444/.714 with an OPS of 1.159. He's had two walks and hits, including one home run and five RBI.
Hicks appears to have been served well with a change in scenery away from New York. Given the amount of talent and his pending free agency, Hicks will likely move on from Baltimore but with plenty of fond memories of a well-spent summer.
Kyle Gibson is won't be back with the Orioles
When the Orioles needed a veteran arm to give them innings and strikeouts this season, Gibson was their man.
Gibson was signed to a one-year deal worth $10 million to provide that veteran arm for Baltimore this season. He was 15-9 this season over 33 starts for the Orioles. He had a 4.73 ERA over 192 innings this summer with 157 strikeouts. He has a 27.2 percent strike-over walk rate, which is about average.
Gibson has a curveball as his putaway pitch that averages 79.5 mph with a 63-percent active spin rate and 12 inches of movement. He has a chase rate of 27.8 percent. Gibson has a first-pitch strike rate of 62.5 percent.
Gibson has been in the league for over 11 seasons, and while he has yet to pitch in a postseason game for the Orioles this season, he is a veteran arm who can help a team desperate to get some innings covered by a pitcher who can throw strikes. Veteran pitching is something many teams are searching for this offseason.
While he may be done with the Orioles, as they have several arms in waiting, Gibson will be a person to watch this offseason.
Adam Frazier is good as gone after this season
Since the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Frazier, the talented middle infielder has struggled to stay in one place for very long. In 2021, the Pirates traded him to the San Diego Padres. He was then traded to the Seattle Mariners. After a year in sunny California, Frazier was granted free agency. He signed a one-year deal worth $8 million.
Jordan Westburg was the 30th overall draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft for the Orioles. He is the top second baseman in the Orioles depth chart. Now that Westburg is with the team and Frazier is a free agent after this season, the veteran is likely in his final days with the Orioles.
Frazier was an All-Star the season he spent with the Pirates and Padres in 2021. In 141 games this season, Frazier hit .240/.300/.396 with an OPS of .696 with 21 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 59 runs scored, and 60 RBI. Frazier could be a good option for a team looking for help at second base, and should get some attention this offseason.
Jack Flaherty was a fun idea that didn't work out with Orioles
The Orioles might be ready for the Jack Flaherty experiment to end as soon as possible.
The Orioles traded from their considerable minor-league depth to get a pitcher they believed had some experience that could power them through the final month of the season and a playoff run.
In nine games with the Orioles, Flaherty started seven of the games before being moved to the bullpen. He was 1-3 with an ERA of 6.75 over 34.2 innings. While tossing 42 strikeouts, he gave up seven home runs and 26 earned runs.
Flaherty had a disappointing postseason performance for the Orioles. He pitched two innings of relief Sunday. He gave up two hits, three walks, and one earned run while striking out a batter.
Flaherty was traded to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals for minor leaguers Cesar Prieto, Drew Rom, and Zack Showalter. Rom made his MLB debut with the Cardinals.
The former Cardinals hurler had high hopes for a successful 2023 season as he was heading into free agency this offseason. Some lingering issues hurt a season with so much hope. While Flaherty is not likely to come back to the Orioles, he has to hope for an incentive-laden contract where he can reset and build his arm back up for more innings and strikeouts. Flaherty can only hope to make the best out of a bad situation.
