Report: Orioles expected to increase payroll in 2025

Report: Orioles expected to increase payroll in 2025

After entering the season with high expectations, coming off a 101-win campaign with an increased payroll, the Baltimore Orioles suffered another early postseason exit this week, getting swept in two games by the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card round.

Baltimore, infamously known for having a lower payroll relative to the rest of their peers, is reportedly expected to see another bump financially heading into the 2025 season, team executive Mike Elias told reporters Thursday.

Elias said he’s “pretty confident” payroll will increase. But will be smart #orioles

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) October 3, 2024

The Orioles’ total team payroll still ranked in the bottom-third (No. 22) across baseball at $109.8 million, nearly $58 million below MLB average ($167.5M), according to Spotrac. Though they were dead-last across MLB in payroll in 2020-22 with the second-lowest in 2023, so good progress was made last offseason entering 2024.

Baltimore will have an MLB-most 15 players that are arbitration eligible this offseason, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Among those eligible are star catcher Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle and Trevor Rogers, who the team dealt for ahead of the trade deadline.

Multiple key players–such as Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander–are expected to reach free agency after making over $26 combined million in 2024. While both players are entering their 30s, it’s difficult to imagine Elias not retaining at least one of Burnes or Santander, let alone both. They are coming off a 91-season despite injuries hammering the rotation, where they ranked No. 3 and 4 on the team in fWAR, respectively.

Not all owners think this way, but Baltimore owes it to their fanbase to keep this team competitive in 2025. That doesn’t mean retaining their current core–but potentially adding more to it, specifically in the rotation and to the back of their bullpen, even though the offense didn’t perform to expectation in October for the second straight year.

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