At this time last year, the Baltimore Orioles were one of the best stories in baseball — a young, hungry team that had clawed their way from laughingstock status to legitimate AL contenders. After back-to-back 100-loss seasons not that long ago, the O’s looked like they were building something special.

Fast forward to April 2025, and the optimism has given way to serious concern. At the time this is being written, the Orioles are sitting at 10-15, dead last in a brutally tough AL East, and frankly, they look nothing like the team we all expected to take the next big step toward a championship.

So what exactly has gone wrong?

A High-Powered Offense… That’s Still in the Hangar

If there was one thing you could feel confident about heading into the 2025 season, it was Baltimore’s offense. With a lineup full of young, homegrown stars — names like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jordan Westburg — the Orioles were supposed to mash.

Instead? They’ve been ice cold out of the gate:

• 24th in team batting average (.223)
• 25th in on-base percentage (.296)
• 2nd to last in total hits — barely ahead of the rebuilding White Sox.

Outside of Cedric Mullins, Ramón Urías, and Ryan O’Hearn, no one in the lineup is hitting north of .235. In fact, the Orioles might have hit rock bottom on April 20th, when they suffered a 24-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds — one of the worst losses in recent MLB history. They followed that up by dropping a series to the Washington Nationals, including getting shut out 7-0.

This isn’t just a slump. This is a full-on offensive identity crisis.

Sure, losing Anthony Santander‘s production in free agency has hurt, but there’s still way too much firepower in this lineup to be this bad.

The Pitching Staff is in Shambles

And if you thought the offense was a problem…the pitching has been even worse.

We knew there would be questions after the Orioles chose not to re-sign ace Corbin Burns this offseason. But few people expected it to unravel this badly:

• Worst team ERA in baseball (5.25)
• 2nd-worst WHIP — just barely better than the Rockies (who at least have the excuse of pitching half their games at altitude in Coors Field) (1.54)
• 28th in earned runs allowed
• Dead last in team strikeouts

There’s no sugarcoating it: this rotation and bullpen are getting lit up almost nightly.

The Orioles have been desperate for someone to step up and stabilize things, but so far, no one has grabbed the reins. When you’re giving up crooked numbers and your bats aren’t hitting, you’re going to lose a lot of games — and that’s exactly what’s happening.

A Frustrating Offseason Comes Back to Haunt Them

It’s easy to understand why Orioles fans are frustrated. Baltimore had the chance this past offseason to build on their success, to make a serious push toward a World Series — and instead, they sat on their hands.

While teams around them loaded up to compete (the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays all made splashy moves), the Orioles seemed content to let their young talent carry the load. That strategy might have worked if everyone took a step forward. Instead, the lack of aggressive upgrades has been glaring — both in the lineup and especially on the mound.

And here’s the hard truth: World Series champions don’t have quiet offseasons.

When you’re that close — when your team is knocking on the door — you have to kick it open.

The Orioles needed to be bold. They needed to invest in pitching depth. They needed another big bat. Instead, they bet that internal growth would be enough.

Through the first month of the season, that bet looks like a losing one.

The Good News? There’s Time — But the Urgency Must Be Real

The Orioles still have a ton of talent. There’s a reason expectations were so high — and that core is still intact. Mullins, Henderson, Rutschman, Holliday and Westburg can get this thing back on track.

But if the front office doesn’t recognize the need for reinforcements — especially on the pitching side — this season could spiral quickly.

You can’t sit still in today’s AL East. Everyone around you is improving. And if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind.

The Orioles were supposed to be taking that next step in 2025 — not just into the postseason, but toward a World Series. Right now, they’re not even out of the starting gate.

The message should be clear: You can’t coast your way to a championship. You have to build like you mean it.

And Baltimore’s slow start is a painful reminder of just how quickly momentum can slip away if you don’t.