Only in the last few weeks of the offseason have the Orioles made any kind of meaningful additions to their club for 2021, with Freddy Galvis signed as the starting shortstop and veterans Félix Hernández and Wade LeBlanc brought in as rotation depth.
But another late-offseason development — the trade of Alex Cobb, with the Orioles covering a majority of his salary while he pitches for the Los Angeles Angels — was more in line with the prevailing view of their winter.
The Orioles’ long-stated goals of trying to amass young talent and turn major league assets into younger, longer-term talents also accomplishes a goal of lowering the team’s payroll bit by bit, and the perception is the Orioles on and off the field have tried to cut costs at every turn ahead of this 2021 season.