Early on in the Mike Elias era, the Orioles were widely criticized for not spending money on the major league payroll. The organization and its new GM were brazen about their goals. Winning didn’t matter in the short term, and instead they preferred to focus on developing a “pipeline” of talent that would never run dry. As a result, payroll lagged and the product on the field was rather putrid. But times have changed.
Several moments are converging at once for the Orioles. Most crucially, the team is good. They have posted three straight winning seasons and been to the postseason in back-to-back campaigns.