The Baltimore Orioles had two major offseason needs after a successful, 101-win campaign last year.
One of them was adding an ace, and the other one was finding a proper replacement for injured closer Felix Bautista.
It took a while, but they found ways to fill both holes: they signed Craig Kimbrel to be the closer in Bautista’s absence, and they traded for 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes to lead the rotation.
They made more moves, but those two were basically the ones they needed to make, and they did.
Now, both stars are feeling at home, and their influence in camp has been extremely positive, according to a young star.
“@RutschmanAdley on the addition of veteran pitchers Corbin Burnes and Craig Kimbrel: ‘The way they go about their business is just-top tier… it seems like everyone’s gravitating towards them,’” MLB Network tweeted.
.@RutschmanAdley on the addition of veteran pitchers Corbin Burnes and Craig Kimbrel:
“The way they go about their business is just-top tier… it seems like everyone’s gravitating towards them.”@Orioles | @CliffFloyd30 pic.twitter.com/mwVXdFxBip
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 29, 2024
Adley Rutschman certainly has spent a lot of time with both, because he is their catcher and it’s important to get to know them, their tendencies, and their preferences when pitching.
As one of the faces of the franchise, he is expected to say the right things.
However, it’s not hard to buy what he says.
Kimbrel and Burnes are both consummate professionals with experience and a long track record of success.
Both of them are coming in to fill immediate needs and are perfectly capable of doing that.
The O’s needed someone to close, and brought in someone with 417 career saves and a good 3.26 ERA in 2023.
They also needed an ace, and in Burnes, they got a 3.26-career ERA pitcher who has won a Cy Young as recently as three years ago.
Both will be of great help.
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