MLB Rumors Yadi 'manager in waiting', O's shock baseball, Yankees blockbusters

After years of being in the cellar of the AL East and MLB entirely, most fans knew that a massive upswing coming for the Baltimore Orioles. It just happened to arrive far sooner than many expected as the O's soared to the top of the division and the best record in the American League.

Of course, that didn't translate into postseason success but, for a young team, that appears like the obvious next step. And one MLB insider is predicting that the Orioles make big moves to ensure that bright future this offseason.

Rather than making a big splash free agency signing or trade (though the latter is certainly a possibility), Jim Bowden of The Athletic ($) recently made some predictions for signings and trades this offseason and had the Orioles keeping the heart of their young core intact.

Namely, Bowden predicted that the Orioles would sign both Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson to major extensions this offseason -- and that the Angelos family would set a season ticket record for the number sold for the 2024 season.

Of the predictions that Bowden made, this is among the most tame and believable. Rutschman was phenomenal all season, slashing .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs and 31 doubles while driving in 80 runs. Henderson, who played in 150 games this season, was even better with a slash line of .255/.325/.489 with 28 homers, 29 doubles, 9 triples and 82 RBI. Both were also phenomenal defensively.

If the Orioles can make the money work -- which there should be no limit for these two players -- expect Baltimore to make good on this prediction and lock up their young duo of stars for the long, long haul.