The 2014 Baltimore Orioles were terrific. They had a fantastic year overall and ended up with the best overall record heading into the playoffs. Despite missing Matt Weiters and Manny Machado to season ending injuries they team kept on. Nelson Cruz was the biggest surprise. The gamble the Orioles took on him definitely paid off. He was one of the best hitters in baseball in 2014. He carried the team when they needed him. The Chris Davis suspension hurt the team some. During the playoffs had they had him, along with Machado and Weiters, they would have gone further. 

Guaranteed Contracts via MLB Trade Rumor

Adam Jones, OF: $62MM through 2018
J.J. Hardy, SS: $40MM through 2017 (includes $2MM buyout of $14MM club option for 2018, option can vest)
Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: $38.75MM through 2017
Suk-min Yoon, SP: $4.15MM through 2016
Ryan Webb, RP: $2.75MM through 2015
Dylan Bundy, SP: $1.245MM through 2015

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via Matt Swartz) MLB Trade Rumors

Alejandro De Aza, OF (5.139): $5.9MM projected salary
Matt Wieters, C (5.129): $7.9MM
Steve Pearce, 1B/OF (5.116): $2.2MM
Bud Norris, SP (5.068): $8.7MM
Tommy Hunter, RP (5.066): $4.4MM
Chris Davis, 1B (5.061): $11.8MM
Brian Matusz, RP (4.156): $2.7MM
Chris Tillman, SP (3.113): $5.4MM
Miguel Gonzalez, SP (3.107): $3.7MM
Ryan Flaherty, IF (3.000): $1MM
Zach Britton, RP (2.158): $3.2MM
Non-tender candidate: De Aza

Contract Options MLB Trade Rumors

Nick Markakis, OF: $17.5MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Nick Hundley, C: $5MM club option, no buyout
Wei-Yin Chen, SP: $4.75MM club option with a $372K buyout
Darren O’Day, RP: $4.25MM club option with a $400K buyout

Nick Markakis, Nick Hundley both had their options declined making them costless agents. Darren O'Day and Wei-Yin Chen had the options picked up. 

Costless Agents according to MLB Trade Rumors


Alexi Casilla, Nelson Cruz, Kelly Johnson, Andrew Miller, Johan Santana, Joe Saunders, Delmon Young
 

The team needs for the Baltimore Orioles are a designated hitter and a back up catcher. Nelson Cruz was the designated hitter and he's a costless magnet. The Orioles top priorities are to resign Cruz and Markakis. Markakis has had contract talks on a long term deal with the Orioles. Nelson Cruz should be and Ned's to be resigned. The designated hitter market isn't very good this offseason. By resigning him they'll reassure that spot. Finally, they need a backup catcher. Matt Weiters does the majority of catching however they still need one in case of another injury to Weiters. Someone like a Wil Nieves would be a good fit. He's a veteran backup that wouldn't cost that much. 

The team is headed in the right direction. They've now proved that they can be a playoff caliber team. They will be getting some superstars back and healthy. That's the key for them in 2015 if they want to win it all. The American League East was unusual this year. Normally it's tough, but in 2014 the Orioles easily ran way with the division. In 2015, expect a much tougher division. It would be interesting to see how the Orioles do with a tougher division. Will they sink or swim? 

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About the author
Missy Metz
Hello, my name is Missy. Hopefully you enjoy reading my articles! You can follow me on twitter or google plus. I am a Tampa native.