We're nearly two months into the offseason, and some big names are still out there in free agency -- perhaps a few more significant trades are coming, too, once those dominoes fall.
But as the calendar turns, I find myself looking ahead to 2024, studying each team and seeing how they're trying to improve.
For each of the 30 MLB teams, we'll look at one key statistic from 2023 and address what it means for 2024.
We'll start with the American League and tackle the National League on Wednesday.
Baltimore Orioles
The number: 33
That's Felix Bautista's 2023 save total. We could have listed his 1.48 ERA. Or his 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Or even his 8-2 win-loss record. The point is that Bautista dominated until injuring his elbow in late August, and he'll miss all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With Bautista and Yennier Cano leading the way, the Orioles were 30-16 in one-run games and 11-6 in extra-inning games. Bautista wasn't invulnerable: He did blow six save opportunities (only one of which was in extra innings with the automatic runner), so his overall save percentage was a mediocre 85%, and the Orioles ended up losing four of those six games. They were also 80-48 before he was injured (.625 winning percentage) and 21-13 after (.618 winning percentage).
That doesn't mean they won't miss him in 2024. They signed Craig Kimbrel to a one-year contract (with a club option) to presumably take over as the closer and, well ... the problem here is that even if Kimbrel ends up being OK in the regular season, the postseason is another matter. He had an up-and-down season with the Phillies, allowing 10 home runs in 69 innings and going 23-for-28 in save chances. No Phillies fan trusted him entering the playoffs and, sure enough, he lost two games in the NLCS. As the Orioles look to repeat their division title, Kimbrel is an interesting closer to bet on.