Jon Meoli is the Baltimore Banner's Orioles columnist. He covered the team for the Baltimore Sun from 2016-2021, and started his own Orioles newsletter, Maximizing Playoff Odds, in 2022. Prior to that, Jon covered the Ravens and community news at the Sun. A Connecticut native, lives in Riverside with his wife, two children and cat.
This is a rare opportunity for a team in its competitive position, and hitting on this could further the Orioles’ long-stated goal of building a perennial contender that’s immune to off years like this.
The slim chance that the team goes on a run and returns to the playoff picture is overshadowed by a singular opportunity to prevent a repeat of the season-opening calamity that tanked 2025.