Orioles hope spending money on scouting, analytics and minor league development can lead to more competitive club in coming yearsGetty Images
Instead of payroll, the Orioles have "opted to focus financially on other areas -- scouting, analytics, minor league development -- to the detriment of the present," but in an "attempt to build a long-term contender," according to Gardner & Kostka of the BALTIMORE SUN. There is an internal belief in the organization that "under the surface is a change of fortune, a revitalization of a franchise" that recently became the lone MLB club to "lose value" in '21. The club "isn't built to win this year," and their lightweight payroll -- about $40M for players currently in the organization -- "reflects that." But the Orioles hope that spending money on "longer-term, sustainable efforts, such as scouting, analytics and the development of minor league players," can lead to a "more competitive club in coming years." Orioles GM Mike Elias said, “The next three years will represent a much clearer reflection of what’s going on beneath the surface.” Meanwhile, the club’s home attendance has "decreased each year" since '14, when the team "averaged 30,806 fans a game." They averaged "just over 10,000 fans a game" in '21 -- including a Camden Yards "low of 4,965 one September night" (BALTIMORE SUN, 4/10).
