In this Sept. 23, 2013, photo, Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis bats during a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. Davis and the Orioles agreed to a $10.35 million deal Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Editor's note: Yahoo Sports will rank every team in Major League Baseball from 30th to 1st before spring training begins in mid-February. Our series continues with the Baltimore Orioles.

2013 record: 85-77

Finish: T-third place, AL East

2013 final payroll: $103.3 million (14th of 30)

Estimated 2014 opening day payroll: $82 million (23rd of 30)

Yahoo Sports offseason rank: 21st

Orioles in six words: Peter Angelos rearing his ugly head











OFFSEASON ACTION

The 2012 Baltimore Orioles, with their impossible record in one-run games, an endlessly turned-over roster handled brilliantly by general manager Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter, and a lockdown bullpen that covered up other deficiencies, were supposed to be the start of something new in the Charm City.



The 2013 Baltimore Orioles, who regressed as expected in those one-run games, actually used the exact same number of players as in 2012 (but with far less fanfare) and featured a middle-of-the-road relief corps, reminded the world that trajectory in the American League East is not always linear and takes year-in, year-out supplementing.

[Also: No. 22 Padres: A club with the potential to surprise ]

Life amid the Bostons and New Yorks and Tampa Bays of the baseball world demands constant action and evolution, and as the Orioles are learning, a great core alone does not guarantee continued glory. Though such a nucleus remains, the Orioles' refusal to come even close to matching their payroll of last season – especially with the influx of cash from a new national TV deal and Camden Yards attendance jumping to its highest point in eight seasons – leaves them vulnerable to an even greater drop-off than last year.

Needs exist for the Orioles, and their cornucopia of itsy-bitsy maneuvers have only inched them in the right direction. Signing Ryan Webb to a two-year deal to shore up their bullpen? Smart. Taking a flier with a 40-man roster spot on Francisco Peguero? Sure. Dealing backup infielder Danny Valencia for backup outfielder David Lough? OK. It's like rubbing Neosporin on a cut, only the Orioles don't have a cut – theirs is a gash that needs stitches.

A number of impactful starting pitchers remain free agents, including Matt Garza, who comes without draft-pick compensation. And yet Baltimore seems compelled to walk into the season with legitimate rotation questions. Kevin Gausman could be the fifth starter, alongside Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris and Wei-Yin Chen, as could Zach Britton, though adding a free agent would show a sense of exigency that decidedly was not there when Baltimore passed on Nelson Cruz to sign Delmon Young to a minor league deal.

It's that lack of urgency, especially from owner Peter Angelos, that makes the Orioles' offseason so frustrating. Trading Jim Johnson to Oakland made sense in a vacuum; a $10 million closer is a luxury. Oakland's approach, though, is that now is its time to win, and when you want to win, you treat yourself to luxuries. Angelos put the kibosh on Johnson's replacement, scuttling an agreed-upon deal for Grant Balfour because of nebulous health concerns and showing once again why so many around the league cast aspersions on Baltimore ownership.

REALITY CHECK

If the Orioles are lucky, two years of success remain before a massive franchise overhaul. They have only two players under contract beyond this season: Webb and center fielder Adam Jones, who's the lone player signed beyond 2015. And while that is a good deal – slightly under market for a personable All-Star at one of the most important positions on the field – it serves as a reminder for the players Baltimore didn't sign.



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