"Jackson Holliday become Gunnar Henderson" - MLB veteran ponders young stars solving Orioles' issues

As the Baltimore Orioles look to be a competitive force in MLB, the development of young stars like Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson is crucial.

Second baseman Jackson Holliday, the first pick in the 2022 MLB draft, made his major league debut on April 10 against the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, Henderson has already established himself as one of baseball's top shortstops.

On the JM Baseball podcast episode on Monday, host Chris Rose and former Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trevor Plouffe discussed the Orioles' current situation.

"Is it as simple as the Orioles just needed to have a few of those guys just take another step forward," Plouffe said. "Like, if Jackson Holliday becomes Gunnar Henderson, is that like all they actually need?"

"No, that's not all they need," Rose responded. "By the way, (catcher) Adley Rutschman did not have a very good second half."

"Adley, go back to being who you are. Jackson Holliday, become Gunnar Henderson, which is kind of crazy to ask anybody," Plouffe said.

The Baltimore Orioles are struggling this offseason

Although the Baltimore Orioles have successfully brought in players like Gary Sanchez and Tyler O'Neill, they have been struggling as a franchise during the offseason.

They are at risk of losing Anthony Santander as a free agent.

"Gunnar Henderson wasn't great in the second half," Rose said. "I mean, yes, do those guys need to continue to ascend? Absolutely, but that's not it. That's not the end all, be all. And I think that the Orioles so far have been one of the most disappointing teams this offseason."

The Baltimore Orioles lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency on Monday.

"I know you added Gary Sanchez; I know you added Tyler O'Neill," Rose said. "But you are about to lose Santander and you lost a CY Young winner."

Burnes signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks. The deal is the largest in the history of the franchise. Before Burnes' deal, Zack Greinke's six-year, $206.5 million deal signed in December 2015 was the biggest in franchise history.

As the offseason goes on, attention will be on the Baltimore Orioles to see what they do to make their franchise stable while going through the offseason to prepare for the 2025 season.