Every spring, as teams take the field for the first time in their current iteration, scouts from every other Major League Baseball organization disperse around Florida and Arizona to see how a squad looks in real life rather than on paper.

They spend the winter analyzing the moves each team makes. But once spring training arrives, there is a better understanding of how players will jell with a new team, or which pitcher is throwing a new pitch, or which lineups really have the potential to become dangerous.

The Banner spoke with six scouts from opposing clubs to take stock of the Orioles’ strengths and weaknesses. The scouts, from both the National League and American League, spent time studying Baltimore this spring. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly analyze the state of an opposing team’s roster.

As it is for many teams this time of year, there are as many potential strengths as possible weaknesses. In time, injuries or underperformance may combine to diminish Baltimore’s success, as they did last year. Or certain players can pop and the Orioles could meld into a juggernaut.

“They had a year last year where everything that could have gone wrong seemed to, whether it was injuries or underperformance,” said one American League scout. “They tried to address some of this stuff.”

Whether the changes work or not can’t be known until the season is over. But scouts do their best to prepare for every outcome, and in this story, they detail the strengths and weaknesses they see from Baltimore’s roster.

“There’s a really high ceiling to the team,” one National League scout said, “and maybe not a terribly low floor.”

Strength: Starting rotation depth

All six scouts credited the work the Orioles did to improve the depth of the starting rotation. There was more variance in how much of a strength the rotation is without the addition of a clear frontline starter, but there is no denying this group of starters is stronger than the one Baltimore assembled last season.

“Injuries happen, but I think they’ve beefed themselves up a lot in that department,” said a second American League scout.

The Orioles view left-hander Trevor Rogers and right-hander Kyle Bradish as clearly high-end pitchers, but some of the scouts have concerns about Rogers’ ability to replicate anything close to his 2025 performance, when he produced a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts.

That has to do with Rogers relying on control more than “stuff” — scout speak for high-end movement and velocity. Bradish has the stuff to be a key piece of any staff. Right-hander Shane Baz has great stuff and, at 26, he’s still improving. But if Rogers’ command is off, he’s susceptible to hard contact.

One of the American League scouts said Bradish would be a “two or a really good number three” on a championship team. That scout also buys into the belief that Baz will improve and Rogers can maintain an ERA in the 3.00s.

Still, “if Rogers, Bradish and Baz are a legit top three, stay healthy and perform, that’s an above-average top of the rotation,” a second National League scout said. “And the other guys at the back end are probably above average or solid back-end starters, so overall, the rotation has the potential to be a strength.”

The “other guys” are Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin. Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and Brandon Young are waiting in Triple-A. Prospects such as Trey Gibson aren’t that far off.

But there is more concern about the top end of the rotation.

“They don’t have an ace. I could argue they don’t have a two, either. But they do have a lot of threes, fours, fives and sixes,” a third National League scout said. “I do think that’s a strength, though, and a lot of teams would be begging to have that, so I don’t want to discredit what they’ve done there in that sense, because at the end of the day, baseball is a game of attrition and you’re going to need seven to 10 starting pitchers to get through a season, and they have that this year.”

One of the National League scouts noted that the New York Yankees and other American League East contenders may have better rotations than the Orioles, even though Baltimore upgraded the group.

“Everyone else in the division has a better frontline guy, and that doesn’t mean that Bradish or Baz couldn’t get there,” that scout said. “It’s a good rotation that could have some upside. … I think it’s more of a deep rotation than a frontline rotation. You need depth, though.”

Strength: Lineup power

This was not an area of weakness before, but signing first baseman Pete Alonso and trading for outfielder Taylor Ward certainly make it a massive strength.

“That’s literally 70 home runs right there, give or take,” one of the National League scouts said. Alonso crushed 38 homers last year. Ward hit 36. As they join a lineup that already includes Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, there is plenty of promise, even if some of those players had down seasons last year.

“Any time somebody like Alonso comes in, that should lengthen your lineup, it should take some pressure off Gunnar,” a National League scout said. “There are certainly ifs with some complementary pieces on the roster, but they’re complementary pieces with some real upside.”

And Alonso’s presence is about more than just the long balls he hits.

“Alonso is going to be really, really, really good for the guys in that lineup,” one of the American League scouts said. “I think he’s going to help the younger guys like [Coby] Mayo, Cowser, Basallo. One thing I really, really like about seeing him and watching him is, have you ever noticed how much he talks to guys when he’s on deck or coming back? I think that’s going to translate a lot to some of their success.”

Rutschman and Cowser, particularly, didn’t perform at a high level last year. But if they can replicate something closer to their old form to add to the production from Alonso, Ward and Henderson, one of the National League scouts said, the Orioles’ lineup has the potential to help them win a division title.

“They’ve got to avoid injuries like last year and the guys have to perform,” that scout said. “But I think that’s definitely realistic.”

Some of the supplemental pieces to keep an eye on are Dylan Beavers and Basallo. One American League scout called Beavers “Kyle Tucker-lite,” and that scout said Basallo has work to do on his plate discipline, “but when he connects, not many guys can hit the ball as hard as he can.”

All things considered, there is optimism that the lineup will develop into a formidable group.

Weakness: Defense

The absence of Jordan Westburg at third base is a blow, multiple scouts said. Mayo may grow into an average defensive third baseman, but Westburg is a particularly strong fielder.

Around the diamond, Baltimore doesn’t have many strong fielders. Many of them are average defenders. Henderson, at shortstop, could be above average, another scout said, but there aren’t any others. Even Rutschman, who is a good game-caller and manager behind the plate, hasn’t impressed with his arm and therefore doesn’t crack into the category of the best defensive catchers.

“It’s the weakness for me, and honestly, it’s across the board,” a National League scout said. “To me, they do not have a plus defender at any position, at all.”

“The biggest, most obvious weakness for me is I think it’s going to be a bottom-10 defensive team,” another National League scout said.

Advanced metrics indicated that was the case last year, too. The Orioles finished the year with -23 outs above average, per FanGraphs, and -22.2 defensive wins above replacement. Alonso has never graded well defensively at first. The outfield configuration is a cause for concern, too, with Cowser in center and Ward, Beavers and Tyler O’Neill in the corners.

“Maybe there’s something to playing in the AL East,” the second National League scout said. “You play in a lot of hitters’ parks. The ball will be going over the fence; outfield defense matters less. I would hear that argument. But it speaks to kind of the weirdness of the roster.”

One potential solution later in the season, an American League scout said, would be to call up Enrique Bradfield Jr. as a defensive-minded center fielder. That would allow Cowser to play in a corner, where the scouts agreed he is a plus defender.

Weakness: Bullpen

The Orioles may have little to fear about the ninth inning after signing right-hander Ryan Helsley to be their closer. There are more questions around innings six, seven and eight. The high-leverage arms — those who inherit slim leads or men on base — are still up in the air, too.

“Heading into the season with a lot of relative unknowns, it’s fair to say it’s an area they can still improve or upgrade,” a National League scout said. “It’s a softer weakness, but it’s still a weakness.”

One American League scout is bullish that right-hander Yennier Cano will rediscover his best performances on the mound, and in doing so, will solve some problems. Plus, right-hander Andrew Kittredge’s shoulder inflammation doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue. Once he returns (Kittredge said he expects his injured list stint to last about 15 days from the beginning of the season), Baltimore will have another reliable setup man.

But just about everything else is to be determined, which the scouts pointed out isn’t unusual for bullpens at this time of the year. Will left-hander Grant Wolfram throw enough strikes to be valuable? Can southpaws Dietrich Enns and Keegan Akin get left-handed hitters out at a better rate? Will right-hander Jackson Kowar flourish with his big fastball in a new environment?

The presence of right-hander Tyler Wells, at least, is reassuring. No matter what role Wells has held in his career, be it as a starter, long reliever or high-leverage arm, he has succeeded.

The team has had success rolling with a group that includes some question marks.

“They’ve been able to take scrappy guys and have them turn out career, one WAR-type seasons,” said one of the National League scouts.

Weakness: Positional flexibility

The trade to acquire Blaze Alexander from the Arizona Diamondbacks was made, in part, to address this. The Orioles needed a utility fielder. Instead, with the short-term injury to Jackson Holliday and the longer-term injury to Westburg, Alexander will play an everyday role, likely at second base, and the bench versatility takes a hit.

“It’s a very clunky roster position-wise, but the top end of it is very much competitive,” a National League scout said. “You can see that offense clicking to be an offense that wins a division. I think the issue sort of comes up, if and when injuries happen, how do you backfill?”

One of those backfill options, infielder Luis Vázquez, broke his thumb this week and will be out for a considerable chunk of time. The Orioles don’t have a reliable backup shortstop, although Alexander can play there. Jeremiah Jackson and Weston Wilson are versatile options but don’t play any infield or outfield position at a high level.

And carrying Ryan Mountcastle, another right-handed-hitting first baseman, on the roster is potentially limiting the team’s defensive versatility. The Orioles shopped Mountcastle in potential trade deals but one hasn’t materialized, as The Athletic reported.

This goes hand-in-hand with concerns over Baltimore’s overall team defense. The return of Holliday, though, will assuage the issue, allowing Alexander to be the plug-in player he was meant to be.