Buck Showalter and his Orioles were unable to get over the hump in 2014.
Buck Showalter and his Orioles were unable to end their Series drought in 2014. (USATSI)

Thanks to a 96-66 regular season record, the Orioles won their first AL East title since 1997 by a comfortable 12 games in 2014. They swept the Tigers in the ALDS before getting swept by the Royals in the ALCS. Time to look back at their season.

What went right

A late-offseason one-year, $8 million contract for Nelson Cruz paid huge dividends as he swatted an MLB-leading 40 home runs with a 140 OPS+. Adam Jones had yet another strong year in center field and Steve Pearce was a force (160 OPS+) in roughly a half-season's worth of at-bats. The fivesome of Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris and Kevin Gausman all had solid to excellent seasons in the rotation. Gausman's emergence in particular stands out.

As usual, Buck Showalter's bullpen was very good, with Zach Britton taking over as closer and replacing Jim Johnson with ease. GM Dan Duquette acquired Andrew Miller at the trade deadline and the southpaw was a dominant late-game weapon down the stretch and into the postseason. The O's also got some nice work out of part-timers/late additions Delmon Young, David Lough, Caleb Joseph and Alejandro De Aza.

It's also worth noting the Orioles were one of the best defensive teams in baseball, especially when Machado was healthy. Both the outfield and the infield were spectacular.

What went wrong

Injuries, first and foremost. Field general Matt Wieters played only 26 games before having season-ending Tommy John surgery. Manny Machado's season started late because of knee surgery and ended early because of another knee surgery. He played only 82 games in his age 21 season. Chris Davis hit 26 homers but struggled with a 98 OPS+ before being suspended 25 games for a failed amphetamine test. The suspension carries over to next season. (He will miss Opening Day but is eligible for Game 2.)

The flier on Cruz worked out well but the team's four-year, $50 million investment in Ubaldo Jimenez did not. He had a 4.81 ERA in 125 1/3 innings before being yanked out of the rotation and eventually left off the ALCS roster. J.J. Hardy had just an okay year while his home run total fell from 25 in 2013 to nine in 2014. The O's gave him a three-year extension anyway. Jonathan Schoop (67 OPS+) and Ryan Flaherty (82 OPS+) combined for nearly 800 low-impact plate appearances.

MVP: Definitely Cruz. He's pretty bad in the field and there are some holes in his swing, but 40 homers is 40 homers, especially in this age of reduced offense. A case can easily be made for Jones as well.

LVP: Davis. He led the world with 53 home runs and 138 RBI last season but slumped just about all summer despite hitting a still impressive 26 homers. From June 12 through August 16, a span of 52 team games, Davis hit .147/.243/.342 with 82 strikeouts in 211 plate appearances.

Free agents to be: OF Nick Markakis ($17.5 million club option), DH Nelson Cruz, LHP Wei-Yin Chen ($4.75 million club option), C Nick Hundley ($5 million club option), RHP Darren O'Day ($4.25 million club option), UTIL Kelly Johnson, LHP Johan Santana, LHP Andrew Miller, DH Delmon Young, LHP Joe Saunders

Gameplan heading into the offseason

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported the Orioles will decline their club option for Markakis, meaning they will need to find at least one corner outfielder this winter. They could always re-sign him or Cruz (or both), but it's something they must address that will cost more than pennies. Re-signing Hardy answered the club's other major pressing offseason question.

Both Wieters and Machado are expected to be healthy in time for spring training, though the O's would be wise to add some protection for both. A veteran backup catcher and a veteran backup corner infielder, specifically. They don't need to be big money signings -- a veteran catcher can be had on a minor league deal, leaving the backup job open for Joseph should Wieters be fully healthy -- but they should be on the shopping list. I'm not sure how many O's fans want to see Flaherty get another 300-400 plate appearances.

Aside from replacing Markakis and/or Cruz, the Orioles don't have to do much besides tinker. They have six starters under contract including Jimenez and Chen once his no-brainer option is picked up, so the only real question is whether they will give Ubaldo a spot or turn Gausman loose. There's always room to improve the bullpen and the margins of the roster, which Duquette has done aggressively via waivers and minor trades during his time at the helm.

Ridiculously premature prediction for 2015

Despite the ALCS sweep, these Orioles are no fluke. They have staying power atop the AL East even if Cruz doesn't return to hit another 40 home runs. The rotation is deep and their lineup still has a ton of power, especially if Schoop takes a step forward in his development. Next year's Orioles will again win the division and be a threat to win the World Series.