This shortened 60-game season has left the Orioles in a place that, essentially, inspired the whole idea of the studs-up rebuild they’re in years ago: too good to have a high draft pick, and not good enough to make the playoffs.
A report from ESPN on Tuesday said the 2021 draft order would most likely be the standings in reverse, the same way they are every year, though the March agreement on resumption of play left that ambiguous.
It’s possible that the Orioles were operating under that assumption anyway, and in that case, they knew they were out of the running for the top pick when they were within touching distance of a playoff spot two weeks ago.