"everyone expects" seems like strong wording about what the Orioles might do in terms of gaming the slot system.
I didn't as much like spreading last year's slot savings to much later picks. Getting top-75ish guys in the 4th and 5th in Mayo and Baumler doesn't feel as beneficial as getting top-20 or top-30 guys with your Comp A, 2nd or Comp B range picks. That's all very rough analysis, maybe Mayo and Baumler were better rated talents than I'm giving credit for (I do really like the profiles for both), but in general if you're going to go underslot with your first pick, which I'm completely fine with, I prefer using the savings sooner than later.
I think being able to sign a 1st round talent with your 2nd round pick is more advantageous than being able to sign a 2nd round talent with your 5th round pick.