Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles fell short of expectations in 2026. They sold at the deadline but it doesn’t appear they are kicking off any kind of rebuild. Assuming they plan to return to contention in 2027, there are many questions to be answered. Guaranteed Contracts Pete Alonso, 1B: $124MM through 2030 Kyle Bradish, RHP: $90MM through 2031 Shane Baz, RHP: $63MM through 2030 Samuel Basallo, C/1B: $61MM through 2033 (includes buyout of 2034 club option) Tyler O’Neill, OF: $16.5MM through 2027 Ryan Helsley, RHP: $14MM player option for 2027 Yennier Cano, RHP: $7.5MM through 2028 (includes 2029 club option) Option Decisions Zach Eflin, RHP: $25MM mutual option with $2MM buyout Luis Robert Jr., OF: $20MM club option with $2MM buyout Ryan Helsley, RHP: $14MM player option for 2027 Ryan Mountcastle, 1B: $7.5MM club option with no buyout Dietrich Enns, LHP: $3.5MM club option with $125K buyout 2027 financial commitments: $86.375MM Total future commitments: $380.125MM Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) Leody Taveras (5.031): $3.7MM Félix Bautista (5.000): $2.4MM Codi Heuer (4.059): $1.1MM Gunnar Henderson (4.036): $14.1MM Albert Suárez (3.159): $1.1MM Jordan Westburg (3.098): $1.5MM Colton Cowser (3.043): $2.2MM Non-tender candidates: Taveras, Heuer, Suárez Free Agents Trevor Rogers, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin The Orioles underwent a true tank job a few years ago. This was before the draft lottery, when a team could guarantee itself consecutive strong picks if they shamelessly committed to putting an atrocious product on the field. The Orioles did just that. They lost at least 108 games in each full season from 2018 to 2021. The hope with such a strategy is that all that losing can allow a team to stockpile enough young talent to slingshot them to future success. It is surely not a coincidence that Mike Elias, who has been running the Baltimore front office since 2018, was previously with the Astros. Houston deployed this strategy very well. They lost at least 106 games from 2011 to 2013. They built up the farm, eventually put together a good major league team and have been consistently competitive from 2015 to the present. Elias tried to bring that script to Baltimore and it appeared to be working not so long ago. The Orioles won 101 games in 2023 with a core consisting of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser, Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, Kyle Stowers, Heston Kjerstad and others. Prospects Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo and Connor Norby were looming in the minors. The Angelos family was in the process of selling the team to David Rubenstein. An optimist could have seen the foundation for a dynasty in place. Things have been crumbling since then. The 2023 club was quickly swept out of the ALDS by the Rangers. The 2024 team regressed to 91 wins. That was enough for a Wild Card spot but the O’s were again swept out of the postseason, this time by the Royals. Baltimore has slid even farther lately, finishing below .500 in both 2025 and 2026. Where are they now? Rutschman was traded to the division-rival Red Sox at the deadline. Basallo inherited the catcher-of-the-future mantle but hasn’t done much with it yet. Rodriguez was traded last winter for Taylor Ward, who was himself traded at the deadline. Hall and Ortiz were traded for Corbin Burnes, who left after one year. Stowers and Norby were traded for Trevor Rogers, who is now slated for free agency. Henderson has been more good than great lately. Westburg has been held back by injuries, missing the entire 2026 season. Bradish is fine but not too exciting. Cowser is a serviceable but flawed center fielder. Holliday is too young to be completely written off but hasn’t yet clicked in the majors. Kjerstad has mostly been injured and hasn’t performed when on the field. Add it all up and the Orioles are in a tough spot. Elias can’t really justify a total teardown. There’s too much theoretical talent in place and the club has made notable financial commitments to Pete Alonso, Shane Baz, Bradish and Basallo. But just about every spot on the roster looks questionable or underwhelming. To be good again in 2027, they need a lot of things to go right internally, or a huge shake-up, or perhaps some combination. Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco. Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. Remove ads and support our writers. Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker