Almost nothing went right for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2025 regular season. At the beginning of the year, they were considered one of the favorites to win the American League East and potentially be the AL’s representative in the World Series.
Baltimore fired manager Brandon Hyde in May, amid a 15-28 start in the club’s first 43 games. It was a disappointing end to Hyde’s tenure with the Orioles, given that he had helped lead the club from a 54-win team in 2019 to 101 wins in 2023.
And while the O’s will not play baseball this October, there are multiple reasons for optimism heading into the offseason and 2026.
Baltimore Orioles’ Young Core of Players
The Orioles are not guaranteed to return to the postseason next year. Their in-division opponents include the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox—three current playoff clubs. Moreover, the Tampa Bay Rays are no pushover either.
However, they have several position players with enough talent to help them turn their misfortunes around.
Given that the Orioles were awesome two years ago, were very good last year, and will have most of the same core still around next year, a lot of people will be expecting the O’s to bounce back,” writes Matt Snyder of CBS Sports. “It’s certainly possible. The Adley Rutschman-Gunnar Henderson-Jordan Westburg core remains intact, and there’s reason to be excited about Jackson Holliday, Jeremiah Jackson, and Samuel Basallo as well. Perhaps Coby Mayo turns it on next year.
When the Orioles promoted Basallo from Triple-A Norfolk, questions arose about Rutschman’s future with the organization as its starting catcher. Whether the Orioles will entertain trade offers for the former first overall pick from Oregon State University is another story.
How will the Orioles Improve the Starting Rotation?
The Orioles‘ starting pitcher signings last offseason were, to put it mildly, underwhelming. Signing right-hander Charlie Morton did more harm than good, as he posted a 5.42 ERA in 23 games (17 starts). But he was primarily brought in to replace the injured Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. Morton is now with the Detroit Tigers after a trade at the deadline.
A one-year deal, signing Tomoyuki Sugano, was more of a depth move. The 34-year-old was a three-time Central League MVP in Nippon Professional Baseball, though it doesn’t seem likely he will return for next season with a 5.09 FIP in 28 starts.
Who else can make an impact?
There will continue to be questions about the rotation, but Trevor Rogers appears to have fully broken through as a frontline starter, and Kyle Bradish should be all-systems-go as he’s now a handful of starts past his return from Tommy John surgery,” wrote Snyder. “Is pitching prospect Trey Gibson ready to step in? I’ve pretty much lost hope in Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin hits free agency, so we’ll see how Mike Elias and his front office attack the rotation in the offseason.
On the Free Agent Market
The Orioles are not typically known for having a high payroll, but there are a few pitchers they could consider in free agency.
Houston Astros lefty Framber Valdez will be available, but his asking price may be too high. Impending free agent Starters to consider include Dustin May, Tyler Anderson, Merrill Kelly, and Shane Bieber, if the righty chooses not to exercise his player option for 2026 with the Blue Jays.
Orioles Given Stunning 2026 MLB Season Prediction