The Baltimore Orioles missed out on making the MLB postseason for what would have been the first time since 2024, finishing with a 79-82 record and landing in fourth place in the American League East Division standings.
Since then, they’ve made multiple roster moves, including declining the $20 million club option for outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (resulting in a $2.0 million buyout).
Now, they’ve declined the $7.5 million team option for first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, making him a free agent.
The Baltimore Orioles Declined The $7.5 Million Option for First Baseman Ryan Mountcastle
On Monday, it was announced that the Orioles would not be picking up the $7.5 million option for first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, making him a free agent.
“Orioles are declining first baseman Ryan Mountcastle’s 2027 team option worth $7.5 million, per source,” wrote Orioles Insider Jake Rill on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The 29-year-old is becoming a free agent for the first time.”
This season in Baltimore, Mountcastle was limited to just eight total games and hit .286 with a single RBI.
Ryan Mountcastle Enters Free Agency For The First Time
Mountcastle, who was taken by the Orioles in the 2015 MLB Draft, began his professional career in the Orioles organization, working his way through the minor leagues before earning International League MVP honors in 2019. Playing for Norfolk, he hit .312 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI in 127 games, prompting Baltimore to add him to its 40-man roster.
Mountcastle made his MLB debut on Aug. 21, 2020, and impressed with a .333 average, five home runs and 23 RBI in 35 games. He became Baltimore’s primary first baseman in 2021, hitting 33 home runs and picking up 89 RBI. His home run total established an Orioles rookie record and led all major league rookies.
He followed that breakout season with 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 2022. The following year, Mountcastle tied a franchise record with nine RBI in a game against Oakland and hitting a 472-foot home run against Houston, the longest by an Orioles player at Camden Yards during the Statcast era. He finished 2023 with 18 home runs and 68 RBI.
Mountcastle batted .271 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 124 games in 2024, during which he was named a Gold Glove Finalist, but soon began running into injury trouble.
A right hamstring strain limited him to 89 games in 2025, and he suffered a left foot fracture in April 2026. While preparing for a minor league rehabilitation assignment on July 31, he sustained a significant oblique strain; in all, he was limited to just eight games in 2026.
Orioles Announce $7.5 Million Decision On Former Gold Glove Finalist