The Baltimore Orioles were one of the more frustrating teams in the baseball landscape this past season.
After a strong offseason, the Orioles couldn’t do much with it, falling short of reaching the playoffs this year. The big move for Baltimore was signing slugger Pete Alonso, giving this team a legitimate offensive presence.
However, it wasn’t enough for this group, and now the front office will be tasked with trying to get this team back to the playoffs. Many expect the Orioles to be active again this offseason, addressing some of the problems from the 2026 season.
Orioles Linked With Slugger
One name that could be of interest for the Orioles is veteran outfielder Randy Arozarena, who will be a free agent. Arozarena isn’t expected to return to the Seattle Mariners this offseason, opening the door for a team like Baltimore to strike.
MLB analyst Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball linked the Orioles with Arozarena, predicting the slugger will land in Baltimore. Arozarena is one of the better free agents on the market, and the Orioles could look to make another splash this offseason.
“From 2021 through 2025, Randy Arozarena averaged 22 home runs a season with a 122 wRC+. He was very consistent at being around 20-to-25% better than a league-average hitter by wRC+, while also adding value on the basepaths. Arozarena has reached the 20-20 club in each of his six full seasons in MLB.
That consistency alone would have gotten Arozarena paid, but to make his free agent case even better, Randy went out and posted the best season of his career in his walk year. By wRC+, Arozarena was the third-best qualified hitter in baseball, trailing only the two MVPs, Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong. With that platform year, Arozarena is a safe bet to be the highest-paid free agent bat on the market. Last offseason, the Baltimore Orioles ponied up and signed Pete Alonso on a five-year deal, and he immediately became their best player in 2026,” Finkelstein wrote.
Arozarena was one of the few bright spots for the Mariners this past season, giving life to this offense during a down year. For the year, the slugger hit .281 with 26 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases, while posting an OPS of .865.
Should Orioles Make This Signing?
Given where the Orioles are right now, the team does need to add more offense around Alonso, and Arozarena could bring the energy to this team. This was something that Baltimore was lacking last season, and Arozarena is one of the more fun players in the entire league.
While the Orioles could go after pitching this offseason, addressing the inconsistent offense does need to be done. Arozarena could be one of the bigger pieces added to this team, and he could be lethal in a lineup alongside Alonso and the others that Baltimore has.
Baltimore will have to open up the checkbook again to get a deal like this done, but it could be very worth it for this team. Overall, Arozarena feels like he could fit in well with the Orioles, helping them get back to the playoffs as early as next season.
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