2025-26 MLB Offseason Recap: Baltimore Orioles

Two of Alonso’s former teammates with the Mets joined him in Baltimore. One was Ryan Helsley, who signed with the O’s a little less than two weeks before the Alonso addition.

Helsley was a dominant closer with the Cardinals, who faltered in a setup role with the Mets late last season. There were tipping concerns, and his fastball was hit significantly well in August.

Now, Helsley will look for better fortunes with the Orioles, where he’ll be the closer with Felix Bautista unavailable again for 2026, the second full season that Bautista will miss in three years. Labrum and rotator cuff surgeries were required late last summer.

Chris Bassitt, who played with Alonso in 2022 and the Blue Jays from 2023 through 2025, is also a new Oriole. Bassitt signed with the O’s in February, giving the team a reliable, durable starter to fill out the rotation.

And he wasn’t the only notable pitching addition. The Orioles made another deal with the Rays, a little over a year after Zach Eflin went to Baltimore by way of Central Florida. Shane Baz was picked up in a massive trade.

Baz cost the O’s a lot. Speedy outfielder Austin Overn, swing-and-miss machine Michael Forret, and former first-rounders Caden Bodine and Slater de Brun were sent to Tampa. However, the Orioles acquired a high-powered arm with a great fastball.

Moving back to the offense, Baltimore picked up a second 30-home run hitter in November. Taylor Ward was acquired in a one-for-one trade with the Angels. But Ward cost the O’s a big asset.

Losses

• OF Dylan Carlson
• C Alex Jackson
• INF Jorge Mateo
• 1B Ryan Noda
• SP Grayson Rodriguez
• C Gary Sanchez
• RP Kade Strowd
• SP Tomoyuki Sugano

Grayson Rodriguez was one of the better pitching prospects to come out of the Orioles’ farm system over the last two decades. But now, he’s a Los Angeles Angel.

Baltimore traded Rodriguez to the Angels for Ward. Rodriguez showed flashes of ace-like potential over his first two Major League seasons. However, he’ll look to get his career back on track out in California after he missed all of 2025 due to multiple injuries.

Rodriguez was easily the most notable loss for the O’s this past winter. Several of the players listed above didn’t make big impacts for the team. Dylan Carlson slashed .203/.278/.336 over 83 games, while Gary Sanchez was limited to 29 games thanks to injury.

Tomoyuki Sugano logged a lot of innings for the O’s last season. Sugano threw 157 frames, second-most on the team behind Dean Kremer. The problem was that Sugano isn’t an overpowering pitcher and gave up an AL-high 33 home runs last season.

Kade Strowd was shipped to Arizona as part of the Blaze Alexander trade.

Overview

After a disappointing last-place finish in the AL East last season, the Orioles were determined to repeat things in 2026.

The AL East is projected to be a bloodbath. That division produced three playoff teams, while the Rays — despite a lot of changes heading into 2026 — retain the core that played very well for the team last season.

It’s also crunch time for the Orioles in this present window. Gunnar Henderson has three full years of service time and is a phenomenal overall player. How many chances will the O’s get with Henderson, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension before he’s eligible to hit the market?

Trevor Rogers, a breakout star in 2025, four years after he made the NL All-Star team, has one year of team control left.

While the Orioles have good depth both in the Minor Leagues plus talented youngsters at the MLB level, Baltimore has to take advantage of this group. Hence why the Orioles’ aggressive approach made sense.