Could the Orioles trade for Rays' closer?

The 2023 AL Reliever of the Year appeared in just 35 games this year, notching 19 saves with a 2.60 ERA. On July 24th, Bautista was placed on the IL with shoulder discomfort, and later in August, Manager Tony Mansolino revealed that he had suffered the season-ending injuries to his throwing arm.

Recently, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote about “The Most Likely Trade for All 30 MLB Teams in the 2025-2026 Offseason". Not surprisingly, Miller highlighted the O’s need for a closer following the loss of Bautista.

Miller also noted that Baltimore traded away multiple potential closers at the trade deadline this year, including Gregory Soto (Mets), Andrew Kitteridge (Cubs), Bryan Baker (Rays), and Seranthony Dominguez (Blue Jays). Despite the Orioles rostering all of these arms at one point, Bautista was still the team’s leader in saves this year.

For Miller, the Orioles need to only look within their own division for a potential closer trade target. Tampa Bay’s Pete Fairbanks had a solid year as the Rays’ closer, accumulating 27 saves with a 2.83 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Fairbanks has a luxury tax-friendly club option of $12.5 million for the 2026 season, making him an affordable target.

It’s also true that the new ownership group in Baltimore led by David Rubenstein are much more willing to spend than the previous regime (the Angelos family). The 2025-2026 free agency class lacks star power when it comes to relief pitcher options, which makes trading for one a more appealing route to take. Although the Rays are similarly under new ownership led by Patrick Zalupski, they are also a team that has been willing to part with pitching talent in the past, so the O’s could entice them with their abundance of talent in their farm system.

Baltimore has to prepare for the possibility that Bautista will not return to the form of the dominant closer they saw in 2023. He has undergone two major surgeries on his throwing arm over the past two years, and while he has only pitched in just over 161 career innings, he will be making his return in his age-32 season. The Orioles have to prepare for this season and beyond, and trading for a proven closer like Fairbanks is the best way to shore up their depleted bullpen.