Jul 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the Baltimore Orioles 4th of July hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Emergence of ace should propel Baltimore Orioles back into contention in 2026

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Baltimore Orioles’ offseason has begun after a disappointing year in 2025. This was a team that won the American League East with 101 wins in 2023 and fell all the way to last place just two years later.

It felt like Baltimore’s ceiling was very high going forward with a talented young group, but this year was a step in the wrong direction. Some poor decisions made by the front office to replace departing stars in free agency contributed to the struggles.

Furthermore, injuries to the starting rotation early on sent the team into a spiral, and it ended their campaign before it even had a chance to get started.

Now, the team will be focused on improving over the winter and getting right back into contention in 2026. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about teams that could contend for a playoff spot next season, and mentioned the Orioles as a contender to bounce back.

Plenty of reasons why Baltimore can contend

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

While it might have been a highly disappointing season, the Orioles are indeed a candidate to bounce back. When looking at their performance in 2025, this was a much better team in the second half of the season compared to the first.

One of the reasons why the team turned around was simply because their rotation got healthy and an ace emerged. Southpaw Trevor Rogers was fantastic for the Orioles and was one of the best pitchers in baseball, posting a remarkable 1.81 ERA after missing the first month of the season.

After losing Corbin Burnes in free agency, having Rogers emerge as the ace of the staff was a welcome sight. Heading into 2026, the left-hander being able to lead the rotation should help make the offseason a bit easier. To assist the rotation even further, 2023 ace Kyle Bradish has returned without skipping a beat, while Grayson Rodriguez should hopefully be ready to go by spring training.

In the lineup, this was a unit that saw a lot of changes during the season with some key veterans being dealt. The duo of Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday in the middle of the infield are still the building blocks for the team. Unfortunately, the struggles of catcher Adley Rutschman have resulted in his role with the team coming into question, especially after the emergence of young backstop Samuel Basallo.

Overall, while the 2025 campaign was a disappointment, there is plenty of reason to believe that this team can once again be a contender as soon as 2026. With the rotation heading into next year appearing to be much better already with Rogers, that will fix one of the problems that plagued the Orioles this season.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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