Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaks to the media. IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Insider Anticipates the Orioles' Next Free Agency Move

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Feb 8, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Orioles' bullpen was mediocre last season. This is shown by them having a collective 4.57 ERA in 2025, which was good for 25th in MLB.

Much of this was owed to injuries, specifically to Félix Bautista. The 6'8', 285-pound fireballer asserted himself as one of baseball's best closers as soon as he made his debut in 2022. He had an absolutely stellar season in 2023, missed the entire 2024 season with a torn UCL in his elbow, then returned to his usual form in 2025, tallying a 2.60 ERA with 50 strikeouts and converting 19 of 20 save opportunities in 34.2 innings pitched.

Then Bautista suffered a right shoulder injury in July that ended his season. The Orioles were left without a proven closer, and their relief corps suffered because of it, which is shown by the group's mediocre stats.

Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

While Bautista is expected to return at some point next season, there's no guarantee that he's going to, nor how good he'll be if and when he does. Therefore, it was clear that Executive Vice President/General Manager Mike Elias and the rest of the Orioles' brass needed to find another closer this winter.

And that's exactly what they did by signing Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract.

This was a great signing by Baltimore, as Helsley has proven to be an elite closer over the past few seasons. But there's no denying that he failed during his brief tenure with the New York Mets last season after getting traded to them at the deadline, as shown by his 7.20 ERA in 22 appearances.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Insider Gets Honest About Orioles' Likely Next Addition

Given the question marks with Helsley and Bautista, it would make sense for Baltimore to add as much depth and talent to their bullpen as possible.

And MASN Orioles insider Roch Kubatko believes the team will make this move next, as he wrote in a February 7 article, "I’m still anticipating at least one more bullpen move from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias."

Granted, the Orioles making one more bullpen move doesn't mean they're necessarily going to get another closer-type who could potentially take over if Helsley struggles. But it's safe to assume Elias will want to find an impact reliever in case Helsley and Bautista don't live up to their respective expectations in 2026.

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