Orioles decline Luis Robert Jr.’s club option

Everyone expects the MLB to undergo a lengthy lockout this offseason, but perhaps even more predictable than that unfortunate development is the move that the Baltimore Orioles made on Saturday night. The O’s are declining their $20 million club option on Luis Robert Jr., which officially makes the injury-ravaged center fielder a free agent.

Following a rough 2026 campaign that saw the 2023 Silver Slugger and All-Star bat .221 with a .300 on-base percentage, .407 slugging percentage and .707 OPS, it would have been highly impractical for a bottom-half payroll to allocate that kind of salary for next season.

Robert, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox at the beginning of the year, landed on the Orioles after being claimed off waivers on Aug. 31. He played just three games for the squad before suffering a hamstring strain, going 2-for-11 with one home run and one double. Baltimore could still use offensive reinforcements after finishing in the bottom-three in batting average and strikeouts and bottom-10 in slugging and OPS, but this 29-year-old right-handed hitter is evidently not in the organization’s plans.

There will be a team that is willing to take a chance on him, though. If Robert can stay healthy for an extended stretch, which is admittedly a tall order, then he could theoretically become a productive player once again. He smashed 38 homers in 2023, won a Gold Glove in his rookie 2020 campaign and stole 56 bases across a 210-game span from 2024-25.

An executive will see value in those numbers, even if Luis Robert Jr. is getting further removed from his apparent peak. Baltimore could always scoop him back up at a much lower price.