The Orioles spent last night watching the Rays do what Tampa Bay has become very good at doing: leaning on former Baltimore arms in a playoff win.
In Cleveland, the Rays beat the Guardians 3-1 to take a 3-2 series lead, moving one victory away from the franchise’s third World Series appearance. Baltimore connections were all over the final four outs.
Tyler Wells was summoned in the eighth with two outs and a runner on, and he struck out José Ramírez, who was the potential tying run at the time. Bryan Baker handled the ninth after a leadoff walk and finished the game without much trouble, collecting his 34th straight save dating back to mid-May.
Baker’s rise with Tampa Bay remains one of those Orioles aftershocks that can sting a little extra. He was shipped out by Baltimore in July 2025, and less than two seasons later he’s functioning as a shutdown closer. Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo also made brief appearances in the game.
For Orioles fans, the whole thing is equal parts familiar and aggravating. It’s easy enough to be happy for players like Mullins, who have their supporters in Baltimore.
But Baker’s success, in particular, raises the obvious question of how Tampa Bay turned a volatile middle reliever into one of the game’s best closers almost immediately, while the Orioles never got that version of him. Baltimore received only a draft pick in return, which became Slater de Brun, and then de Brun was later traded back to Tampa Bay anyway.
That’s why the Rays’ run can feel like a reminder of the gap between the two organizations. If Tampa Bay closes this thing out tonight or tomorrow, there will be a heavy Orioles presence in the World Series picture: Wells, Baker, Mullins and Mateo for the Rays, plus the Brewers’ DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, along with Gary Sánchez, who the source notes does not count as one who got away. These are all players who were in Baltimore within the last few years, and now they’re the ones moving toward October’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, the Orioles are left to watch it happen.
Other notes around the club this morning include a look at Jackson Holliday, with the point being that even one of his “positives” this season was that he didn’t have a platoon split, posting a .643 OPS against righties and a .632 mark against lefties.
There was also a review of the Orioles’ surprising 2026 bullpen, which found that Baltimore may have missed on Baker but did identify and develop a few useful relievers from other organizations’ castoffs. And in the latest mailbag, Roch Kubatko answered questions that included one about how absurd it is to claim a reporter doesn’t have the right to record someone during a press conference.
As for birthdays, today would have been the birthday of five former Orioles, led by Anthony Santander, who turns 32. The switch-hitting outfielder went from Rule 5 project to major power bat in Baltimore, finishing his Orioles career with a 44-homer, 102-RBI season in 2024 before signing a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays. Also born on this date: José Bautista, Jordan Lyles, Oswaldo Peraza and the late Vic Roznovsky.
And on this date in Orioles history, Baltimore made a shrewd trade in 1959, acquiring Jim Gentile from the Dodgers for shortstop Willy Miranda. Gentile paid it off in a big way over four seasons in Baltimore, including a monster 1961 season when he hit 46 homers and drove in 141 runs, tying Roger Maris for the AL lead.
He was a three-time All-Star, finished runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 1960 and third in AL MVP voting in 1961. Miranda never appeared in another major league game.
In Other News...
Orioles Outfield Prospect Paths Just Took Two Very Different Turns
Nate George and Enddy Azocar took very different routes through High-A Frederick this season, even though both spent time in the Orioles outfield mix. George, a 16th-round pick in 2024, got off to a strong start before a non-baseball-related medical condition ended his season early, cutting short what had been an encouraging run for one of Baltimores younger prospects.
Azocars year went in the opposite direction. Signed by the Red Sox in 2024, he made clear progress in 2026, earned a promotion, and then was traded to the Orioles before finishing the season with the Frederick Keys. For a farm system always looking for outfield options, the contrast between the two is a reminder of how quickly a prospects path can change, and how much can hinge on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fill Long-Open GM Role With Elias Plan In Mind
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For a club that has spent years building toward sustained contention, the move adds another layer of structure to Elias plan. Banner is stepping into a job that touches nearly every part of the organization, and the fit matters because the Orioles are trying to keep their pipeline strong while also managing the day-to-day demands of a major league roster. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Payroll Surge Puts Rubenstein's Contender Push Under The Microscope
The Orioles payroll has moved sharply upward since David Rubenstein took over, and the numbers now give a clearer picture of how aggressively the club is trying to stay in the contender class. Spotrac projects Baltimore at $175.9 million in luxury tax payroll for 2025, with the figure climbing to $217.6 million in 2026 before settling at an estimated $186.6 million in 2027, a reminder that this front office is no longer operating like a team content to wait its turn.
A closer look at the 2027 breakdown shows how much of that spending is already tied to the core, with contracts, arbitration cases and club options all shaping what the roster could look like by then. Names such as Gunnar Henderson, Tyler ONeill, Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz are part of that calculation, along with the possibility of bigger-ticket additions like Pete Alonso, but the offseason still has plenty of time to reshape both the roster and the balance sheet. [Read more 🡒]