The Orioles head into the offseason with a lot more questions in the outfield than they’d like, and Mike Elias has to decide whether this is a group he wants to patch up or reshape.
That decision comes with the lockout clock ticking. Baseball could shut down on Dec. 1, so the message is simple: get work done while the calendar still allows it and hope the interruption isn’t a major one.
Free agency opens after the World Series, but players can’t sign until five days after the final out at 5 p.m. There’s also an exclusive negotiating window for clubs and their own free agents.
Trade talks can officially start after the last out, even if the real conversations are already going on somewhere else.
For Elias, the roster doesn’t have a glaring crisis. That’s part of the challenge.
The Orioles have enough pieces that they could stand pat in the outfield if they wanted to. They probably won’t.
And that means sorting through a crowded mix of young left-handed bats, veterans, and players who may fit better somewhere else.
Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers are both young left-handed hitters with some runway left. Cowser, who turns 27 in March, is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to make $2.2 million in his first year of arbitration after hitting .226/.317/.370 with a 2.5 bWAR in 142 games.
Beavers, 25, finished at .228/.307/.373 with a minus-0.5 bWAR in 104 games. Both had trouble against left-handed pitching, and both can handle any outfield spot.
Cowser is the stronger defender right now. Either one could end up in a platoon, get a chance to play every day, or become part of a trade.
Elias and manager Craig Albernaz will have plenty to weigh.
Tyler O’Neill looks like the most established piece of the group, and the most expensive one. He has one year and $16.5 million left on his deal after an injury-filled season in which he batted .206/.296/.383 with 19 homers in 139 games.
His seven outfield assists led the team, but his defensive metrics were mixed, with minus-4 and minus-2 Outs Above Average with the Orioles. His Defensive Runs Saved improved from minus-8 last season to 2 in 2026, though that still falls well short of the 14 DRS he posted in 2021.
Even so, the contract and his right-handed bat - he had a .775 OPS against lefties - probably keep him in the picture. He looks more like a pricey role player than a lineup anchor.
Then there’s the rest of the outfield mix. Leody Taveras, Christian Franklin, Rece Hinds, Heston Kjerstad and Luis Robert Jr. are all on the roster going into the offseason.
Taveras is arbitration eligible and projected for a raise to $3.7 million, which may be too much for a player who hit .219/.288/.345 with a minus-0.5 dWAR in 139 games. He could make sense as a fifth outfielder elsewhere, but Baltimore might decide to move on as part of the bigger overhaul.
Franklin has minor league options and could serve as Triple-A depth if he doesn’t win a job as a right-handed hitting reserve outfielder. Hinds is out of options after going 5-for-28 with 13 strikeouts and struggling in right field.
Kjerstad didn’t get much of a look in 2026, is also out of minor league options, and doesn’t seem to be in the Orioles’ plans. Still, he could be given a chance in spring training while also remaining available to any club looking for power upside and a possible change of scenery.
Robert’s situation is its own issue. He has a $20 million club option and a $2 million buyout, and the assumption here is that the Orioles won’t pick up the full option.
That would leave room for a cheaper deal, unless the club decides the health risk is too much. They already have enough of those to manage.
There are deeper possibilities, but none feel like sure things. Reed Trimble is on the 40-man roster but has not made his debut and looks like a long shot to break camp.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. is projected to reach the majors in 2027, according to what Elias said over the summer, and he would be a clear defensive upgrade. But Opening Day may still come too soon for him.
Blaze Alexander can also play the outfield, and he might have to if he’s going to get regular at-bats. The question is whether he meaningfully improves the defense. At the same time, the Orioles need another offensive spark somewhere, and the outfield is one place where that could come from.
Coby Mayo belongs in the conversation too, even if the idea of moving him to the outfield still feels speculative. He hasn’t played the position, and the Orioles don’t have the luxury of settling for “fine.”
The better approach would be to get him work in the corners in camp and let him know about the possibility in the offseason, before clubs are barred from contacting 40-man players. But even that should be treated as an experiment.
The idea only makes sense if it helps get him in the lineup, especially if Jordan Westburg is the regular third baseman - and that, too, is not a given after elbow reconstructive surgery. Westburg still has to show he can handle a full season.
The bottom line is hard to miss. The Orioles’ outfield defense was shaky, with a collective .986 fielding percentage that ranked 24th in the majors and a minus-9 OAA that finished 22nd.
Cowser’s 10 DRS and 7 OAA helped, but the group around him dragged the unit down. That supporting cast is the problem Elias has to solve.
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