The Orioles are headed into the offseason with defense on the to-do list.
Baltimore finished 2026 at 79-82 and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. The club scored 718 runs, but opponents crossed the plate 739 times, and the uneven starting rotation was part of that problem. So was a defense that landed squarely in the middle of the pack, and improving that side of the ball is now a clear point of emphasis, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
Manager Craig Albernaz addressed the issue on Monday and said the club needs cleaner execution in the field. He also made it clear the message wasn’t new.
“ The defensive play was the biggest driver, ” Albernaz told Kubatko and others. “ Obviously, there’s emphasis in spring training and obviously there were some ups and downs with that, and as the season went on, I feel like our defense got better as the year progressed.
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The infield looks mostly settled already. Gunnar Henderson is at shortstop, Jackson Holliday is at second base, and Pete Alonso is handling first.
At third, the Orioles have a mix of Blaze Alexander, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Jordan Westburg. Westburg is coming off Tommy John surgery in his throwing elbow, but the Orioles’ official injury report says he should be ready for Spring Training.
Statcast gave Westburg an 80th-percentile range in 2025, though his arm graded weak enough that second base could be a better long-term fit.
Henderson, Alexander, and Encarnacion-Strand are considered average to strong defenders. Holliday and especially Alonso are not viewed nearly as favorably.
Holliday surfaced in trade chatter around the deadline this year, but nothing materialized, and Albernaz’s comments don’t point toward a move being made just to chase better defense. The more likely plan is simply to keep drilling the fundamentals with the current group when camp opens.
If Baltimore goes shopping for a defensive upgrade, the outfield is the likeliest place to do it. Orioles outfielders combined for -9 OAA in 2026, which ranked 22nd in the majors.
Colton Cowser was the bright spot in center, posting +10 DRS and +7 OAA over 664 innings. The rest of the group didn’t hold up nearly as well.
Leody Taveras was viewed negatively both by DRS (-5) and OAA (-3) in center field. He was serviceable in right, but his bat lagged behind, as he put up an 80 wRC+ in nearly 500 plate appearances, making him a possible non-tender candidate.
Dylan Beavers also struggled defensively at both corner spots. As a former top prospect, he should get more runway to prove himself at the plate, but the defensive concerns are still there.
Should the Orioles look outside the organization for glove help, the free-agent market offers a few familiar names. Daulton Varsho, Tyrone Taylor, and former Oriole Cedric Mullins are among the available options. Taylor is coming off a career year offensively, while Varsho and Mullins are both well below average with the bat.
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