The Orioles’ bullpen spent too much of the year as a moving target, and the early warning signs for 2026 showed up almost immediately.
Keegan Akin and Andrew Kittredge entered camp as two of the safest bets in the group. Both ended up on the injured list before the season even started - Akin with a left groin strain, Kittredge with right shoulder inflammation.
Akin’s injury came while he was warming in the bullpen before the final exhibition game at Ed Smith Stadium. It was that kind of spring.
Ryan Helsley, the other reliever expected to be a lock, gave Baltimore even less stability. The new closer landed on the IL twice with right elbow inflammation and appeared in only 17 games, with none after June 27. For a pitcher who cost $14 million, that was a thin return and it locks in his 2027 presence through a $14 million option.
Akin and Kittredge are both headed for free agency. Kittredge did return once after being dealt to the Cubs at the 2025 deadline, but his Baltimore run may already be over. Akin, a second-round pick in 2016 out of Western Michigan, has been one of the organization’s longer-running pieces, and that chapter looks close to ending, too.
That leaves the Orioles trying to piece together a 2027 relief picture around Helsley, Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano.
Bautista, back from shoulder surgery after Tommy John surgery, made two September appearances. His availability for spring training, whenever it begins, doesn’t appear to be an issue.
Cano had to re-earn his spot after a rough 2025, when he put up a 5.12 ERA and 1.483 WHIP and spent a brief stretch in the minors. This year was a different story: 68 appearances, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.067 WHIP and just two home runs allowed in 49 2/3 innings.
Baltimore didn’t move him at the deadline, instead giving him a two-year, $7.5 million deal with a $10 million club option that bought out his final two arbitration years.
Behind that trio, the bullpen got a lot of unexpected help.
Rico Garcia went from journeyman to the team leader in appearances with 75. He posted a 3.09 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and 10 saves, finishing one behind Kittredge, and he even drew votes for Most Valuable Oriole.
Josh Walker, a low-profile left-hander, forced his way into high-leverage spots and logged a 2.08 ERA in 31 games. He put together a 21-game scoreless streak and held opponents to .167, the longest run by an Orioles reliever since Zack Britton’s 25-game streak in 2016.
Grant Wolfram added another strong left-handed look, finishing with a 1.10 ERA and a .224 opponent average after Aug. 15, along with three walks and 19 strikeouts in 16 games. Across the season, he made 60 appearances, third most on the club, and his six wins were the most by an Orioles lefty since Cionel Pérez’s seven in 2022.
Alex Hoppe, acquired from the Mariners in the Taylor Ward trade, brought real velocity with a four-seam fastball and sinker that both averaged 98.4 mph. He gave up three earned runs in 14 2/3 innings, though five unearned runs were also charged, a reminder that the defense behind him has work to do.
The issue was control: nine walks. Still, he looks positioned to make the Opening Day roster unless he gets pushed to Triple-A.
Anthony Nunez also surfaced as a surprise after the Orioles optioned him in camp, but Akin’s injury opened the door for him to head north. Cam Sanders entered the mix after arriving in the July 13 trade with the Pirates and gave Baltimore 19 appearances, a 2.70 ERA, a 1.150 WHIP, his first career win and save, plus 27 strikeouts in 20 innings.
He also walked 10. With Pittsburgh, he had struck out 13 and walked 10 in 9 1/3 innings.
Not everyone stayed on stable ground. Albert Suárez was designated for assignment five times and kept returning, but he remains in a shaky spot on the 40-man roster, is arbitration-eligible and likely headed for free agency. He turned 37 on Thursday.
Dietrich Enns made the club in March after signing a November deal that guaranteed $2.625 million, but he didn’t pitch for Baltimore after May 25 and finished with a 5.80 ERA and 1.509 WHIP in 31 games for Triple-A Norfolk. Yaramil Hiraldo got into three games in March, landed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation and ended with an 8.68 ERA in eight outings, allowing nine runs and 10 walks over 9 1/3 innings.
Even with all the upheaval, the bullpen’s final numbers were a clear step forward. Baltimore finished 11th in the majors with a 3.82 ERA, a big improvement from 2025’s 4.57 mark, which ranked 25th. The unit’s 1.27 WHIP ranked 13th.
There was also a strong early run with inherited runners. Orioles relievers stranded the first 21 inherited runners to open the season, the most in club history and the most in the majors since the 2016 Athletics stranded 26. Baltimore finished with 27.7 percent inherited scoring, fifth in the American League and sixth in the majors.
The one thing the Orioles never really found was that left-on-left specialist they seemed to want at the deadline. Even so, Walker and Wolfram handled lefties well enough.
Left-handed hitters slashed .246/.295/.333 against Walker, who actually flipped the script by holding right-handers to a .182 average and .565 OPS. Left-handers hit .286/.348/.381 against Wolfram.
Cano, meanwhile, allowed lefties to hit .280/.341/.400, which is still better than his career .298/.366/.466 line.
More turnover is coming, because it always does in the bullpen. Baltimore may need one reliever, maybe two, maybe more. Another closer option could be part of the mix, and so could a multi-inning arm.
And yes, better health would help plenty.
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