The Orioles’ offseason is moving quietly for now, but the next stretch should bring a lot more clarity.
They’re three games into the World Series, and free agency opens five days after it ends. Around that same time, teams will be handing out qualifying offers and making calls on options, which puts the Orioles in line for a busy decision window. They’re expected to make a qualifying offer to left-hander Trevor Rogers, and they also have choices pending on Zach Eflin, Ryan Mountcastle, Luis Robert Jr. and Dietrich Enns.
For the moment, though, the baseball activity has been limited. Since the Sept. 27 rainout in New York, the club has announced a pair of minor league signings and several surgery updates.
Kyle Bradish had a core muscle repair procedure with Dr. Bill Meyers in Philadelphia.
Jackson Holliday underwent a left wrist TFCC debridement with Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles.
Cade Povich had left elbow debridement surgery to remove a loose body with Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, a procedure the pitcher first disclosed on social media.
There have been a few other notes of interest around the organization. Pete Alonso was selected to the American League All-Star team in The Sporting News award balloting, while Chris Bassitt is a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award from the Players Association.
Internally, the Orioles also made their latest front office move by hiring Jared Banner as general manager, another step in what has already been a period of change. Business operations layoffs hit in the first week of October, with future hires planned to avoid an overall reduction in workforce. The Banner addition gives the club another voice and potentially a different direction inside baseball operations.
Banner and president of baseball operations Mike Elias are scheduled to speak to reporters later today, which should at least offer a better sense of what this hire means beyond the announcement. Elias praised the move in a statement.
“Jared has been one of the rising talents in our league for some time now,” Elias said in a statement. “He has demonstrated success running multiple different departments and has worked alongside some of the best people and front office talent in the league across multiple stops. He is a perfect fit to grow, evolve and improve the Orioles’ baseball operations, and I look forward to working with him very closely as we build for 2027 and beyond.
“We welcome him and his family to Baltimore, and we are very pleased that they chose our team and our community for the next phase of their baseball journey.”
Banner’s background includes time with the Red Sox, Mets and Cubs, and that history is part of what makes this hire worth watching. The biggest questions now center on what he’ll actually do, how much influence he’ll have, and where his work will intersect with Elias.
His experience in player development stands out immediately, especially with that area seemingly a priority. The Orioles have a roster with players who could still take another step, and one obvious test will be whether Banner sees a group capable of raising its level and improving the team’s path back to the playoffs. Just as important is how that happens.
There’s also the matter of structure. Elias will be asked how responsibilities are divided, and whether Banner will have a clearly defined lane or a broader role across baseball operations. The fit between the two is going to matter as much as the title.
More front office movement may not be done, either. Banner arrived, Matt Blood left, and Sig Mejdal moved from running the analytics department to overseeing research into emerging technologies and innovative practices across baseball operations, while remaining assistant general manager. That leaves a gap that needs to be filled, and Elias said over the summer that the answer could come from internal options.
As for the roster, don’t expect Elias to offer much there. He’s unlikely to tip his hand on pending decisions, and contract extension talk is not going to get any traction either.
The season-ending press conference came too early for any real update on the coaching staff, and now, a month later, there still hasn’t been word on whether everyone is returning.
There’s no need to relive the full list of problems from this season; those have already been laid out plenty of times. The Orioles dealt with underperformance, injuries, defensive mistakes, poor results with runners in scoring position and long stretches where the bats simply disappeared.
Banner alone won’t fix all of that. But standing pat with the same roster and the same people in place isn’t a cure, either. The Orioles have begun making changes, and this is only the start.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso Gives Orioles Fans A Reason To Feel Proud Tonight
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Alonsos foundation has backed causes tied to youth, animal welfare and veterans, and he has also taken part in local charitable efforts in Baltimore. Even with the winner still to be announced, the nod alone gives Orioles fans something to feel good about on a night when the games spotlight will otherwise belong to October baseball. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Has An Ambition That Could Complicate His Climb
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For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: a developing lefty who has had to adjust to every step of the climb and is still early in the process. But Hamsons ambition reaches beyond a standard prospect timeline, because his future plans also leave room for international competition, a possibility that could intersect with the Orioles desire to move him steadily through their system. Its the sort of two-track dream that can make a prospects road more interesting, and a little trickier, than most. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Bullpen Battle Just Got More Interesting For 2027
The Orioles bullpen picture for 2027 is already taking shape, and it has gotten a little more crowded after two in-season pickups from Pittsburgh flashed real value in Baltimore. Cam Sanders gave the club a useful late-season arm after arriving from the Pirates, while Alex Hoppe also showed enough promise to stick in the conversation as the organization looks for stability in relief.
Sanders and Hoppe join a group that is still sorting itself out heading into next year, with several pitchers vying for spots and roles. Baltimore likes having options this time of year, but it also means the competition is far from settled, and the next few months should tell a lot about which arms can carry their success into spring training. [Read more 🡒]