The Orioles’ season is over, and the last day arrived the way so much of this year did: with frustration and a whole lot of weather. Sunday’s finale against the Yankees was delayed for roughly three hours, but it never felt like a game that was actually going to happen. The conditions in New York were too severe, and through the entire delay the Yankees never even turned in a lineup.
Still, MLB had already sent the Red Sox to Tampa to play the Cubs because of the same storm, so the Yankees had to go through the motions and wait. That left New York with an extra day of rest before the Wild Card series.
I’m not saying it was a conspiracy. But I’m not saying it’s not a conspiracy.
Elsewhere, there were still a couple of postseason questions to settle heading into the final day. The AL West was still up for grabs, and the last National League Wild Card spot had to be decided too.
The Astros won and finished 81-81, which sends them on to the playoffs. The Phillies also survived after nearly blowing their spot, winning at the last minute to hold on.
There’s no baseball today. The Wild Card round begins tomorrow with four games. But the Orioles are already done, and their offseason starts now.
That means the focus shifts immediately to the problems that piled up over the course of the year. If you had to choose the area most in need of repair, defense stands out. Too often this season, Baltimore simply didn’t make the plays it should have made, and it happened over and over again.
Camden Chat is wasting no time moving into offseason mode. Prospect reviews are already underway, player reviews are next, and there will be plenty of looks ahead to the 2027 season. Of course, that depends on if and when the 2027 season begins.
For Orioles fans looking for something to read while the calendar flips, there’s also a look at how the season ended one game short because of a nor’easter, along with Gunnar Henderson’s comment that it was “A failed year for us.”
Today also brings a few reminders from Orioles history. It’s the birthday of Grant Jackson, Mike DeJean, and Todd Frohwirth. Jackson, who was born in 1942 and died in 2021, spent more than five years with the Orioles during an 18-year career and appeared in 209 games for Baltimore from 1971 through 1976 before being traded to the Yankees in the big nine-player deal in June 1976.
On this date in 1953, American League owners agreed to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. That’s a pretty good one for the home side.
There’s more, too. In 1958, Gus Triandos recorded the only stolen base of his Major League career. In 1971, the Orioles swept a doubleheader from the Red Sox to reach 100 wins for the third straight season.
And then there was 2011, when the Orioles played one of the wildest games you’ll ever see from a 93-loss team. Trailing 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, they got three straight hits from Chris Davis, Nolan Reimold, and Robert Andino for a 4-3 walkoff win.
Right after that, the Rays walked off the Yankees in Tampa, and the combined result knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs. Boston had been two games up in the AL East on August 27 before going 7-20 in September.
In 2023, the Orioles beat the Red Sox again, only this time it was for their 100th win of the season. Much better.
And one year ago today, Baltimore closed the season with a 3-2 loss to the Yankees. Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in four innings, Rico Garcia took the loss, and Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson went back-to-back.
In Other News...
Orioles Face A Samuel Basallo Decision That Could Reshape Their Offseason
Samuel Basallos future has become one of the more intriguing questions hanging over the Orioles as the offseason approaches. The 22-year-old has long been viewed as a potential part of Baltimores next wave, but injuries have repeatedly interrupted his progress, and his time behind the plate has been limited by concussions and shoulder issues.
What makes the decision especially delicate is that the Orioles still have to figure out how best to use him if they want to get the most out of his bat without putting his body in the same spot again. His major league offense has not yet matched expectations, and Baltimore is expected to look at other catching options this winter, leaving Basallos role very much in play as the club weighs whether he can still be a catcher or needs a different path. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Bradish Offseason Update Matters More Than Orioles Fans Expected
Kyle Bradishs offseason health check ended up carrying more weight than Orioles fans might have expected. Team president Mike Elias said the right-hander will undergo hernia surgery, a necessary step after Bradish dealt with the issue in his final starts of the season and then landed on the injured list in mid-September because of abdominal discomfort.
For Baltimore, the important part is the longer view. The surgery is not expected to affect Bradishs readiness for the 2027 season, and that matters for a pitcher the club has under contract through 2031. It is the kind of update that can quiet some worry now, even if the real test is how Bradish comes back once he resumes a normal offseason and begins building toward the future. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Gibson Just Put The Orioles On Notice For 2027
Trey Gibsons latest outing was the kind that tends to linger in a front offices memory. On Sept. 23, the 24-year-old right-hander carved through the Toronto Blue Jays for 6 scoreless innings, a sharp snapshot of the kind of starter the Orioles have been hoping he could become as he worked through a season that had plenty of bumps along the way.
Gibsons 2026 season was not a straight line, with a rough June and a return trip to Triple-A Norfolk before he settled in and began showing better control and more swing-and-miss stuff late in the year. The Orioles do not need to crown him based on one start, but the ingredients are there for cautious optimism, and his September work gave the organization a reminder that he could still factor into the rotation picture down the road. [Read more 🡒]