The Orioles spent most of the season hanging around the postseason race, and they were still in it until the final week of September. That kind of finish leaves Baltimore in an interesting spot: close enough to dream, but not close enough to stand pat. If the Orioles want to push into October next year, they may have to shop the trade market for real upgrades.
Center field looks like one of the clearest places to start. Baltimore doesn’t appear to have an above-average option there right now, which is why Byron Buxton stands out as the big swing.
A deal for the Minnesota Twins star would cost plenty in prospect capital and MLB-ready talent, but the payoff would be obvious. Buxton is coming off a season in which he hit .254/.319/.511 with 25 home runs, a 128 wRC+, and 2.6 fWAR.
Injuries limited him to 93 games, and that has been a recurring part of his career, but the upside is still loud. He has two seasons left on his deal at $15 million per year, and even at 32, he’d bring plenty to Baltimore.
If the Orioles want more than one outfielder, Teoscar Hernandez makes sense as another name to watch. The Dodgers could be looking for a way to open the door for prospect Josue De Paula, which could make Hernandez available.
He hit 16 home runs in 125 games for Los Angeles last year and posted a 110 wRC+. Before 2026, though, he had put together five straight seasons with at least 25 homers.
Baltimore could use that kind of power beyond its usual core, and Hernandez would supply it. His contract includes a $14.5 million salary next year, plus $8 million deferred, along with a $15 million club option for 2028, so he’s not cheap - but he also shouldn’t require a massive prospect haul.
The pitching market may be where Baltimore gets most aggressive. With uncertainty around Trevor Rogers’ return, the Orioles need starters, and a left-hander with frontline potential would be a major add.
Reid Detmers fits that description. He’s under team control for two more years, and the Angels don’t look like a team that’s about to contend in that window.
Detmers turned in a 3.36 ERA over 185 innings while striking out 211 hitters, and at 27, he checks a lot of boxes. The catch is the price.
A pitcher with that mix of age, control, and production will not come cheap.
Drew Rasmussen is another arm worth considering, though the path to getting him looks far less straightforward. The Rays have said they want to keep him, but his 2026 season was so strong that he hit nearly every escalator on his option and is now lined up to make $20 million next year.
That kind of salary is not easy to picture in Tampa Bay, especially for one player, even after he helped carry the club to the World Series. For Baltimore, Rasmussen would be a worthwhile gamble if the Orioles are willing to pay for it.
He has stayed relatively healthy over the last two years and hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.00 since 2020. The injury history is real, and the price is high, but he’s still in his prime and would raise the ceiling of the staff.
There’s also a cheaper outfield route in Jake McCarthy. He isn’t a star, but he brings value across the board: all three outfield spots, above-average offense, and no obvious platoon problem despite hitting left-handed.
This year in Colorado, he slashed .291/.334/.475 with 15 home runs, 32 stolen bases, a 108 wRC+, and 2.7 fWAR. At 29, he’s still in his prime and affordable, which makes him the kind of move that could quietly help.
He could be a solid upgrade over Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Leody Taveras, or Christian Franklin.
In Other News...
Orioles Still Have A Dylan Beavers Question They Can't Ignore
Dylan Beavers reached the majors in August 2025 on the strength of a strong minor league season, and the Orioles had every reason to think they were getting a young outfielder who could keep growing into a regular role. Instead, the 2026 season has brought a more complicated picture, one marked by a lower on-base percentage, defensive struggles and a six-week absence after a strained oblique in May.
Even so, Beavers has not disappeared from Baltimores long-term outlook. He has shown he can deliver in big moments, including multiple walk-off RBIs, and that kind of clutch production is part of why the Orioles still view him as part of their future outfield plans. The question now is less about whether he belongs in the conversation and more about how quickly he can turn flashes into something the club can count on more consistently. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Offseason Could Put More Of This Young Core In Play
The Orioles are heading into an offseason where roster math may matter as much as talent, and that usually means hard decisions about a young core that was supposed to be the clubs foundation. Baltimore has spent the past few years building around promising hitters and pitchers, but the latest chatter around the organization suggests the front office is still sorting through which pieces are truly untouchable and which ones could be used to reshape the roster.
For a team trying to stay competitive while also managing long-term flexibility, that kind of uncertainty can touch just about every corner of the roster. The club is weighing internal evaluations of both pitchers and hitters while also looking at possible trade targets, and for now there have been no confirmed moves or formal rumors to pin down exactly how aggressive the Orioles will get. Still, the sense around the team is clear enough: this winter could force Baltimore to decide how much of its young core it wants to keep together. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Be Headed For A Costly Trevor Rogers Decision
Trevor Rogers has given the Orioles enough to make this a real winter decision, which is saying something for a pitcher whose Baltimore tenure began with plenty of uncertainty. Since arriving in 2024, he has shown improvement and given the club a clearer sense of what he can still offer, even with the injury history that has followed him through his career. Now he is in free agency, and the market is already sorting itself out around him, with different sources projecting a range of contract values and possible landing spots.
Baltimore already made its first move by extending a qualifying offer, which puts the ball in Rogers court until November 17. If he accepts, the Orioles keep him on a short-term arrangement and avoid losing him for nothing. If he declines, the club is left weighing whether it can afford to let a pitcher it helped revive walk away, or whether the price tag to keep him has climbed beyond the comfort zone. [Read more 🡒]