The Orioles’ roster picture looks one way in early November and another way entirely by the time games actually count, which is exactly why this exercise matters.
If the season opened today, the club would be staring at a roster that still feels unfinished in a few obvious places. The rotation has holes.
The bullpen has some familiar names but not a ton of certainty. The outfield is thin.
And the infield, while crowded, may be more useful as trade material than as a finished product.
Start with the pitching staff, because that’s where the biggest work remains. Trevor Rogers and Chris Bassitt are gone from the rotation after reaching free agency, and Rogers will decline the $23.15 million qualifying offer.
Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin are also free agents, with Akin having undergone Tommy John surgery. Albert Suárez and Dietrich Enns are out of the picture too, though Suárez has a habit of resurfacing, so it would be unwise to fully write him off.
If the Orioles had to line up a rotation right now, it would look like this:
Trevor Rogers
Kyle Bradish
Shane Baz
Chris Bassitt
Zach Eflin
That’s the snapshot, but it’s not the likely finish line. Bradish and Baz would be the 1-2 if the staff were set today, and Brandon Young would slot in third after his breakout season.
Beyond that, the depth chart gets more developmental fast. Cade Povich should be back from his elbow cleanup procedure.
Trey Gibson is trying to move from depth arm to something more. Left-hander Luis De León is looking to build on the bullpen work he did in September.
The prospect group also includes Michael Forret, Nestor German, Levi Wells and Double-A arms Anthony Eyanson, Joseph Dzierwa, Caden Hunter, JT Quinn and Braxton Bragg.
That’s why Mike Elias made the obvious point at Jared Banner’s press conference. The Orioles know they need help, and they’re not pretending otherwise.
“We have, I think, a really promising internal group of arms, both at the major league level and the minor league level,” Elias said, “but as we’re talking about it upstairs today, looking for upgrades in the rotation is absolutely on the menu.”
For context, Elias was asked about a top-of-the-rotation starter.
The bullpen has a little more structure, especially at the back end. Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista would be the late-inning duo if both are healthy and the Orioles keep them rather than moving one.
That’s the smart play, because depth disappears quickly when injuries hit. Yennier Cano is locked in after signing a new two-year, $7.5 million deal and bouncing back in 2026 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.067 WHIP in 68 games.
Rico Garcia, who led the team with 75 appearances and spent part of the year looking like one of the best relievers in baseball, is out of options and expected to stay.
There are still open questions behind them. Tyler Wells was traded to the Rays for Michael Forret.
Enns is gone after the Orioles declined his $3.5 million option. Anthony Nunez was optioned in camp but made the club after Akin’s groin injury, and he’ll have to earn his way back in.
Yaramil Hiraldo was hurt and ineffective. Grant Wolfram looks like a near-lock, but the Orioles still want another lefty even with Josh Walker’s emergence.
A Nov. 6 version of the bullpen would probably include Alex Hoppe after his arrival from the Mariners in the Taylor Ward trade. Cam Sanders is in the mix.
The Orioles also added Josh White and Philip Abner this week on waiver claims. Cameron Foster, who made six appearances before a right shoulder injury, remains on the 40-man roster after all the shuffling.
A likely eight-man group would feature Helsley, Bautista, Cano, Garcia, Hoppe, Wolfram and Walker, with Sanders or Nunez taking the last spot. At least one newcomer is going to crash this unit.
The catching situation is much clearer. Samuel Basallo and Carlos Narváez would be the pair if the roster were frozen today, though the Orioles still want a backup in the mix to create competition.
Zach Morgan was claimed on waivers this week, and the Triple-A group includes Creed Willems, Silas Ardoin and Ethan Anderson. None of them have big league experience.
The infield, meanwhile, is the easiest part to sketch out and one of the hardest to finish. Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are on the injured list in this exercise, which leaves a group built around Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle, Blaze Alexander, Jeremiah Jackson and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
That’s already a crowded room, and there’s only so much space once the rest of the roster is accounted for. Alexander can also handle backup duties, which adds to his value.
Jeremiah Jackson gets bumped once Holliday and Westburg are back, and that’s where the Orioles may have a decision to make. The infield could be excess, and excess can be used. Elias may see it as a place to deal from in order to land either a starter or an outfielder.
The outfield is where the lack of certainty really shows. Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras would make up the group if the season started now.
O’Neill is owed another $16.5 million in the final year of his contract, which makes him a strong candidate to be on the Opening Day roster. Cowser and Beavers are the left-handed bats who can handle the corners and center, and Cowser is the better defender at this point.
Ward opened camp as the everyday left fielder but didn’t bring his power with him from Anaheim. The Orioles signed Rece Hinds to a one-year major league deal, though he’s not a sure thing to make the club or stay on the 40-man roster. Christian Franklin came over from the Nationals in a deadline trade and profiles more as a part-time player because of his speed and plus defense.
The position is still thin enough that help may be coming from outside the obvious names. Enrique Bradfield Jr. is expected to make his major league debut at some point after the Orioles add him to the 40-man roster later this month.
Reed Trimble is already on the roster, but injuries have slowed him again; he played only 32 games this year, 15 of them for Norfolk. Even so, he’s 64-for-64 in career stolen base attempts.
That’s the roster puzzle in plain view: a rotation that needs at least one major addition, a bullpen with a few anchors and a few loose ends, a catching tandem that’s set for now, an infield that may be more valuable as currency, and an outfield that still needs answers.
In other words, this is the Orioles before the real work is done.
In Other News...
Orioles Trade Buzz Now Centers On A Young Core Decision
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Orioles Face A Real Catching Question Around Samuel Basallo
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Basallos bat and upside make him an important piece, yet the club also wants to keep his workload in check to protect his health. That leaves Baltimore weighing a veteran partner who can handle the defensive side of the job, with free-agent possibilities such as Austin Hedges and Carson Kelly in the mix, along with a possible reunion with James McCann. It is the kind of balancing act that could shape how the Orioles manage the position from day to day next season. [Read more 🡒]