The Orioles can’t patch a broken roster by shopping only in free agency, but this market still has a few names worth serious attention.
Baltimore needs more than one fix, and the fit has to be right. The club needs impact bats, sturdier defense, and help at spots where the current roster structure has failed. That means exploring trades before the market really takes off, but it also means recognizing that free agency can still fill some glaring holes if the Orioles are willing to pay.
One of the cleanest fits is Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs slugger checks a lot of boxes: he could give Baltimore a real presence in the Far East, and his hit tool has already translated well from Japan.
The concern with any right-handed power bat in Camden Yards is obvious, especially after Mike Elias twice mishandled left field, but Suzuki can work all fields and has the kind of opposite-field power that can play there. He also brings a Gold Glove-caliber profile in right field, and this roster badly needs two everyday plus defenders in the outfield.
The center field conversation has another name in Daulton Varsho. The Orioles would take him over Trent Grisham in center, and he should come cheaper.
Varsho’s power can swing around from year to year, but if Baltimore builds the rest of the outfield correctly, that becomes less of a concern. Put him next to a corner outfield option like Suzuki, and the ripple effect reaches the pitching staff because the grass stops looking like a minefield.
Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs made a strong case for Varsho on “The Daily Flock,” and if the Orioles can’t trade Gunnar Henderson for Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, Varsho would be the backup plan. His time in the AL East is another plus.
On the pitching side, Baltimore should think value, not the kind of expensive mid-rotation bets that look doomed from the jump. That means looking at a former Cy Young arm whose career changed once injuries piled up.
After the season that essentially ended in July, with only a mop-up inning in the World Series after that, he stands out as a possible buy-low target. The fit makes sense, too: when Elias traded for Corbin Burnes from the Brewers, he was already looking at this pitcher, since they were co-aces in Milwaukee.
A low-base, one-year deal with a sizable 2028 salary that vests if he reaches certain thresholds would fit the kind of upside Baltimore needs.
Behind the plate, the Orioles need someone who can partner with Samuel Basallo and likely take on at least a split role. The former Orioles farmhand has slipped since his All-Star level peak with Texas in 2023, but there is still enough there to matter.
He can handle 100 games if needed and also help at first base if the Orioles need coverage there. He brings game knowledge, experience working with elite starters, and the ability to frame and handle the smaller details.
There’s also pop in the bat, though he has chased that too much in recent years.
Baltimore already missed out on a wave of deals for elite defensive catchers last offseason, and Caros Narvaez had a rough stretch after coming over from Boston in the Adley Rutschman package. That only raises the importance of getting this one right.
In Other News...
Orioles Still Have One Obvious Outfield Problem After Latest Roster Moves
The Orioles kept trimming and sorting their roster this week, a familiar offseason task for a club trying to balance flexibility with a clear need in the outfield. Jos Barrero and Albert Surez cleared waivers and chose free agency, Colin Selby was reinstated from the injured list and sent to Triple-A Norfolk, and Codi Heuer accepted an outright assignment to Norfolk, leaving Baltimore with 33 players on the 40-man roster.
Luis Robert Jr. remains the most notable name in the middle of it all, because the Orioles moved on from his contract option and sent him into free agency. Even after the latest roster moves, the outfield still looks like a spot Baltimore will have to keep addressing, and the front office now has room to keep working on it without forcing a decision just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Turned Luis Robert Jr Into An Offseason Debate
Luis Robert Jr.'s Baltimore stint never really got the chance to get going, and now it has already become an offseason decision point. The Orioles have declined his 2027 team option, another sign of how aggressively they are sorting through their roster after a season in which they also moved on from several other players' options for next year.
Robert was claimed off waivers from the Mets in 2026, but injuries kept him from making much of an impact in Baltimore. He appeared in only three games for the club before ending up on the injured list, and the stop-start season left the Orioles with little choice but to treat his future as part of a broader reset rather than a simple return plan. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Hold A Luis Robert Decision That Could Help Boston
Bostons offseason planning already has a familiar name in the mix, and it comes with a Baltimore wrinkle. Luis Robert Jr., now with the Orioles, is one of the offensive options the Red Sox are weighing as they look ahead to building a club that can contend in 2027, especially if they wind up moving Jarren Duran and need another dynamic outfield bat to consider.
Robert still carries the appeal that made him an All-Star in the first place, with power and speed that can change a lineup in a hurry. The concern, as always, is whether the health questions that have followed him in recent years will keep him from becoming the kind of dependable target Boston would want before committing to a major pursuit. [Read more 🡒]