The Orioles’ catching situation may be more urgent than it first looked, and that’s saying something for a roster already packed with holes.
Samuel Basallo’s workload is a big part of the concern. Given where he is in his career, the way his body wore down over a long season, and how little he has caught in the minors, the Orioles may need to build next season’s roster with three catchers in mind. If Carlos Narvaez remains in the mix, then the club still needs another catcher - one who can defend at a high level, frame pitches well, handle the staff, and bring the kind of presence that settles everything down behind the plate.
That need goes beyond depth. It speaks to the shape of the entire roster.
The Orioles need a stronger spine up the middle, the kind that can stabilize the defense and help a pitching staff that cannot afford to keep piling up unearned runs. Catcher is where it starts, and right now there is no clean answer.
Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Bordick didn’t soften the point when we broke down the season with him.
“The Orioles need a catcher,” Bordick said. “I am not trusting Basallo. They need a front-line catcher.”
That kind of urgency is part of why the free-agent market deserves a close look, even if it isn’t loaded with perfect options. Ryan Jeffers is the biggest name, but his value leans more toward the bat than the glove.
Tyler Stephenson is another notable option, though defense is a problem there too; he ranked literally second-worst in MLB in blocking. Narvaez, meanwhile, might not be sturdy enough for what the Orioles need.
The framing piece matters here. People around the game who understand pitching and know these Orioles pitchers well believe it matters a lot. Narvaez ranked 22nd in framing, while he was second in MLB in blocking, according to baseballsavant.com.
Reporting this week also said the Orioles wanted Austin Wells in their talks with the Yankees about Adley Rutschman, which fits with the idea that they are looking for a glove-first catcher. Wells has turned into an all-glove, no hit backstop.
Buck Showalter also brought up Jonah Heim when he recently discussed the Orioles’ player development failures. Heim, whom Showalter knew as a very young prospect in the organization, should never have been traded away. He isn’t what he was three years ago, and his power surge a few years back may have pulled him away from the overall player he had been, but there was a time when he looked like he belonged among the game’s top catchers.
That version of Heim is gone, but he still offers more behind the plate, and more durability there, than what the Orioles have had since Adley Rutschman’s career began taking a steady nosedive in early 2024.
Bordick’s view was blunt about where that leaves the Orioles now.
“He can be my backup, no doubt about,” Bordick said. “… I think they really need a frontline catcher. I feel like they have to put some priority on frontline guys, but just hope and pray on guys again.”
After taking another hard look at the roster, the conclusion is hard to miss: the Orioles appear farther from contention than Mike Elias keeps saying they are, and catcher is now part of that bigger problem.
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