Orioles Face Roster Crunch with Mountcastle, Mayo Amid Alonso Era
Down in Sarasota, the Orioles’ spring storyline is shifting. It’s no longer about who might join the roster-it’s about who might be on their way out. After locking in veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt to further solidify their rotation, the O’s are reportedly exploring trade possibilities for Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo.
And when you take a step back, it makes sense. Mountcastle and Mayo have always been a bit of a square-peg, round-hole situation on the same roster.
Both are right-handed power bats, both are best suited for first base, and both need consistent at-bats to stay productive. That was already a tight squeeze before the Orioles made their biggest offseason splash: signing Pete Alonso.
Now, with Alonso locked in at first base on a $155 million deal, Baltimore has a clear everyday starter at the position. The "Polar Bear" brings serious pop-he averaged 40 homers per season over his last four years with the Mets-and he’s expected to be the centerpiece of the Orioles' run production. Sure, Alonso will get some DH reps, but not nearly enough to open up meaningful time at first for Mountcastle, Mayo, or even Samuel Basallo, who’s also in the mix.
In the short term, the injury to Jackson Holliday has created a bit of breathing room. The projected Opening Day infield likely features Alonso at first, with Blaze Alexander and Jordan Westburg sharing time at second and third, and Gunnar Henderson holding down shortstop.
That leaves Mayo as a backup third baseman and Mountcastle in a Ryan O’Hearn-style role-some first base, some right field. It’s a patchwork fit, especially with the team likely carrying five outfielders and just three middle infielders.
But this isn’t just about positional overlap. The Orioles have to weigh the value of keeping Mountcastle and Mayo versus what they could bring back in a trade-and right now, that return might not be worth it.
Let’s start with Mountcastle. He’s coming off the worst season of his career.
A hamstring injury limited him to just 89 games, and by the time he returned in August, the Orioles’ postseason hopes were already fading. He did flash signs of life right out of the gate, hitting .305 with a .463 slugging percentage over 21 August games.
But that momentum didn’t last-he slumped hard in September, hitting just .190 with a .522 OPS, and eventually lost playing time to Mayo.
As a result, Mountcastle’s trade value is at a low point. He’s entering the final year of his contract, and it’s hard to imagine a team giving up a quality starter-or even a high-leverage reliever-for a player coming off a down year.
He’s not bringing back anyone better than Dean Kremer, Zach Eflin, or Bassitt. And unless a team is specifically looking for a platoon bat who can crush lefties, there’s not a huge market for Mounty right now.
That said, his track record against left-handed pitching is still worth something. For his career, Mountcastle has hit .282 with an .813 OPS and a 116 OPS+ against southpaws. But in 2025, that strength disappeared-his OPS against lefties dropped to .598, and he didn’t hit a single homer off a lefty for the first time since 2020.
If he can rediscover that form in 2026, he becomes a valuable piece again-either as a platoon bat who helps the Orioles win games or as a midseason trade chip who could bring back a more meaningful return.
Then there’s Mayo, whose value is more about projection than production. The 24-year-old has the kind of raw power that turns heads-think 30+ homer potential-and he showed flashes of that in his first extended big-league action last year.
But it was a tale of two halves. Before the All-Star break, Mayo looked overmatched, hitting just .203 with a .563 OPS and striking out in 28% of his at-bats.
After the break, though, he started to settle in. With more consistent playing time, he hit .223 with a .740 OPS and 10 home runs in 184 at-bats.
The strikeouts remained a concern-his K-rate actually climbed to 34%-but the power and poise started to show.
What makes Mayo an intriguing trade chip is his age, upside, and team control. He’s five years younger than Mountcastle and under team control for five more seasons.
That’s the kind of profile that rebuilding teams covet. But here’s the catch: those same teams likely don’t have the kind of MLB-ready pitching the Orioles need in return.
Take the Marlins, for example. A Mayo-to-Miami deal has been floated, but with Sandy Alcantara struggling and Eury Pérez likely untouchable, it’s hard to see a match that actually improves Baltimore’s rotation. The Pirates and Rockies might have interest, too, but again-do they have the arms to make it worthwhile?
This is the balancing act facing GM Mike Elias and the Orioles’ front office. For years, fans have called for them to be more aggressive, to turn prospect depth into immediate upgrades.
And now, with a logjam at first base and a clear need for pitching, the opportunity is there. But the right deal hasn’t materialized-at least not yet.
So for now, Mountcastle and Mayo remain in Baltimore. It’s not the cleanest roster fit, and it’s not without its challenges.
But in a lineup that now features Alonso, Henderson, and a healthy Tyler O’Neill, there’s room-at least temporarily-for both to prove they belong. Whether that leads to a breakout season or a trade deadline deal remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the Orioles’ depth is both a blessing and a puzzle they’ll need to solve if they want to contend in 2026.