Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias has gotten most of his holiday shopping out of the way. While the fan base wants more, Elias has all the time in the world.
While I am not ready to fully project what new manager Craig Albernaz’s 26-man Opening Day roster will look like, the pitching staff has become clearer in the past several weeks.
Realistically, Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer and the recently acquired Shane Baz will make up four of five rotation spots. By hook or by crook, Elias will add at least one more starter.
I see today five of eight bullpen spots set with Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns, Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge and young Kade Strowd. The Orioles still need another lefty arm — why not Drew Pomeranz before he signed with the Angels? — and the club is supposedly interested in Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero. Elias will explore all avenues to fill that important void.
The Orioles also have to determine roles for Cade Povich, Tyler Wells and Albert Suárez (recently re-signed to a minor league deal). Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia and Colin Selby are still around as well. Cano has minor league options remaining, while Garcia and Selby do not.
Elias’ available funding is good enough for a reliever like Nic Enright, Pierce Johnson, Jacob Junis or Shelby Miller. Elias knows he can do better than Cano and the other guys left over from the 2025 season.
In terms of filling out the leadership spot in the rotation, it’s down to seemingly a handful of free agents: Zac Gallen, Ranger Suárez, Framber Valdez and perhaps Tatsuya Imai. Then there is the trade market: Edward Carbera, MacKenzie Gore, Freddy Peralta and another half-dozen names that could pop out of nowhere, just like Baz did.
If we are being straight, Valdez or Suarez really makes this rotation championship-worthy. But honestly, would a two-year deal for Lucas Giolito be the worst thing in the world? Giolito is in a somewhat similar situation as Baz. Giolito underwent elbow surgery in March 2024, while Baz had Tommy John surgery in September 2022.
Baz got the benefit of pitching 79.1 big league innings in 2024 before his 166.1 innings in 2025. Giolito’s 2025 season didn’t get going until the very end of April, and his ERA was a horrid 6.42 in early June. In his final 19 starts, he posted a 2.51 ERA across 111.1 innings.
Giolito, Suárez and Valdez would be between very good and great, but if the final starting pitcher comes via free agency rather than trade, what comes of Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle?
While Elias’ heavy lifting has been spot-on, listening to Elias explain the talents of Mountcastle (“great hitter”) and how Mayo can still fit on this roster with Alonso, Mountcastle and Basallo is like chalk on a blackboard up my spine.
Elias was so eager to explain how the Orioles don’t have to trade Mayo that he even tossed out that they could explore other positions like the outfield. C’mon, Mike. Mayo has been in the system since he was drafted in 2020 and has never played the outfield. Hell, he didn’t start to even play first base until 2024.
For the sake of argument, let’s work off the assumption that Mayo is traded. That last spot to me needs to be someone with speed who plays good defense at multiple positions. One of Willi Castro, Thairo Estrada Dylan Moore and Luis Rengifo all score significantly higher in value than Jeremiah Jackson.
While Elias talks about Mountcastle and Mayo on the same roster, I see no way.
The Orioles appear to have filled 12 of 13 position player spots: two catchers in Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman, five infielders in Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Mountcastle (or Mayo) and five outfielders in Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward.
It’s shaping up nicely, but time and money are on Mike Elias’ side before pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota in February.
See Also:
• Reaction To Orioles’ Shane Baz Trade
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