The Orioles announced a flurry of roster moves this morning, highlighted by the club’s decision to select the contract of top prospect Samuel Basallo. Basallo will take the 40-man roster spot of right-hander Zach Eflin, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list and was already known to be done for the 2025 season. In addition, Baltimore activated outfielder Colton Cowser from the 7-day concussion-related injured list. Ryan Noda and Daniel Johnson were optioned to the minor leagues to make room for Basallo and Cowser on the active roster.
Basallo, who celebrated his 21st birthday just last week, entered the year as a consensus top-15 prospect in baseball and has more than proved himself worthy of that status with his work at Triple-A this year. The Santo Domingo native was signed as an international amateur by the Orioles back in 2021 and, after struggling in his first taste of Triple-A late last year, has slashed an incredible .270/.377/.589 (151 wRC+) in 76 games for the club’s Norfolk affiliate this year. He’s crushed 23 homers in that time, and while his 23.7% strikeout rate is the highest he’s posted in a full season so far that’s more than made up for by his aforementioned power and a strong 13.7% walk rate.
Those numbers would be impressive for any player, but they become all the more incredible with the context that Basallo is a catcher in the midst of his age-20 campaign. Basallo’s aforementioned 151 wRC+ is the fourth-highest figure in Triple-A’s International League this year, and he’s done that despite being the youngest qualified hitters at the level. Just ten hitters in their age-22 season or younger have qualified, and among them only four others (Justin Crawford of the Phillies as well as Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, and Kevin Alcantara of the Cubs) have posted above-average numbers. All four of those youngsters are top-100 prospects in their own right, and only Caissie’s 142 wRC+ comes within spitting distance of Basallo’s elite numbers.
All of that is to say that Basallo has absolutely nothing left to do offensively at Triple-A. The youngster’s defense behind the plate has been the subject of some questions both from outside evaluators and even from the brass within his own organization, however. GM Mike Elias suggested back in June that Basallo’s defense needed some work before he could be called up to the majors, but it appears the youngster has either assuaged those concerns about his glove or simply done so much with the bat that the Orioles can’t justify holding him back for the sake of his glove any longer.
It will be worth watching how the Orioles use Basallo in the coming weeks. He’s only played catcher, first base, and DH in the minor leagues. That should leave him limited to those three positions at the big league level as well, but the O’s already have starters at all three positions at the moment. Adley Rutschman is back in the lineup behind the plate after missing some time earlier this year and figures to remain the primary option at the position for now even in the midst of a middling season. Youngster Coby Mayo is in the midst of his own long-awaited tryout at first base, and it makes little sense for the Orioles to limit the 23-year-old’s playing time as they look to decide if he can serve as their first baseman of the future headed into 2026. That’s left Ryan Mountcastle to shift off first base and take the lion’s share of playing time at DH in recent days. The 28-year-old has struggled to a .250/.285/.373 (81 wRC+) this year, but spent most of the season on the injured list due to a hamstring strain and has slashed an excellent .276/.333/.517 with two homers, two steals, and a double in eight games since being activated.
Perhaps everyone in that quartet will be able to start four or five games a week with pinch-hitting opportunities on days they aren’t starting. It’s also possible that Mayo could get some occasional looks at third base (currently held down by Jordan Westburg) to help create more vacancies at first base. Mountcastle even has some experience in the outfield, although he hasn’t played on the grass since 2021 so it’s unclear if he’s still capable of handling the position. If making an occasional appearance in left wouldn’t be an injury risk for Mountcastle, it would be fair to say that his bat could make up for whatever defensive miscues he might be vulnerable to after a long layoff at the position.
Now that Cowser is back from the injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun notes that (according to interim manager Tony Mansolino) the 25-year-old will slide into center field upon his return. Cowser’s been entrenched as the club’s regular left fielder since his excellent rookie campaign last year, and while injuries and ineffectiveness have limited him to an 89 wRC+ in 56 games he’ll still be a substantial offensive upgrade over the players tasked with holding down the position since Cedric Mullins was traded to the Mets last month like Johnson and Greg Allen.
That leaves two outfield spots for the taking. One figures to be left to Dylan Beavers, another one of the club’s top prospects who made his big league debut just yesterday and went 1-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts. Like Basallo, he clearly has nothing left to prove in the minors after hitting .304/.420/.515 (152 wRC+) at the level with a 16.3% walk rate, 23 steals, and 18 home runs in 94 games this year. Beavers should get regular playing time in one corner going forward, but the short-term solutions at the other corner don’t inspire confidence.
Jeremiah Jackson and Dylan Carlson are the options available on the roster at present now that Noda and Johnson are ticketed for Triple-A, but both come with questions. Carlson has a meager 56 wRC+ this year and hasn’t been an above-average player since 2021. Jackson, meanwhile, is a 25-year-old who only just reached the Triple-A level earlier this year and was promoted primarily due to a scorching hot stretch of 40 games at the level where he bashed 11 homers and hit .377. That sort of performance is surely unsustainable at the big league level, and while his 107 wRC+ at the big league level so far is decent, a .435 BABIP and a 31.4% strikeout rate don’t appear likely to be sustainable.
That could leave room for Mountcastle to pick up occasional reps in left field, health permitting. Even if he can patrol left without risk of re-injuring his balky hamstring, however, it’s worth noting that would surely be a temporary solution to the logjam Basallo’s promotion creates given that the Orioles have two options for regular at-bats in left field on the injured list at present. Tyler O’Neill has been sidelined by wrist inflammation in recent weeks but should be a fixture of the club’s lineup once he returns. The 30-year-old has the opportunity to opt out of the final two years of his contract with Baltimore but seems unlikely to exercise that option after appearing in just 43 games and posting a pedestrian 98 wRC+ when on the field.
Heston Kjerstad is another option to get reps in the outfield at some point, but seems less certainty to be called upon than O’Neill. Kjerstad was placed on the minor league injured list due to what was described at the time as fatigue in late July and hasn’t appeared in a game since, but the former top prospect has struggled badly this year with a .192/.240/.327 (56 wRC+) slash line. Even in spite of those brutal numbers, however, the club’s commitment to playing youngsters like Basallo, Beavers, and Mayo down the stretch could suggest that they’ll try to get Kjerstad another look in the majors during these final weeks of a lost 2025 season.
I’m not sure what happened with Baltimore a few years ago they had some great young players and now have fallen off a cliff. I don’t know if ownership didn’t spend on free agents to compliment the the young players or what. I’ve been hearing about Basllo for a while. Let’s see what he can do.
They’ve had some regression with their top prospects, and they didn’t supplement the roster with enough free agents and trades. Still a lot of talent there, so wouldn’t surprise me if they turn it around next year.
The “great young players” were all hitters. The team refused to trade any of them, at first, for pitchers. Then they did but not enough, and then a couple of the hitters didn’t quite pan out. They have kind of blown a miracle class of position players, but still have time. Guys like Cowser and Holliday should be traded this off-season for pitching talent, and they should go wild in the reliever FA market. But they won’t because they don’t have a big payroll and several of the kids are needing extensions soon.
Basallo, btw, might be the best of all of them, Henderson included.
If you look back last 3 years, the Orioles traded away Hernaiz, Ortiz, Hall, Showalter, Rom, Prieto, Johnson, Chace, Norby, Stowers, Baumeister, Etzel, and Horvath. All of whom were on organization top 30 at some point. They have traded away many prospects.
seamaholic 2 — “guys like Cowser and Holliday should be traded for pitching talent.”
….whhhhaaaaaatttt?? Trade Holiday?!!?? For who, Skenes??!?
This “should have traded” song of silliness won’t end. Who is/are these obvious TOR SP that would have been traded for?
Fans seem to be blaming Elias for not getting a unicorn that even the fans can’t identify other than the “TOR SP” cliche of a mythical proportions.
I want the same thing too happen (trade for young, controllable, TOR SP), but I don’t see who that player is then/now or who the other Organization is that would want to trade such a guy.
…and why does everyone make it seem like they can’t trade those very same players now for SP?? They’re not prospects anymore, so they aren’t valuable anymore??…huh??
Agree on Basallo though. Pretty special bat.
Crochet was the option
At one time Cease with SD, Alcantara Miami, Lopez or Ryan Twins, Castillo Reds (at the time) Glasnow Rays (at the time) Kind Yankees (at the time) Sale (Boston at the time).
High end pitching typically takes an overpay to aquire. Teams with payroll limitations must trade quality prospects to get it.
*Michael King Yankees
….and none of those pitchers would have made the Orioles a post-sesson team this year. And you would be filling in the line-up with who…other free agents?
Not to mention, you don’t know the ask on the players you mentioned. Price no object? Move Basallo for Cease…it only matters if you have a TOR SP, regardless of cost?
You, and I, don’t know what the offers were for those players. You just seem to think Elias must be cheap because he didn’t make a trade. We don’t know.
We do know he traded for Burnes, Rogers, and Eflin. Got those right.
All I’m saying is starting pitching is expensive. Elias is paid to find a way to bring it in. He’s handcuffed by ownership with the budget so he has to get creative with the farm to make it happen. Perception is that he was unwilling to pay the cost to acquire it. It’s a given that fans don’t know what was offered. It’s all about the end result. Some fans want to see him more like San Diego’s Preller, or Seattle’s Hollander. (Get it done)
Injury history and limited time in role as starter. Too big a risk at that timr…
Ah, there we go. Perceptions.
He paid the price for Burnes, Rogers, and Eflin. Don’t know how you can blame him for things he didn’t do when you don’t know how things went down.
“Some fans want to see him…”, yes, yes, grass is always greener.
I’m very happy with all that he’s done. He isn’t perfect, but calling for the man’s job, it being down on him is such a narrow view, its hard to justify.
There were also Skubal rumors.
I think prior to the season the pitching was in a 1 year shamble and the GM knew it and didn’t react strongly, instead just tried to patch a 85 win team together that failed miserably when the young offense regressed.
On the pitching side they knew they lost Bradish and Wells, a CY young candidate and a borderline all star. As well as Grayson injury history.
The plan might have been to just punt 2025 all along. And with the way the offense flopped and the young stars failed to take it to the next level, I kind of agree it was the right move.
Gab — “the plan might have been to just punt 2025 all along.”
…sure…sure, that’s gotta be it… As an old-regime GM under a new ownership group, he definitely decided to punt, no doubt, you nailed it.
A number of baseball writers have suggested that their reluctance to trade more of their young bats at peak value for a controllable top of the rotation starter has landed them in this predicament.
Prospects like Mayo & Westburg. Trading for a high quality controllable starting pitcher often requires an overpay because they are scarce & teams are very reluctant to give them up.
It doesn’t help when you trade Norby and Stowers for Trevor Rogers, and then Stowers crushes it, while Roger’s struggled last year (he’s pitched like an ace after coming back from IR though). That has to give the GM a huge case of the yips when it comes to pulling the trigger on any deal.
They have been killed with injuries past couple years. Amazing they are still playing tough considering. You see the team they could be when healthy and it’s just frustrating
Too many of their “can’t-miss HOFers” failed. I assume we’ll hear how Basallo is the next Yogi Berra.
Who are you talking about on the Orioles?
Lolwut. The only voice ever calling any of them “can’t-miss-HOFers” was in your Boog’s-addled brain.
letit — List of failed players, please.
One analysis showed O’s drafted hitters since 2010 have a higher total fWAR than any other team (roughly on par with Houston). Problem is they traded guys like Machado and Stowers away.
One sided roster construction; quality pitching is a must.
Trevor Rogers has been fantastic. O’s are Top 10 in ERA the last month largely because of him but also because Kremer has been quite good too.
Hopefully this doesnt make mayo yoyo in and out of the lineup. Mountcastle should be more of the odd man out.
There will at least be 1 odd man out assuming they don’t trade any of the young guys
Henderson and Holliday won’t be moved, westburg is a better defender at 3rd compared to mayo so mayo is probably going to mainly DH with basallo mainly doing 1st with a little bit of catching
Mountcastle was reportedly dangled as a trade candidate all winter; gm’s were about as impressed as rival teams fans. So glad my team didn’t give up starting pitching for him.
As long as the Mayo and basallo are getting some experience in the field as well as consistent at bats, mountcastle and rutschman can share playing time. Mainly with mountcastle getting the short end of the stick.
Adley needs to be playing 5 or 6 days a week, as well. Whether he’s in the long term plans, or ticketed for the trade block, he needs the reps to get his swing back. Unless you feel they should sell low on him and basically just dump him.
The orioles have a habit of calling people up and then letting them rot on the bench. I hope Samuel plays.
Basallo is the DH of the Orioles’ present and future. My guess is that he strikes out a lot but hits for enough power to make up for it.
He is 100 percent thr backup catcher next year unless Ruschman is traded or n off-season which I don’t see happening.
Rutschman’s lefty swing has been lackluster for the past couple seasons. Basallo could take advantage of this and by mid ’26 there could be a solid platoon. When and if Basallo’s catching reaches the proficiency threshold necessary, the story on who’s the lead could easily flip. Anyways, less pressure on Rutschman will be a good thing for Rutschman and the Orioles.
I laughed reading his bio. He’s 6′ 04″ and 180? Ha.. I saw him in spring training and those numbers must’ve been on the day they signed him at 16.
Probably a typo from 280, lol.
Here we gO’s!! Been waiting on Basallo since he first signed.
Big step for him, but for the Orioles too.
Basallo was the first year/wave of the International prospects Mike Elias oversaw, and his work getting the International development started for the franchise, when it was absolutely nothing. Now, (6 years later), the first chicken has come home to roost.
Here’s hoping for all the success Basallo can get!
((And thanks to Mike Elias for actually making the International market an Orioles market after 30 years of Angelos neglect))
Go get ’em Sam!!
Odd timing calling Basallo up now since the Orioles still have 39 games to play. He’ll blow past 130 at bats and lose ROY eligibility for next year if he plays regularly. They could have waited a couple more weeks and avoided that scenario
They could also just play him regularly and then send him back down before he hits the number, or they could just play him sporadically and avoid the limit altogether.
Or they could just not manipulate his service time. Let him play. Keep him for the full six years.
He’s not going to play every day. 2 days off a week would be plenty to keep him below the threshold.
They don’t have to bat him everyday, say, against Lefty pitchers he might sit.
Basallo and Beavers will retain Rookie eligibility next year. Elias has been planning on it for months.
how days will there be on the major league roster ROS?
only 42 days to end of season, so he’ll be under the 45 days if he stays the whole time.
It’d be odd if he averaged >3 ABs per game the rest of the way. One off day per week would solve most of that.
He’ll probably sit against LHP
NP. 130 at bats, not plate appearances. Mix in some walks, hbp, errors… And a good hitter stretches that to 145 pa. Skip 8 or so lefty starters
O there is Joy in Mudville
Basallo joining the Orioles is great news!! This is gonna be fun!
Fantasy and O’s fans, I added Basallo this morning, but now need a pitcher. Would you drop Mountcastle or Adley (and yes that’s now the bottom of my roster). Ryan has been better, but I fear his playing time will now be cut more than Adley’s. Thoughts?
Add Bradish? He’s got only one more rehab, and his last start looked much more Bradish.
I think Mountcastle knows he’s playing for his supper at this point and is going to be a better bet for production…but are they going to let him now??… Tough call on the drop.
Bradish I have in one league stashed, but not available in this one, but it’s more for a pickup today. Might need a couple of K’s. Problem is my choices are extremely limited now. Mount’s been good since coming off the IL, but man harder to let Adley go.
I had Adley as a keeper since he was drafted, but dropped him as a keeper this year. Glad I did. Adley better irl player than a fantasy player (atm).
Jeffery Spring’s SP??…maybe he’s on his game…maybe K’s. Thinking of who might be available.
Nah I wish, it’s a pretty deep league, 12 teams, 30 man rosters. My best bet at this point is probably Fedde or Junk and I’m not sure I want to mess with Era and whip, both close categories. K’s and QS are both being contested, too. Currently we both have two SP going, but I may have an edge there in terms of quality of player. I may just grab a reliever instead later on depending if my opponent grabs a 3rd starter, then all bets are off and you just have to fight. Right now, I’m thinking Ryan will be my drop.
The O’s roster is a mess. Crazy off-season acquisitions in areas they didn’t need while ignoring obvious holes. I don’t know what Elias was thinking.
He was recognizing that starting pitching on the free agent market was very expensive & ownership didn’t want to pay. Secondly, he didn’t want to pay the prospect price needed to pry away a good top of the rotation arm. Choices have consequences.
Also that there were 3 sp on IL that needed to get spots…
The timing makes a lot of sense. He will now retain his rookie eligibility. Many top prospects have gotten the call this week.
Not fair to present Kjerstad as some kind of bust. He was killing it but then suffered serious brain effects from being beaned by the Yankees. Repeated bouts of concussion effects. The way to cover him is ‘yet to recover, hopefully the Yanks throwing at his head didn’t cost him his career.’
Maybe he can be the everyday 1B because they need one! That mayo guy is crapping the bed, not sure what the love affair was with him to begin with.. very over rated. But this Basallo has the potential to be a superstar.
This is very encouraging. I watched every AB and Basallo looked very comfortable and was making good contact, seems to have a solid eye and nice bat to ball skills in just his first game. Beavers seems encouraging as well. Love the idea of these two getting work in and being more ready for next year whatever that means in terms of service time and award compensation. I’m fine with punting on that and just trying to put the team in best position for next year.
I think part of the issue is maybe a lot of guys weren’t what we thought they were in Adley Milkman Kjerstad Grayson. Maybe even Gunnar in the sense where he may have seemed like the next Bobby Witt and MVP and a guy who could carry the team. He may just be very good. So this may be cool with Basallo and Beavers cause maybe we dont have to rely as much on the other guys.
Its hard to get too excited though cause the Os just seem to have some issues that are hard to get past. Has Elias extended a single O yet? I feel like they are just trying to play by certain rules and not sure they are great rules. Not extending young players while they are young and cheaper feels like a losing proposition. Feeling like SPs should never be drafted in the first round feels like a failing strategy. Feeling like the Os can get by without signing front of the rotation guys also feels like a weak strategy. Not trading for front of the rotation guys with more than one year of control also feels like not a great approach. I can only hope they change their ways but not easy to believe that.
For everyone that keeps on saying Elias should have traded for Crochet (nice hindsight), or one of Seattle’s top guys or Ryan or Lopez: when you have a Basallo and a Holliday and a Mayo, teams insist on one, if not two, of them. With Mayo’s sus fielding, I might have been tempted but not when the other piece was inevitably Basallo. Hell, someone asked on this site “Mayo for Woo. Who says no?” and the answer from the chat moderator that day was “I’d want more for Mayo”.
If/when his power translates, he could be a 30-40hr guy. Is that worth two to three years of a good but not tor starter? I’d agree need more.
Adley
They didn’t need to give up top prospects for Luzardo last December, Miami got 2 mid levels back for him.
They also didn’t need to spend their money on Morton, Sugano, Gibson, Sanchez, O’Neill, and Mateo. For that money they would have almost had both Pivetta and Fried, both out there for the taking. But “build the rotation from the bottom up” was what they sold, a lot of suckers on here bought it, and being out of it by Memorial Day was the result.
I was never much for Crochet (or Cease, who is never-ending in the trade market). Seattle still hasn’t let go of their young starters that I would like the Orioles to have, and likely never will.
Elias should have traded Mountcastle after the 2023 season. Elias should have done more prior to the 2023 season than sign Cole Irvin. Elias should have done more last winter, and he should have had more than Burnes’ 1 year. He “tried” with Jack Flaherty in 2023 which blew up in his face, and Rogers has 1/3 of a good season but still a ton of ground to make up for what loss Stowers has been. Even his other “best move” (Eflin) doesn’t look as good now as it did last October.
Its a combination of mistakes. Elias is a good position player scout. That doesn’t make him a good GM.
It will be a challenge to find Basallo ABs. I see early ABs coming from the DH slot. I he can maintain some heat the other options will get more field time. as the O’s get a read on what the immediate Offensive returns are, the rest will fall into place
What was said on masn is they need to see if he will stick at catcher. If not then that likely impacts other moves… he’s likely not ready to be primary catcher and calling games with his experience.
For the rest of 2025 (and 2026)…
C – Rutschman, spelled by Basallo.
1B – Mayo, spelled by Mountcastle
DH – Basallo, Rutschman if not catching, Mayo if not 1B, Mountcastle
LF – Mountcastle can get into games here but not optimal…though who cares at this point.
Mountcastle, who should have been traded after the 2023 season, is the odd man out. His arb # is going to be way too high for the little he puts up, even his 2023 and 2024 production isn’t worth it. Mayo and Basallo need reps. Basallo should be worked into C a couple days a week.
I can see them trying another O’Hearn type of move for a platoon or lower-end experienced 1B/DH to help add stability next year, someone they won’t miss if Mayo and Basallo run with things and this player sits.
“Meanwhile” has to START the sentence, not come in the middle between commas.