Orioles Looking For Impact Hitter

The Orioles are looking for an impact hitter, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko adds that the outfield is likeliest area for Baltimore to add since they are fairly set behind the plate and in the infield.

The O’s just finished up a disappointing 2025 season. After making the playoffs in the prior two campaigns, they fell to the basement of the American League East this year, finishing 75-87. Their lack of rotation depth was a big part of that but the lineup also wasn’t great. The team hit a collective .235/.305/.394. The resultant 96 wRC+ was better than just nine clubs in the majors.

As mentioned, the outfield is probably the best spot to add some thump. Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn were all traded at the deadline. They will likely turn down their $5.5MM club option on Jorge Mateo. That leaves the O’s with an outfield mix consisting of Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Beavers and Jeremiah Jackson.

Cowser took over the center field job after the Mullins trade. His glovework there was passable but his offense declined relative to the prior year. He had hit .242/.321/.447 for a 119 wRC+ in 2024 but finished 2025 with a .196/.269/.385 line and 83 wRC+. He missed April and May due to a thumb fracture and then suffered some broken ribs in June, which he played through. It’s possible a return to health is all he needs to rebound but he’s a question mark at the moment.

O’Neill also had an injury-marred season, which is fairly normal for him. He only played 54 games and only has one career season of more than 113 games. He can opt out of the two years and $33MM left on his deal but has little incentive to do so after hitting .199/.292/.392 in 2025. Perhaps he will be rotated through the designated hitter spot more often next year to limit wear and tear.

Carlson got into 83 games but only hit .203/.278/.336. Kjerstad is trying to find answers related to some unreported medical condition. Beavers and Jackson both put up good numbers down the stretch but both still have fewer than 50 big league games played.

Kubatko suggests that an outside acquisition should be able to play center, given the uncertainty with Cowser. It’s possible that Enrique Bradfield will take over the job in the long run but Kubatko mentions he’s had some hamstring issues, a concern since speed is such a big part of his game. He also has just 15 Triple-A games under his belt and probably needs more time there.

The center field free agent market doesn’t feature a ton of guys who could be classified as impact bats. Cody Bellinger is coming off a good year but he may be a product of the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Regardless, he’s probably trending towards a nine-figure deal and it’s hard to expect the O’s to be the one to offer it. Trent Grisham is coming off a fantastic season but his previous campaigns were rough, making it fair to wonder if it was a flash in the pan.

The options thin out after that. Harrison Bader had some good numbers this year but mostly from a high batting average on balls in play. Re-signing Mullins is an option but he was dreadful this year. Luis Robert Jr. should be available on the trade market but he hasn’t been both healthy and good in a few years. Jarren Duran has come up in plenty of trade rumors but the Sox haven’t dealt him and they probably wouldn’t pull the trigger with a division rival. Perhaps Alek Thomas or Brenton Doyle could be available but they’re both coming off poor offensive seasons.

Perhaps first base would be another area the O’s could add, depending on their plans for guys currently on the roster. Adley Rutschman is going to continue as the primary catcher. That could leave Samuel Basallo spending significant time as the DH or at first base. If Basallo is going to factor in at the cold corner, that could impact guys like Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle. Mayo didn’t have a great year but at least finished strong, with a .223/.316/.424 line and 109 wRC+ in the second half. Mountcastle looks like a non-tender candidate since he had a poor season and is projected for a $7.8MM salary.

Even without Mountcastle, it might be tight finding at-bats. Rutschman, Basallo and Mayo could co-exist in three spots with one at catcher, one at first base and the other DHing, though that doesn’t leave a ton of room for O’Neill and other players to rotate through the DH spot. If the O’s feel that Mayo and/or Basallo need more time in the minors, then perhaps going after a first baseman is more feasible. There are more impact bats there, with the market featuring Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, O’Hearn, Rhys Hoskins, Luis Arráez and others. Old friend Lewin Díaz hit 50 homers in Korea this year. The trade market could feature bats like Christian Walker, Triston Casas and Jake Burger.

In terms of payroll, the O’s could technically do all sorts of things. They have almost no future commitments on the books. RosterResource says they had a $160MM payroll in 2025 but are slated for just $69MM next year. However, they haven’t been very aggressive in free agency lately. O’Neill’s deal is the only multi-year pact the O’s have given a free agent since Mike Elias began running the front office seven years ago.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images