Orioles right-hander Albert Suárez is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow after suffering a season-ending elbow injury, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. That should determine whether the 35-year-old is in danger of any kind of surgery.
This was a lost year for Suárez, who’d been a surprisingly valuable part of the 2024 pitching staff. The journeyman started 24 of 32 appearances a season ago, working to a 3.70 ERA across 133 2/3 innings. Suárez began this year in long relief. He hurt his shoulder after one appearance and was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain that cost him the next four months.
By the time Suárez returned in September, the Orioles were well out of contention. He made four appearances, working nine innings of two-run ball. Then came the elbow inflammation that knocked him out for the year and raises questions about his future. Suárez is eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $900K salary. That’s more than reasonable if the Orioles expect him to be healthy next season, but any kind of serious injury could lead them to drop him from the 40-man roster.
Suárez is one of 14 Baltimore players who’ll be eligible for arbitration. Ryan Mountcastle has the highest projected salary of the group at $7.8MM. It’d be a surprise if the O’s bring him back for that amount after an injury-plagued season. Mountcastle suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain at the end of May. That kept him on the injured list beyond the trade deadline. He was healthy for the final six weeks and slashed .255/.293/.393 across 157 plate appearances. He struck out in nearly one third of his trips to the plate.
The 28-year-old had also struggled early in the season. He finished the year with a .250/.286/.367 line while hitting seven homers in 89 games. The Orioles used him as a part-time player down the stretch, giving everyday first base work to 23-year-old Coby Mayo. Even if neither Mayo nor rookie catcher/designated hitter Samuel Basallo had a good season, the O’s will probably look for a cheaper veteran bench bat to work behind those younger hitters.
Mountcastle acknowledged uncertainty about his future during the final weekend of the regular season (link via Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball). The 2015 third-round pick noted that he “can’t control things that happen” with the team’s decision but praised the coaches and teammates with whom he’s worked over his decade in the organization. Baltimore will probably shop him in trade, but they could have a hard time finding interest at that arbitration salary. A non-tender seems likelier. That would send him to free agency and make him an interesting rebound candidate for clubs on a cheaper one-year deal.
Elsewhere in the lineup, the O’s have a question mark in center field. After Cedric Mullins was traded at the deadline, the Orioles played Colton Cowser up the middle. While his small-sample defensive grades were tolerable, his average speed makes him a better fit in right field over a full season. Cowser had a terrible second half at the plate, hitting .178/.263/.340 after the All-Star Break. He missed time with a concussion and played through broken ribs that he suffered in June.
The O’s don’t have a ton of in-house alternatives. Dylan Beavers played exclusively in the corner outfield as a rookie. He’s an above-average runner who has some center field experience in the minors, yet he played more right field coming up through the system. Former first-rounder Enrique Bradfield is a no-doubt center fielder who hit well in Double-A, but he batted .179 in 15 games after a late-season promotion to Triple-A Norfolk. He’ll probably begin the year in the minors.
Jake Rill of MLB.com suggested this morning that the O’s should look for an external upgrade, ideally one who hits from the right side. Cowser, Beavers, and Bradfield each hit left-handed. Harrison Bader fits that bill in free agency, but he should sign somewhere that offers everyday playing time on at least a strong two-year contract. They could add a fourth/fifth outfielder like Jose Siri on a cheap one-year deal or look for a glove-first complementary type on the trade market. Tyrone Taylor (Mets), Jacob Young (Nationals), Blake Perkins (Brewers) and Dane Myers (Marlins) are a few speculative glove-first possibilities who shouldn’t require a huge prospect return if the O’s go that route.
I think it really depends on how far along they think Bradfield is, Cowser could hold the center field spot for a little while until Bradfield is for sure ready if they think he is pretty close. Personally I can live with that if you actually bring in a bat that can produce consistently at the plate. But you’re either talking Bader who is a very solid offensive and excellent defensive guy or Bellinger who is the better offensive player. The problem for considering either of those two players is, are they going to be interested in a short term offer when you are planning to bring a guy like Bradfield into the fold eventually.
Personally I think the bat they’re looking for has to come via trade or a signing that is preceded or proceeded by a trade. Of the bats on the free agent market that would instantly boost this lineup, Pete Alonso would be the one to make a huge impact. But that would require you to move Mayo either to full time DH or trade him.
All in all, my O’s have so many areas to address, and the lack of spending or bad spending recently in some cases imo ( O’ Neill ) that its hard to see them addressing said needs to the extent that they need to. It feels kinda weird to be this hopeful and pessimistic at the same time yeah? xD
O’Neill might be a fit for the Phillies but I feel like he would have negative value so someone like castellanos or a young orioles player would have to be involved
What would be interesting is an adley rutschman for Andrew painter trade
Rutschmann for Painter won’t happen.
Luzardo, ,plus maybe a Keaton Anthony type? Or maybe Alvarado since Felix is down? Phillies also have Marsh and Rojas who will both be trade bait, both can play CF without tying to a long term commitment ..
Phillies say they want JT back but will also be looking to make some changes …….
I’d like to see them focus on defense up the middle as they solidify their pitching staff.
I agree to an extent for sure, Gunnar is fine, Holliday definitely needs to improve at second, and we for sure need a better option than Cowser in center. But at the same time, this offense needs to get its act together. I don’t know if its a big change in the approach to at bats or going out and getting a consistent impact hitter that is necessary. Might even be both. I’m hoping and praying that our first 3 starters in the rotation (Bradish, Rogers, Wells) stay healthy but you have to score some runs at some point for these guys. Not to mention having a bullpen that doesn’t blow up constantly. We have a lot of work to do and unfortunately my faith in Elias has waned quite a bit after last offseason. He can replenish a farm system for sure, but some of the decisions don’t really line up with winning baseball in my opinion.
For a team that was looking to be in contention, they sure do need to rebuild a whole lot of the team. They have no true 1B, no true CF, they have no true ace SP, the rest of the top of the rotation is coming off of injuries, they have no true closer, and they have to restock almost an entire bullpen.
I was never a huge fan of Mountcastle. His only value was his bat, and I wasn’t seeing the same thing that other people were drooling over. His minor league success was due to a massive BABIP that would not be sustainable at the major league level for several reasons. The fielding is better here, the pitching is better here, he doesn’t walk, and he strikes out a lot. If his only value is his bat and he’s a .250 hitter with 20-25HR power at 1b/DH, that’s not a lot of value.
The O’s got the best they could out of Mullins, and he was only getting worse. They needed to get rid of him. To not really have an option behind him is pretty short-sighted. I don’t see them turning to a high priced option. They’re going to go budget here and hope they hit on something again like they did with Larueano last season. They’re still going to want to play their youngsters as much as they can.
I don’t see the Orioles going out and getting an ace. They’ll get a budget starter and believe in their own in house arms which will blow up in their face like it does time and time again.
I don’t see them making a huge splash at closer, either. Until this team can prove it can compete as is, that’s a luxury item.
It is a really sad state of affairs given the talent this team still has on it. I for once would like to see a commitment from the ownership from this organization to invest in home-grown talent instead of letting it walk away for peanuts. Superstars don’t grow on trees, and when the O’s finally manage to develop one, they let them walk.
Sam is a bit of a head scratcher just from the point that he’s proven nothing yet other than he can hit minor league pitching and get banged up. But, he was the cheapest of all the current crop of young talent to sign long term. I hope he pans out.
Mountcastle is not worth nearly $8m but you don’t usually have stars at every position. I wonder if he’d be interested in signing for less to remain where he’s been and not have to relocate. I assume he’ll be released and after exploring other opportunities, would it be a surprise if he re-signed for a prove it one year deal? The O’s ended up in last because of pitching and because their big bats didn’t come through.
The Orioles need to find atbats for Mayo and Bassalo and also try to keep O’Neill as healthy as possible. That means DH will be occupied by mainly O’Neill, and then Adley’s off day from catching. Mayo will play 1B as well as Bassalo. You don’t need Mountcastle anymore.
I know you don’t need superstars at every position, but 1b is where you expect to have your thumper bat, and Mountcastle isn’t that.
Sox were lucky last year with the production per games played. Truth is no one can keep O’Neil healthy and Mountcastle isn’t a bad depth guy who could still be a late bloomer. O’s overpaid big time given there were no other known offers when he was signed.
He’s a bad depth guy for the Orioles. They don’t need 4 guys who can play 1B/DH. They don’t need him for the price tag he will get through arbitration.
O’s didn’t overpay, he’s not a free agent. He earned his salary through arbitration.
He wouldnt have to relocate too far if he landed in Washington, who needs a first baseman.
So you complain about them not signing their guys to long term extensions yet complain about the one guy they did sign to a long term extension. Got it!
Reading comprehension not big in your neck of the woods? I didn’t complain about Bassalo being signed long term. I just suggested that he’s a rather big question mark at this point, and was the most affordable long term signing. These are truths, not complaints. Understand the difference. Bassalo is also not a super star at this point, like I am sure you would think Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg might be, and perhaps even a Jackson Holliday. Bassalo was hardly even a major leaguer at the time of his big extension.
Did you get that? Because that was the point being made.
In such a weak free agent market, the Orioles should focus on upgrading their pitching via trade in several small additions, and hope that they can get the kids healthy who played beat up this year. Beiber, though, would be a solid free agent add. They don’t need a rebuild. Bradish and Rogers are as good a 1-2 in the AL East as any club besides Fried and Rodon. Sox? Crochet then question marks. Jays? Stacked with prospects like Yesavage, Tiedemann, and Macko, but the veterans are question marks. And no one can predict what the Rays will have. I could absolutely see the Orioles leaving this season behind them and returning to contention next year behind this young core.
Rogers had an anomaly season and remember he had health issues last season and the beginning of this one which is why he didn’t break camp with the club at the beginning of the season. Bradish, Wells, and Rodriguez are all coming off of some serious health issues. If you think those arms are good enough, you’re guilty of doing exactly what dooms the Orioles every season. They think what they currently have is good enough. it isn’t.
This team is absolutely in a rebuild mode, let’s look at what they have:
C: A very slumping Adley Rustchman and an unproven rookie Bassalo
1B: Woefully underperforming Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle (if they bring him back) and and Bassalo
2B: Holliday will start here
SS: Henderson will play here
3B: Westburg will play here
LF: ? Beavers, O’Neill, Cowser?
CF: ? Cowser, Beavers, ???
RF: O’Neill, Cowser, Beavers
DH: O’Neill, Adley, Bassalo, Mayo, Mountcastle
SP1: ???
SP2: Rogers
SP3: Bradish
SP4: Wells
SP5: Kremer
SP: Grayson Rodriguez???
CP: ???
SU: ???
Bullpen in general: ???
So what are your sure things?
2B: Holliday: He’s been decent so far, and there is a good enough reason to believe he can get better
SS: Henderson: Just a down year, but a solid power bat
3B: Westburg: Injury issues, but a solid power bat
That’s about it. You’re hoping you get more out of everyone else, but you can’t bank on it.
Rogers: Was great in about 1/2 a season. Can he hold up for a full season? Will his injury issues come back, will the adjustments the Orioles had him make cause a new injury?
Bradish: Pitches well WHEN healthy. That elbow has gone through two procedures already. Chances are another one is coming.
Wells:: Allows a lot of homers. Coming off of elbow surgery
Rodriguez: Good to great when healthy, hasn’t been healthy for 3 straight years. What are the odds he makes it through a season next year?
This team is in bad shape, and some important people better recognize this.
Maybe you should tell them, you seem to contradict yourself and know everything at the same time… Elias is looking to add a GM
How am I contradicting myself? I said the team needs to rebuild, I say the rotation and bullpen are in trouble, and then I outline the very same thing. I notice you didn’t actually address any of the many points I made about the health/quality of the roster. Nope, instead you just make a claim that is completely untrue, and don’t even back it up with anything to even try to defend it in the least.
I would gladly take the GM role, but I am sure I would be let go rather soon. I don’t sugar coat things, I don’t brown nose, and I don’t tell you what you want to hear. I tell you how things are. I am the kind of person that you don’t come up to me and ask me, “How does this look,” unless you are ready for an honest answer.
I know they want a righty, but Cody Bellinger mashes lefties, and they need more than Harrison Bader to take the next step.
Love the Bader idea. Problem is he always seems to be hurt. Maybe look into Myers or McCormick in Houston to play CF.
Bader’s health issues are just shades of TO’N. No thanks. I like the Chas McCormick idea though.
I would really like to hear Elias’s rationale for signing O’Neill. What did he actually think he was getting there and why not put that money into pitching? Not seeing much of a strategic direction for this team in one direction or another.
31 Home Runs in 113 games in 2024 including 4 against the Orioles. I’m guessing Elias thought that if Healthy O’Neill would have a monster season at best and at worst replicate what he did in an injury filled season in Boston. If that’s the case, he certainly didn’t get it and there is zero chance O’Neill opts out of his contract for next season so the Orioles are stuck unless they find a team looking to swap bad contacts
Yeah but supposedly Baltimore had a smorgasbord of young outfielders who could hit or DH and so hitting wasn’t supposed to be a pressing issue. I suppose I understand wanting a veteran who will give you X amount of HR and X amount of RBI at minimum but still they didn’t factor in O’Neill’s dearth of healthy full seasons. It’s like they felt the money had to be spent on something and they gave it to whomever would take it. Maybe better options turned them down. We never know the full story.
Maybe Elias looked at the back half of ’24 and was beginning to doubt that his guys could actually hit. And those that could (at least in the minors) didn’t seem to be nearly as capable on defense.
Mountcastle’s power and run production as literally gone down each season since ’21. I really can’t see them offering him arbitration, especially with Mayo looking decent this season. Could be an interesting “buy low” candidate for a team looking for a project
He’s nearing the end of the line. No team is going to want to pay his projected arb salary for a sub-.300 OBP with declining power.
A trade for Dane Myers kind of make sense for both teams, but the Marlins already have Wagaman with a similar profile as Mountcastle, and much cheaper.
The Orioles can get creative and include a young arm going to Miami to make it happen. The Fish need bullpen help.
The O’s need bullpen help too though
Coby Mayo looked much more comfortable in the second half and put up an almost Judge-ian September (.301/.393/.548 in 84 PAs), so the path forward is pretty clear:
Non-tender Mountcastle and head into 2026 with Mayo as the everyday 1B.
Why on god’s green globe of rock would the offense-lacking O’s trade for offense-lacking Jacob Young? What does a glove-first centerfielder bring to a team that needs BATS? C’mon MLBTR! As usual, ignoring the O’s rancid team offensive approach and glaring holes rears its head.
There’s not much available in the CF aisle this offseason, so finding an excellent defensive CF that hits right handed to pair with Cowser makes at least a little sense. I’m not really a fan of the idea, and would much rather get Bader, Bellinger, or Robert to be play everyday, but at least adding a solid defensive option that can maybe hit LHPs a little to backup Cowser is basically the absolute bare minimum for addressing the 2026 CF situation.
Would love to pick up Bader. Always plays hard and would be a huge boost on defense at the very worst. His bat has been very productive this year as well
I wish the O’s be interested in trading Mayo. The guy would look great with the letter P on his head and wearing black and gold. The O’s wouldn’t need pitching and the Pirates have a surplus of pitchers. Conner Griffin would be “untouchable” and Trammar Johnson is nearly untouchable. I am just speaking hypothetically here, but A) Rafael Flores and Braxton Ashcraft or B) Mitch Jebb, Thomas Harrington, and PTBNL (falls in Pirates ranking of 24-35 overall). I believe one or the other trade offer, is what Coby Mayo worth will be. I think trade B would be the maximum take for the O’s prospective. They can get position players like Tony Polanco Jr or Jared Jones as PTBNL if they see value in either of the two. This is just spit balling and likelihood of this ever happening, is like me turning 21 years old again (43 years old now). I have been wishing the Pirates traded for Mayo since Horwitz trade last year. Pirates have a decent system and you can’t go wrong with 2 guys ranked inside the top 15 in the Pirates system by either of the two trade proposals. Had Mayo crushed the ball in his debut, he would have required MLB top 50 prospect and/or organisation Top 4 prospect. Since Mayo wasn’t performing to expectations, his value isn’t quite top notch, but still a good return.
Mountcastle? More like Mountmoat, amirite?
Harrison Bader??? Lol you already have a guy that doesn’t stay healthy in tyler o’neil. The orioles would be better to go after Luis robert or trade for Brenton doyle for colorado…