5 reasons for optimism for the 2026 Baltimore Orioles you say?
1. Pete Alonso!
2. Pete Alonso!
3. Pete Alonso!
4. Pete Alonso!
5. Pete Alonso!
I mean come on. Who saw that one coming?! After a few years since the misconstrued ‘lift-off’ noises coming out of the Birdland Front Office, it appears this has finally come to fruition, and the big orange & black rocket has now officially left the launch pad. Many fans thought that the days of seeing the Orioles spend big money, on a big power hitter, on a big multi-year contact may never happen again in Charm City after the Chris Davis saga, but hats off to the new ownership group for digging deep into their pockets to beat off some fierce competition to land the Polar Bear himself.
Readers of this site don’t need me to inform them what home run hitting king Pete Alonso will bring to Baltimore, the data is there for all to see, and for all O’s fans to start dreaming big. The other big part of this story is that it feels that other forces within the game; be that Agents, Players, Executives or the Media, can now all see that the Orioles mean serious business and are prepared to back up this exciting young core of potential superstars with big name players in their prime, who are on big bucks. Baltimore is back at the big boy’s table, and it feels like the ‘win now’ mode has well and truly been switched on.
A New Leader in the Dugout
On the surface, Craig Albernaz appeared to be a bit of a left field choice by the Orioles, and took pretty much everyone by surprise. However, the more I see and hear from him, the more I can see why Mike Elias & Co. thought he’d be a great fit for this team, at this time, in this city.
He radiates character, nous and passion. He talks a lot about the fundamentals of the game, and even more about the attitude and culture of the players – and that’s exactly what this young core needs. 2026 is the time for Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg all to prove that they are big time players. They’ve shown in flashes they have the all the ability in the world, and hopefully a culture driver, motivator and mentor such as Albernaz can get their mentality on track to take them to that next level.
A Healthy Rotation
With Kyle Bradish now back fully fit and firing, it does feel as if he has been slept on a bit by the wider MLB world. Bradish showed in 2024 that he was one of the best Starting Pitchers in the entire game, with a whole host of elite metrics to back it up such as a 2.68 xERA, .177 xBA & a 32.5 K% – all amongst the best in class that year. Throw into the mix Trevor Rogers’ fine form after returning from injury in the back half of the 2025 season, which saw him go 9–3 with a 1.81 xERA and a 0.90 WHIP, and you’ve got two top of the rotation pieces set up and ready to go.
In addition, the trade for Shane Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays appears to be a textbook Mike Elias move. Baz is a guy who has shown – when healthy – to have all the tools in his arsenal to succeed, which makes this a deal that has so much potential upside for the O’s. Add in a healthy Zac Eflin and Tyler Wells, plus the dependable Dean Kremer, and the Orioles rotation is already looking much stronger than at this point in January 2025… with hopefully more high profile help yet to come.
Big Samuel Basallo
Pete Alonso wasn’t the only big money multi-year deal the Orioles completed in 2025. Samuel Basallo, the franchise’s #1 and MLB Pipeline’s #7 overall prospect, signed a 8-year deal worth upwards of $88.5m.
The Dominican born slugger became the first Orioles player to sign a pre-arbitration extension since club legend Adam Jones all the way back in 2012. Basallo has absolutely monstrous raw power and is no doubt still acclimatising to big league pitching, but once locked in he has all the potential to follow Ken Griffey Jr.’s sole standing legacy of hitting the Warehouse at Camden Yards!
We Ain’t Done yet!
It’s still very much early days of 2026, and all the noises coming out of Baltimore appears to indicate that the Birds aren’t quite done yet when it comes to a big deal or two. There is still a need for a top end piece of the rotation, and the Orioles have been heavily linked to Framber Valdez all winter. Signing him would be quite the coup, given the stiff competition from across the league for his services.
Other free agent starters such as Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito are all reportedly under consideration too. Lastly, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the Orioles look to trade for an ace such as Joe Ryan, with Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad, alongside a plethora of prospects in the farm system who are all potentially up for trade consideration.
With the AL East tougher than ever, the Orioles will need a lot of things to go right for them this year and a big dollop of good luck along the way, but it’s hard to not look at this Roster and get excited. Orioles magic, feel it happen!
Matt Casbolt is Bat Flips and Nerds’ Baltimore Orioles contributor. He can be found on Twitter @BritishOrioles.
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