Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo, Gunnar Henderson, and Ryan Mountcastle make up a crowded infield, and that isn't even including the lack of a designated hitter spot, thanks to Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman.

The free-agent closer market has begun to move, and as expected, the Baltimore Orioles are right in the mix. According to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR, the Oriol

Even after acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward this week, Baltimore could make a run at the top hitter on the free-agent market.

The Baltimore Orioles need starting pitching, but they just gave up one of their best homegrown starting pitchers in a while.

On November 18, news broke that the Baltimore Orioles traded former top prospect pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for power-hitti

Henderson remains the brightest star for the Orioles. The 24-year-old won the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year award, and in 2025, across 154 games, he posted a .274 batting average, .349 on-base percentage, .787 OPS, 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. If the franchise returns to playoff contention in 2026, Henderson will be at the center of it.

MLB insider Steve Phillips says Kyle Schwarber is a perfect fit for the Orioles and suggests the team to spend big to upgrade its roster.

Just 12 days prior, on Nov. 6, the Orioles claimed the 27-year-old León off waivers from the Houston Astros. The 27-year-old did not appear in a major league game this season, but he's consistently hit for power in the minors and looked like an interesting corner outfield depth piece.

With or without Rutschman, the Orioles struggled; after back-to-back 90-plus-win seasons and playoff berths, Baltimore managed to win just 75 games and were eliminated from postseason contention in mid-September in 2025. The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde, who had been with the team since 2019, on May 17 amid a 15-28 start to the season.