Happy Halloween Birdland!
It is a scary time for Major League Baseball. The World Series is in the rearview, and what lurks around the corner is yet another lockout. The month of November will be the last flurry of action we get until a new CBA is agreement to. When that actually happens is unclear, and it will likely rob us of what are usually the most interesting time of the baseball offseason.
This week, a bunch of teams and players made (or are in the process of making) decisions on contract options.
That includes the Orioles.
We learned on Thursday that Ryan Helsley would be opting in to his $14 million player option for 2027. This was no surprise as injuries limited the 32-year-old to just 17 games in 2026. He wasn’t going to get any more money on the market. So instead he takes a nice salary and will hope to bounce back next year. The Orioles will be hoping the same. If healthy, the Orioles could have themselves an exciting back-end of their bullpen between Helsley and Félix Bautista, but there is a lot to sort out there.
It was reported that same day that the Orioles were “expected” to decline the $20 million club option on Luis Robert Jr. Again, this will shock no one. Robert was brought in from the Mets as a last-ditch effort to solve the team’s outfield issues and sneak them into the playoffs. He ended up appearing in three games before an IL stint ended his season. The Orioles would probably be open to a return for Robert. They need outfielders, and he has upside that would be tough to find elsewhere in this market. But the salary is a problem. The delay is likely due to talks between the two sides on a possible negotiation on that.
On Friday, word came down that the Orioles declined their half of a $25 million mutual option for Zach Eflin in 2027. Eflin made one start for the O’s in ‘26 before needing Tommy John surgery. He remained around the club all season long, and seems like a great clubhouse presence. The salary was just too much, particularly for a guy that is likely to be rehabbing well into next season.
And most recently, it was reported that the O’s and outfielder Rece Hinds agreed to a one-year major league contract for the 2027 season. Hinds will make just a touch more than the league minimum. Hinds did not play well in his brief call-up for the O’s at the end of this season, but his minor league numbers are interesting, and the team is in no position to ignore any outfield options that they think could help them in the future.
Teams have until November 2 to make the final decision on contract options as well as whether or not they will make qualifying offers to any free agents. Along with Robert, Ryan Mountcastle is another player with an option for 2027 that is yet to be determined one way or the other. Trevor Rogers is a free agent that the O’s are likely to give a qualifying offer.
Links
Jon Meoli: Coby Mayo’s history of offseason improvements bodes well for the Orioles | The Baltimore Banner
Mayo was a true force in the lineup by the end of the season. Now the Orioles just need to figure out what to do with him moving forward. Third base probably isn’t his long-term home, especially if Jordan Westburg is ready go near the start of the season. Pete Alonso has first base locked down for the forseeable future. DH needs to be a flexible spot for Samuel Basallo to move in and out of. So, where does Mayo go? I would like to see him in right field. Hopefully someone with the Orioles feels similarly.
Another look at Orioles’ 40-man roster, checking where Rogers slots among free agents, Denoyer back in organization | Roch Kubatko
One prediction thinks Trevor Rogers will land a three-year, $64 million contract this offseason. That seems like a pretty good deal to me. I would guess he gets more, and if he doesn’t then the Orioles should be all over a reunion.
New GM Banner learning the Oriole way from club legend Ripken | Orioles.com
Including prominent former players in a team’s decision-making seems like a reasonable consideration. They shouldn’t necessarily be deferred to, but their input has value. It has been nice to see Cal at so many games the last few years after it seemed like the club was keeping him at a distance for the 20 years before that. Seems like the new GM is happy to keep him in the loop.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Tony Kemp turns 35 today. He played in five games for the Orioles in 2024, serving as a seat warmer at second base prior to Jackson Holliday’s initial call-up.
- Yamaico Navarro is 39 years old. The utilityman appeared in eight games for the 2013 Orioles.
- David Delucci is 53 today. His MLB career spanned 13 seasons, which all began with a 17-game stint in the Orioles outfield during the 1997 season. He was then selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the expansion draft ahead of the 1998 season.
- Tim Byrdak turns 53. The southpaw worked out of the Orioles bullpen for parts of two seasons between 2005 and ‘06.
- Steve Trachsel is 56 years old. He made his way to Baltimore late in his 16-season MLB career. The right-handed starter signed with the O’s two offseasons in a row, prior to the 2007 season and then again before 2008.
- Matt Nokes is 63 today. He was a backup catcher for the Orioles during the 1995 season.
- Mike Smith is also 63 years old. He tossed 23 total MLB innings, all of them came with the Orioles between the 1989 and ‘90 seasons.
- The late Dave McNally (b. 1942, d. 2002) was born on this day. The lefty is an Orioles legend, spending almost his entire career with the club from 1962 through ‘74. He made three all-star teams, won 20 games four times, including an AL-leading 24 in ‘70, and helped the club to two World Series championships. He was one of the earliest inductees to the team’s Hall of Fame, taking his spot in 1978, only the second season in which the team honored former players.
This day in O’s history
1979 – Mike Flanagan, who led the league with 23 wins, is named AL Cy Young. The lefty earns all but two first-place votes, finishing ahead of two Yankees hurlers, Tommy John and Ron Guidry.
