Bullpen is an area of need for every major league team. The volatility of the role forces clubs to constantly evaluate the talent they have and seek potential improvements. But there will be no team this winter in hotter pursuit of relief reinforcements than the Baltimore Orioles. They emptied out their ‘pen at this year’s trade deadline, then lost closer Félix Bautista for at least 12 months. That has given the pitchers that remain a golden opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a spot in the group
for 2026. Through one month, that “tryout” has been a mixed bag of results.
As a group, the Orioles relievers were asked to cover 96 innings in August, the ninth-fewest in MLB. But that didn’t fine-tune their performance much. The group had a 4.59 ERA (22nd in MLB), 4.22 walks per nine (24th), and allowed 1.31 home runs per nine (20th).
Individual performances
Yaramil Hiraldo, Corbin Martin, and Yennier Cano were the stragglers of the group. Hiraldo’s 6.82 FIP was the worst in the unit. Martin had some bad luck (.432 BABIP), but also gave up a lot of hard contact, and gave up 2.53 home runs per nine innings pitched. Cano is walking more batters (6.97 BB/9) than he is striking out (6.10 K/9).
On the flip side, the O’s have gotten solid contributions from Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram. Enns had a bullpen-best 12.86 K/9 in August, and wiggled out of several tight, late-inning spots. Wolfram’s 0.84 ERA is the team’s best among relievers and he is posting solid strikeout (12.66 K/9) and walk (2.53 BB/9) numbers while having similar batted ball metrics (.406 BABIP, 43.8% hard hit rate) to Martin.
Of course, Baltimore isn’t the only source of valuable data when it comes to building a 2026 bullpen. Down in Norfolk, the O’s have seen intriguing performances from Jose Espada (0.62 WHIP, .067 BAA), Chayce McDermott (0.87 ERA, 13 strikeouts in 10 innings), Houston Roth (1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .143 BAA), and Albert Suárez (0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .118 BAA).
Roster flexibility and cost
On-field performance is only part of the equation when it comes to building a bullpen. O’s GM Mike Elias will also consider roster flexibility, having arms that can be sent up and down the organizational ladder to keep the overall group fresh. A fringy arm with options remaining has a better shot at sticking with the Orioles through the offseason than their out-of-options counterpart.
The only members of the Orioles current active bullpen that also have options are Wolfram, Cano, and Kade Strowd. Others that have spent time on the roster and have options are Hiraldo, Espada, Roth, Elvin Rodriguez, and Cody Poteet. That doesn’t even include any of the fringy starter types like Brandon Young or Tyler Wells who could factor into the bullpen discussion next year.
In addition to flexibility, Elias will also need to weigh the cost of each player against their value to the club. The only two “established” members of the O’s ‘pen are Cano and Keegan Akin. Cano has options and an all-star appearance in his back pocket, but he is also about to go through arbitration for the first time and is in the midst of a nightmare season. Akin is set to go through arbitration for the final time this offseason, and will be a due a raise from his current $1.475 million salary. Are the Orioles willing to pay either one of them? Elias showed just last winter when he moved on from Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb that he doesn’t love to pay much for middle relief options.
The O’s GM may have no option but to pay this time around. Going into 2026 with a a grab bag of unproven relievers is not a reasonable approach. The bullpen needs to have a veteran presence of some kind. That doesn’t mean Cano and Akin have to be the two to pay, but adding a few players with relevant experience to the relief group is a requirement this offseason.
No closer to a ninth-inning solution
The real conundrum that Elias faces this offseason is how to approach the closer role. Bautista is going to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season. And even if he goes get healthy by season’s end, he is not going to be someone the team can count on for a potential playoff chase.
Tony Mansolino turned to a number of players in save situations and close games in August. Akin was the most frequent choice, but none of it has been ideal. It seems quite clear that the Orioles do not have a Bautista heir on their roster, or at the very least they do not have someone ready to take over. Elias will need to look outside of the organization for a solution.
This will be the second time in three offseasons that Elias has had to look for a ninth-inning arm. He landed on Craig Kimbrel ahead of the 2024 season, which worked out well for half of a season and then became a disaster. If he goes into free agency again, there are plenty of intriguing names to consider, like Edwin Díaz, Kenley Jansen, Ryan Helsley, Robert Suárez, Emilio Pagan, and Luke Weaver, among others. Seranthony Domínguez could also return. The club seemed to love him, and his performance since going to Toronto hasn’t exactly driven his price up. The point is, there are options.
Where do they end up?
The Orioles and the pitchers have another month to help sort things out going into 2026. As it stands, the relief pitchers that feel the most likely to stick on the Opening Day roster are Enns and Wolfram. Strowd is another arm that probably has an inside track to a spot. He has a 1.59 ERA on the season, but also has posted worrying 4.76 K/9 and 4.24 BB/9 rates, which explains his 4.42 FIP. Even still, his pitch characteristics and options could be enough to earn him a spot in the squad.
Wells seems like another internal solution that seems destined for the 2026 bullpen. He has rehabbed as a starter and will slot into the rotation down the stretch, but that could change during the offseason as the Orioles (hopefully) add to their rotation. If that happens, Wells would be a natural fit towards the back of the team’s ‘pen.
We have to assume that Elias goes shopping for a closer, either via free agency or on the trade market. There are simply no internal solutions that a team with playoff ambitions should be counting on going into 2026.
Wolfram, Strowd, and Wells are all option-able. Is that enough flexibility? The desire for a mix of upside and the ability to option could keep Cano around, despite his struggles this season and potential to earn an elevated salary in 2026.
If we consider those six spots are settled—they aren’t, but let’s pretend—then there are still two spots open in an eight-man bullpen. It would seem wise for Elias to go for more of a “sure thing” in those spots. Maybe some of the internal options prove themselves worthy, or it goes the opposite way and convinces Elias to splash some cash on the middle innings over the winter.
In an Orioles season that has gone off the rails, the jostling for 2026 bullpen roles is one of the few things worth watching in September.
