With one month to go until pitchers and catchers report, the Orioles can’t be considered a finished product as yet. Another high-end starting pitcher appears to be the top priority — although the options
are dwindling there — but the Birds could use some help in the bullpen, too. New closer Ryan Helsley and reacquired setup man Andrew Kittredge should boost the late-inning crew, but beyond veteran lefty Keegan Akin, the rest of the relief corps currently consists of unproven arms such as Dietrich Enns, Rico Garcia, and Kade Strowd.
The free-agent relief market largely has been picked clean of high-end arms, but a few intriguing veteran arms remain available. Which ones could interest the Orioles?
LHP Taylor Rogers
Could Rogers be considered an old friend? The Orioles drafted him out of high school in 2009 in the 37th round, which no longer exists, but he elected to attend the University of Kentucky. Rogers, 35, has since crafted a 10-year MLB career for five teams, including a few stints as a closer. He even got to spend a couple of years in the Giants’ bullpen with his twin brother, Tyler. But while Tyler cashed in for a three-year, $37 million deal with the Blue Jays this winter, Taylor is still looking for a suitor.
Taylor doesn’t have the devastating slider/sinker combo that his brother has worked to perfection, but he does boast a sweeper that held opposing batters to a .168 average last season. Overall, though, the southpaw was a bit too hittable last year, with his hard-hit percentage jumping up to 44.4%, a full 12 points higher than his 2024 mark. Some of his other peripheral numbers weren’t great, either. But Rogers was off to a solid start to 2025 before he was traded to the Mets at the deadline and subsequently tanked — which gives him a lot in common with Ryan Helsley. Maybe they can commiserate about their traumatic Queens experiences together.
RHP Michael Kopech
I know, I know, I literally just wrote about how the Orioles need to stay healthier this year, and now I’m advocating for a pitcher who made only 14 appearances last season while spending three stints on the injured list. He didn’t look effective in that small sample, either, issuing an alarming 13 walks in 11 innings. But if the Orioles are willing to wave off Kopech’s 2025 performance as an injury-marred fluke, they could be interested in his tantalizing right arm. In 2024, his first year since converting to a relief role full time, Kopech ranked in the 98th percentile for fastball velocity and the 99th for fastball spin. He’s always had some trouble with walks but has the high-octane heater to get himself out of jams.
There’s been surprisingly little buzz about the 29-year-old Kopech’s potential suitors this winter, which could indicate that teams are still skeptical about his health. If that includes the Orioles, I can’t say I blame them.
RHP Seranthony Domínguez
The veteran right-hander is ranked as the #43 free agent this winter by MLB Trade Rumors, the highest rated reliever who is still unsigned. Domínguez spent just over one calendar year with the Orioles, acquired on July 26, 2024 and dealt away July 29, 2025 in a pair of deadline deals. In 68 games with the Birds, Domínguez posted a 3.50 ERA, which exactly matches his career mark in seven MLB seasons. Orioles fans got a taste of the full Seranthony experience. He’s got swing-and-miss stuff, striking out more than a batter per inning in his career, but his struggles with command (4.0 BB/9) and a propensity for home runs limits his overall upside.
Then-manager Tony Mansolino had glowing things to say about Domínguez after the O’s traded him last year. “He’s an incredible dude,” Mansolino said. “He’s a leader amongst the Latin players, the American players. He’s a really, really smart, intelligent baseball person.” If the O’s front office agrees with the assessment of their former interim skipper, the Birds could be interested in bringing back Domínguez as a middle-relief option who can mentor the younger pitchers. MLB Trade Rumors projects Domínguez for a two-year, $18 million deal, but at this point in the offseason he might have to settle for less.
LHP Danny Coulombe
Mentioning this name stirs up bad memories of one of the biggest blunders the Orioles made last winter. Coulombe had spent two strong seasons in the Birds’ bullpen from 2023-24, posting a 2.56 ERA, but the team inexplicably declined his dirt-cheap $4 million option for 2025 and sent him to free agency instead. The only somewhat plausible explanation was that the Orioles saw something in Coulombe’s medicals that convinced them he wouldn’t be healthy.
Whatever the reasoning, the decision immediately blew up in the Birds’ face. Coulombe signed with the Twins and began his season with 21 consecutive scoreless appearances en route to a 1.16 ERA for Minnesota, while Cionel Pérez, the lefty the O’s opted to keep instead of Coulombe, pitched so poorly that he was DFA’d in May. And while Coulombe’s season wasn’t perfect — he had two stints on the IL, and struggled with the Rangers after a deadline trade — he compiled a 1.4 WAR overall, more than worth the $4 million the O’s declined to pay him.
If Coulombe’s medicals are what turned off the O’s last offseason, it’s unlikely they’ll be any more interested in him this year than they were before, so don’t expect a reunion. Still, the guy deserved better.
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Will any of these relievers, or ones available on the trade market, be the difference between the Orioles winning the pennant or missing the playoffs entirely? Not necessarily. But a reliable bullpen will go a long way toward helping the O’s go where they need to go, and adding another steady arm will only help.
