Mike Elias is apparently serious in the things that he is saying about wanting to add another hitter into the lineup this offseason. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Tuesday afternoon, following
the Phillies re-signing their free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, that the Orioles had matched the five year, $150 million amount that Schwarber signed with Philadelphia.
In the very short term, this means the same as if the Orioles had not tried to bid at all. They did not get the player and his ups and downs will not be to their benefit or detriment. Schwarber will not potentially be hitting his 45+ homers while playing half of his games at Camden Yards.
This is, nonetheless, an interesting piece of news for me. In contrast to last offseason, where belatedly we found out that the Orioles offered a reasonably-competitive contract to Corbin Burnes – arguably better with its higher AAV, though with fewer overall dollars guaranteed – this is a case where the Orioles were offering the exact same money. That’s a big chunk of change: $30 million per year until Schwarber’s age 37 season. He re-upped with his previous team, the Phillies, for that same price.
If you really were interested in Schwarber’s profile, you could reasonably argue that the Orioles should have upped their bid to make sure to get him signed. The team was already willing to go $30 million per year, why not just tack on another 10% to be the clear best offer on the table? In the event that there is no substantial addition to the lineup and the Orioles offense blunders around with no real clear power threat, as it did in 2025, this choice to not decide “in for a penny, in for a pound” could loom large.
The question for the rest of the offseason, or maybe even just for the rest of the winter meetings, is what the Orioles are going to do with that money instead. Will they now pivot to another in-demand slugger, Pete Alonso? The recent Met, unlike Schwarber, may not have an obvious reunion with his previous team in the cards as he’s a free agent.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that the Mets are hesitant to go beyond a three-year contract for Alonso. The Polar Bear is expected to get a four-year deal, so if the Mets are at three, they probably won’t be competitive in the end. Alonso is not a qualifying offer-attached player, so unlike Schwarber, the Orioles won’t have to give up a draft pick to sign him. He’s projected to get something in the vicinity of $30 million per year as well, perhaps for four years instead of five.
Perhaps Schwarber was the only guy who the Orioles were willing to sign at that price to add to the lineup, in which case we’ll have to see if they commit the money to a starting pitcher who they like. It is tough for me to imagine the Orioles adding both a real, bona fide slugger and a potential top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher with what I assume to be their budget for adding players this offseason.
Maybe David Rubenstein and partners will surprise me. Elias has already surprised me by going as deep as he did in trying to get Schwarber. For multiple offseasons, he has steadfastly refused to make decisions that would cut into either Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo’s apparent future with the team. If they had signed Schwarber, or if they go on to sign Alonso, something is certainly going to give there.
No potential dingers are added to the 2026 Orioles lineup for being the runner-up at the exact same years/dollars as Schwarber signed with the Phillies. If Elias doesn’t get somebody else to bolster the lineup, he gets no points for trying. Maybe in this case, the effort shows that he will be able to make something else happen. If you don’t want to get your hopes up, I don’t blame you.
