Baltimore fans have suffered through some bad baseball over the years. The organization underwent several dark periods when the absence of hope matched the lack of wins. The 2025 Orioles are hardly the first disappointing team to grace Camden Yards, and they’re not the first team to fall short of preseason expectations either.
That being said, this season will stand out as one of the more unique losing years in recent memory. The Birds played their way out of contention before school let out for summer.
Injuries and inconvenient slumps sealed Baltimore’s fate as the team’s young core watched the season slip away.
The team initially appeared to have the talent to make a run in the postseason, and several of those players will return next year. Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, and Gunnar Henderson all worked their way back from injuries. Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg could do the same before the end of the season. Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers made their debuts, and players like Colton Cowser, Ryan Mountcastle and Dean Kremer continued to fill out the lineup.
The Orioles found several talented players on the waiver wire during their most recent rebuild, but they had several years to accomplish the task. Baltimore opened several roster spots after selling at the trade deadline, but the Birds filled several of those holes with internal options.
Jeremiah Jackson has emerged as a standout worth monitoring moving forward. At a minimum, the 25-year-old could take the place of non-tender candidate Jorge Mateo and/or recent departure Ramón Urías. Alex Jackson made an impact at the dish while providing some stability to a cursed catcher room. The Orioles will carry Basallo and Rutschman into next season, but Jackson appears to have leapfrogged Maverick Handley as a third-catcher candidate if he stays in the organization.
All bets were off in the bullpen when Félix Bautista went down and the Birds traded several of their best relievers. Grant Wolfram, Kade Strowd and Rico Garcia have all had their moments, but few players look like true locks to return in 2026. The Orioles hope Yennier Cano will continue his recent string of success, and Keegan Akin will remain under team control for another season.
Almost one month after sending Ryan O’Hearn to San Diego, the Orioles recalled Emmanuel Rivera. The Orioles liked Rivera enough to keep him in the organization last offseason, and the Birds were able to sneak him through waivers after brief stints at the MLB level.
The 29-year-old does not possess anything close to the ceiling of Basallo or even Coby Mayo, but he’s the type of player that managers love. He appears comfortable filling a depth role and remains ready when called upon. He put his abilities on full display last week with a walk-off base hit against the Dodgers.
Mansolino penciled Rivera into the cleanup spot the following day. That likely says more about the current state of Baltimore’s roster than it does about Rivera, but it’s still a testament to his value in the organization. Rivera has 14 games of postseason experience under his belt and even started a World Series game for the Diamondbacks in 2023.
There are some guys that are good players on bad teams. They’re capable of hitting the long ball and making a flashy play, but they fail to consistently deliver. Rivera is the exact opposite. He’s a fine player that can help a good team when needed. He appears to be a strong culture fit and brings more playoff experience than a majority of this team has to offer.
The numbers don’t jump off the page with a .269/.315/.308 over 35 games this season, but Rivera slashed .313/.370/.578 over 27 games with the Orioles last year. Mountcastle, Basallo and Mayo will all spend time at first in 2026, but Rivera represents strong depth at third base for an often injured Westburg.
Players like Rivera don’t push teams over the edge, but they can keep them afloat over 162 games. Rivera did not get a chance to help the Orioles make a playoff push this season, but he could receive another chance at some point next year.
