Winter meetings preview: The Orioles need starting pitching
MLB’s winter meetings are officially underway. Executives, agents, players, and other baseball power brokers began arriving in Orlando over the weekend for a span of days that promises plenty of talk and, hopefully, even more action. With decision makers from all 30 teams under one roof through Wednesday, a flurry of news could emerge.
For Mike Elias and the Orioles, who have already kicked off the offseason with a handful of notable moves, these meetings represent an opportunity to keep strengthening the roster or, at minimum, set the stage to do so. What might unfold for the Birds over the next 72 hours?
The Orioles’ offseason so far
Notable additions: Manager Craig Albernaz, RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Andrew Kittredge, OF Leody Taveras, OF Taylor Ward
Notable departures: Interim manager Tony Mansolino, OF Dylan Carlson, RHP Zach Eflin, C Alex Jackson, IF Jorge Mateo, RHP Grayson Rodriguez, C Gary Sánchez, RHP Albert Suárez, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
The Orioles have moved quickly to address several obvious gaps. They started by appointing a new manager, hiring Cleveland Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz for his first major league managerial opportunity. Under Albernaz, the Orioles are revamping much of the coaching staff, though not every position will be overhauled. The team’s three 2025 hitting coaches have left, replaced by former Phillies assistant hitting coach Justin Lind and others. Pitching coach Drew French and third base coach Buck Britton are expected to remain on the staff.
Roster activity has been brisk. The Orioles signed former Cardinals All-Star Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million deal to serve as closer, though Félix Bautista’s immediate and long-term status remains uncertain due to injury concerns. Elias also brought back Andrew Kittredge, who appeared in 31 games for Baltimore this year before being traded to the Cubs at the deadline. He’ll slot in as a setup man.
In a surprising move, Baltimore traded Grayson Rodriguez, the talented but health-challenged former top pitching prospect, to acquire Angels outfielder Taylor Ward. Whether Ward proves worth the price will be debated in Birdland for some time, but he adds a right-handed power bat the lineup lacked in 2025. The low-profile addition of Leody Taveras brings speed and defense to the bench.
As for departures, none of the outgoing players were core contributors to the 2025 club. The closest might be Sugano, one of only two Orioles starters (along with Dean Kremer) to reach 30 appearances this season. The former NPB MVP was reliable but not dominant in his U.S. debut, and it remains to be seen whether he lands with another MLB team or returns to Japan. The Orioles’ Opening Day starter in 2025, Zach Eflin, has also entered free agency after a disappointing, injury-plagued year.
The Orioles’ winter meetings shopping list
Even with the new additions, the top offseason priority remains clear: starting pitching. A paper-thin rotation was a major issue for the 2025 Orioles, whose 4.65 collective ERA ranked third-worst in the American League. Last offseason, Elias attempted to replace departed ace Corbin Burnes and injured star Kyle Bradish by signing mid- to back-end starters Sugano and Charlie Morton, hoping Eflin would step into the No. 1 role. Those moves backfired.
The Orioles cannot afford a repeat of last winter’s missteps. The plan is to add legitimate rotation depth, ideally a top-tier starter. Several free agents could fit the bill, including Framber Valdez—who has a prior connection to Elias from Houston—Ranger Suárez, and Tatsuya Imai. Other seasoned arms on the market, with varying upside, include Michael King, Zac Gallen, and Lucas Giolito. The Orioles may not leave Orlando with a veteran starter in hand, but the objective is clear: make substantial progress toward adding one, or perhaps two.
Pitching isn’t the only target at the meetings. The offense could also benefit from another power bat to deepen the lineup. On paper, the roster looks complete, but the 2025 performance shows several players underachieved. Depending on how big a swing Elias wants to take, big-name free agents like Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber could be in play. If the Pittsburgh Pirates can lure Schwarber into a nine-figure deal, why not the Orioles?
Notable winter meetings events
Beyond the typical flurry of meetings and media availability, a couple of events stand out during the Orlando sessions.
On Tuesday, MLB will conduct the lottery drawing to determine the top six picks for the 2026 draft. The drawing will be broadcast live on MLB Network at 5:30 p.m. ET. All teams that missed the 2025 playoffs are eligible for the lottery, with exclusions for the Rockies, Nationals, and Angels for certain reasons explained here. Teams’ odds improve with worse winning percentages.
The Orioles, with the fourth-worst winning percentage among lottery-eligible clubs, hold the fourth-best odds of landing the No. 1 pick at 9.24%—behind the White Sox (27.73%), Twins (22.18%), and Pirates (16.81%). One in ten is not great, but it’s not nothing. Last year, the Nationals had a roughly 10% shot and still won the first pick.
Finally, on Wednesday, the Rule 5 draft wraps up the meetings. Orioles fans know the club’s historical affinity for Rule 5 selections—often plucking unprotected talents from other organizations to keep on the roster. It’s how the Dan Duquette era brought in players like Anthony Santander, Ryan Flaherty, and T.J. McFarland, among others.
The Elias-led Orioles have shown considerably less interest in Rule 5 since the team began winning, though one notable success did occur in 2020 with right-hander Tyler Wells, who remains a contributor and could play a significant role in 2026. The club hasn’t selected a Rule 5 pick since 2022 and may skip it again this year.
Baltimore isn’t projected to lose any major prospects to other clubs via Rule 5. This offseason, the Orioles added pitchers Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez and outfielder Reed Trimble to the 40-man roster to protect them from exposure.
