Though there isn’t necessarily any intent, the Orioles are trending toward hiring full-time managers with catching backgrounds.

That’s two in a row.

Brandon Hyde was a catcher at Long Beach State and in the White Sox’s system. Craig Albernaz developed a reputation as a plus defender with a cannon arm behind the plate at Eckerd College and in nine minor league seasons, the first eight with the Rays.

Hyde had Tim Cossins as his catching instructor and Fredi González and Robinson Chirinos as bench coaches before his dismissal on May 17. The revamped staff under Albernaz includes Joe Singley as field coordinator and catching coach and Hank Conger as bullpen coach.

Conger is the more familiar name to baseball fans after playing five seasons with the Angels and one each with the Astros and Rays. Singley is 28 years old, making him unique by coaching standards. He played at Coastal Carolina and began his coaching career at the school before working as Reds assistant catching coach and bullpen catcher for two seasons and Marlins catching coach, assistant catching director and bullpen catcher this year.

Whether you agreed with the decision to trade Juan Soto way back in 2022 or not, you understood the selling point of the move from the Nationals’ perspective. Yes, they had just dealt away a generational, homegrown, championship-winning player at 23. But in return they got five of the Padres’ top prospects, perhaps the most impressive trade haul in major league history.

And when three of those prospects became National League All-Stars within three years, with hope still for the other two guys to become permanent big leaguers at some point, it was hard to refute the logic.

But there was a second half to the equation. Yes, the Nats wanted as many of those prospects to develop into future stars and dwarf Soto’s value to the club. But then they wanted those players to become part of the franchise’s next championship-contending roster.

That, of course, has not happened yet. And now, with the front office that made that monumental trade no longer in charge, comes a question few could have imagined at the time: Might the Nationals trade one or more of the players they received in the Soto trade before actually winning anything?

It’s among the most intriguing questions of this offseason and one of the toughest decisions new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni must confront in the coming weeks.

Craig Albernaz is almost done reaching out to his players, one of the important tasks for any new manager. He’s going through the phone numbers, introducing himself and starting the bonding process that will carry over to spring training in a few months. He doesn't want to be a total stranger to them on the report dates. 

“I’m almost at the finish line,” Albernaz said last night as a call-in guest on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio, which was broadcast live from Rye Street Tavern.

“It’s been awesome to connect with the guys. A lot of energy, a lot of focus work in the offseason. So it’s one of those things where, when you have those conversations, you can’t not be excited to get to spring training and get to work.”

Albernaz has watched president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias fortify the bullpen with set-up man Andrew Kittredge and closer Ryan Helsley and the middle of the lineup with power-hitting outfielder Taylor Ward. And there are more boxes to check.

“Real excited,” Albernaz said. “Mike and his group, they’re working to getting the team better and making these additions. When you add a right-handed bat and a presence in the lineup like Taylor Ward, how can you not be excited? And the same thing with Ryan Helsley. And the cool part with Helz is that, he was a high priority free agent for a lot of teams and he made the decision to choose us, and that’s something we don’t take lightly here. And I thanked him for it.”

There are tangible items on Paul Toboni’s offseason shopping list, specific pieces the Nationals’ new president of baseball operations needs to acquire before his roster is ready to take the field in 2026. First baseman. Starting pitcher. Multiple relievers. Perhaps another catcher.

There’s also an intangible item that should be high on Toboni’s list. It’s a little trickier to acquire, but it’s something that was sorely lacking on this team in 2025. Leadership.

We know the Nats had one of the youngest rosters in baseball this season, and likely will again next season. And we know there is some legitimate talent within that young core. But there really isn’t anyone at the moment who can set a positive example for all those young guys, both on the field and in the clubhouse. Someone who has been there and done that before. Someone whose actions and words carry real weight with teammates.

It was a major flaw of the roster Mike Rizzo built this year. As promising as James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, Jose A. Ferrer and Cole Henry were, they were kind of left to figure things out on their own. More than one player noted at season’s end the lack of “accountability” that was prevalent throughout the season.

Sure, Davey Martinez and his coaching staff – then Miguel Cairo in the second half – provided leadership. But there’s only so much the adults can do. Every major league club needs experienced major league players who command respect from their peers, whether a perennial contender like this franchise had last decade or a rebuilding group like the one that has been here since.

The media’s fascination with baseball closers and the mentality required to succeed at the job runs at such a high level that Ryan Helsley was asked about it twice yesterday during his introductory video call.

Helsley has looked at pitching life from many sides, working as a starter at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and in the minors, being a reliever in the majors and going from ninth-inning All-Star specialist to more of a setup role this year with the Mets.

The deadline trade that brought Helsley from the Cardinals contributed to the Mets’ freefall. His ERA climbed from 2.77 after his third appearance with his new team to 5.14 after his 16^th.

Though open to the idea of starting again, which the Tigers wanted him to do, Helsley found his ideal match with the Orioles, who needed him to close and were willing to pay him $28 million over two years but also let him opt out after the first.

Félix Bautista was an All-Star in 2023, winning the American League’s Reliever of the Year award but undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. He’s on the shelf again, this time recovering from a procedure to repair his labrum and rotator cuff.

The Orioles were aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent closer Ryan Helsley, and he used the same approach to decide whether they were the right team for him.

Helsley met with club officials, reached out to former teammates with the Cardinals who also played for the Orioles, spoke with a friend who knows new manager Craig Albernaz. Helsley did his homework. And he’s confident that he made the right choice in accepting their two-year, $28 million offer with the opt-out clause.

“It just seemed like a great fit, honestly,” Helsley said earlier today in a video call. “Playing this team the last few years and seeing their young core and how tight-knit they were, and I’ve known a couple guys that have played with this group the last few years and they had very good things to say about them and the new coaching staff. I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about it, so that really drew me to come to Baltimore. And obviously, it has to be a two-way street in free agency and they were very interested, as well, and obviously we were able to strike a deal.”

Helsley can reenter free agency after the 2026 season, which might make him a one-and-done with the Orioles if he pitches at his previous All-Star level.

“To have an opt-out was big,” he said. “We had a few offers on the table, but obviously, we felt like Baltimore was the best. And not only the best offer, but the best fit. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this organization.”

There isn’t a Grayson Rodriguez or a DL Hall in the Orioles’ minor league system. That’s now true for the major leagues, too. 

For years, Rodriguez and Hall were touted as the future of Baltimore’s rotation. Both were among the 100 best prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, with Rodriguez even entering the 2022 season as the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the game. 

What the Orioles lacked behind them, though, was depth. Dating back to 2019, when Mike Elias and company took the reins, all the way to 2023, Rodriguez and Hall were No. 1 and No. 2 in the org’s pitching prospect rankings. 

The names behind them in ‘19 included Dean Kremer, now a fixture in the O’s rotation, and Keegan Akin, a solid reliever. In December of 2019, Baltimore added Kyle Bradish, who became their No. 21 prospect. At the time, Pipeline noted his “middle-of-the-rotation ceiling.” Fair to say Bradish expanded on that. 

Along the way, there were plenty of arms that profiled as potential back-end starters. Bradish and Kremer, of course, panned out and exceeded expectations. But there were other names that didn’t, like Zac Lowther, Blaine Knight, Mike Baumann, Drew Rom, Cody Sedlock, Kevin Smith and others. 

Any discussion of the Nationals’ top offseason needs has to begin with proven hitter to anchor the heart of the lineup (preferably a power-hitting first baseman) and a proven starting pitcher to take some pressure off the club’s promising young arms.

Don’t overlook the need for more bullpen help, though, because this team could certainly use it.

The Nats’ relief corps ranked last in the majors this season in both ERA (5.59) and WHIP (1.522). That’s not a distinction anyone wants to claim, certainly not the new administration that has taken over baseball operations.

The strange aspect of this particular situation? The Nationals actually have several intriguing young relievers who performed well this season. They just don’t have enough to fill out the entire bullpen.

New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni could do a lot worse than a core trio of Jose A. Ferrer, Cole Henry and Clayton Beeter. Throw in PJ Poulin and perhaps Brad Lord (if he’s not in the rotation), and that’s five possible arms to build around.

New closer Ryan Helsley passed his physical with the Orioles, signed his two-year, $28 million contract and awaits the opportunity to field questions from the media.

Half the league reportedly had expressed some level of interest in Helsley. What made him decide on the Orioles?

How much did the opt-out clause sway him? I wouldn’t expect him to go into too much detail on the money offered by other clubs.

How aggressive were the Orioles in their pursuit? Were they among the first teams to contact his agent?

Was he intrigued by the teams that viewed him as a potential starter, something he’s never done in the majors? Sixty-nine of his 87 minor league appearances came as a starter. He was in the rotation for 21 of his 26 college games.

Not long after Mike Rizzo was fired but long before Paul Toboni took over baseball operations, the Nationals made a flurry of significant transactions this summer. When it came time for baseball’s annual trade deadline, it was Mike DeBartolo calling the shots as interim general manager, entrusted to make several moves of consequence only weeks after being put in charge of the organization during a time of unexpected upheaval.

DeBartolo wound up making five deals before the July 31 deadline. Those included the departures of six veterans and the acquisitions of 10 prospects. Only one of those returning players has appeared in a Nats uniform in the big leagues so far, but a number of the others could move into the picture soon enough.

It’ll be up to Toboni to decide who gets a shot, and when they’ll get that shot. But for now, it’s worth revisiting the trades DeBartolo made and evaluating what the Nationals emerged with from those deals. …

AMED ROSARIO TO YANKEES FOR CLAYTON BEETER, BROWM MARTINEZ
DeBartolo’s first trade came five days before the deadline, with the veteran infielder dealt to the Bronx for one big-league-ready reliever and one 19-year-old outfielder who has a long way to go. Rosario batted .303 (10-for-33) with a .788 OPS in 16 games for the Yankees. Beeter went to Triple-A Rochester for a week before getting called up to D.C., where he quickly ascended into a prime role in the bullpen. With a devastating slider, he delivered a 2.49 ERA, 1.015 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in only 21 2/3 innings. The only downside: He walked 14 batters, unable to command his fastball enough. Martinez, meanwhile, is still waiting to make his organizational debut, whether in the Dominican Republic (where he played the last two seasons with the Yankees) or in West Palm Beach with the Florida Complex League rookie squad.

ANDREW CHAFIN, LUIS GARCIA TO ANGELS FOR SAM BROWN, JAKE EDER
DeBartolo packaged two veteran relievers picked up midseason to an Angels team that was barely on the fringes of a pennant race and came away with a 24-year-old corner outfielder/first baseman and a 27-year-old lefty with a little bit of MLB experience. Chafin and Garcia were both good but were far from enough to lift the Angels out of last place in the AL West. Brown, meanwhile, slashed a solid .307/.384/.472 with 13 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs in 35 games with Double-A Harrisburg. Eder, who made eight relief appearances for Los Angeles this season, started one game for Harrisburg (two scoreless innings) and two games for Rochester (seven runs in five innings) following the trade. He’s currently on the 40-man roster, will be in big league camp and could work his way into the mix with a decent start to his 2026 campaign at Triple-A.

The signing of reliever Ryan Helsley to a two-year contract with an opt-out clause increases the Orioles’ 40-man roster to 39 players. Twenty-two are pitchers, with three catchers, seven infielders and seven outfielders.

There’s room for the Orioles to make a selection in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10 that wraps up the Winter Meetings in Orlando, but they could choose to pass again.

The Orioles haven’t picked a player in the major league phase since 2022. Anyone remember his name?

Answer below.

Tyler Wells was the last Rule 5 selection to make the club after the Orioles plucked him from the Twins organization in 2020. The 2021 Winter Meetings and draft were cancelled due to the lockout.

Closer Ryan Helsley has passed his physical and signed his contract with the Orioles.

Helsley agreed to terms over the weekend on a two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out after 2026. The right-handed will receive a $500,000 bonus if he’s traded, according to The Athletic.

The Orioles announced the signing tonight but only confirmed the years and opt-out.

The hunt for a closer led the Orioles to Helsley, 31, who ranked first in the majors with 49 saves while pitching for the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting.

He also won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the league’s top reliever.

The best part of Thanksgiving might be the leftovers. The holiday stretches for days and days.  

Mailbags also can be stretched and they won’t turn different colors if those days become weeks. They also don’t create dirty dishes and pans that need soaking.

Let's dig into these leftovers.  

What do you think of Zac Gallen for our rotation? We have a ton of  Scott Boras players, so Mike Elias seems to be comfortable working with him. Gallen cannot be the main addition, but if we can get another pitcher like Ranger Suárez or Framber Valdez in addition to him, I am more than OK with that.
As long as you’re happy. But seriously, I would have shown a little more enthusiasm a few years ago, when his ERA was 2.54, or even 3.47 and 3.65 the next two years. It was 4.83 in 33 starts this year, and his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings were the lowest of his career. But he would be a nice addition to the rotation. Maybe not the “main” guy, but on the other hand – and there’s usually two – would it be that bad if Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Zac Gallen comprised the top three? Come on, be honest with me.

Roch, have the Orioles explained in any detail what Mike Shildt's duties will be? His title gives me the impression that he's going to be in charge of player development in the minor leagues. Who was doing the work that he will now be doing? This feels like a big change to me.
Ha, you said “duties.” You also misspelled his name, as did the poster of the next question, but I made the necessary corrections in a rare bit of editing. S-H-I-L-D-T. The Orioles haven’t announced the hire, which leaves us to speculate and assume. Upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction means he’ll work with players at Triple-A and Double-A. I don’t think anyone else had the title. I checked the staff listing. We’ll find out more later, but he seems like a really smart hire given his past experience in player development and the rest of his resume, including successful manager. Anything he can do to better prepare prospects for the majors will be a big asset.

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher RYAN HELSLEY on a two-year major league contract for the 2026-27 seasons with a player opt-out following 2026.

Helsley, 31, is a two-time All-Star and the 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year. He went 3-4 with 21 saves, a 4.50 ERA (28 ER/56.0 IP), 61 hits (8 HR), 25 walks (3 IBB), and 63 strikeouts in 58 appearances between the St. Louis Cardinals (36 G) and New York Mets (22 G) last season. All 21 saves came with the Cardinals before being acquired by the Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers on July 30. The right-hander has recorded 77 saves since returning from injury on September 1, 2023, second most in the majors during that period behind Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (79 SV). The Tahlequah, Okla. native set the Cardinals single-season saves record with 49 in 2024, the most by a major leaguer since New York-NL’s Edwin Díaz (57 SV) in 2018.

Since the start of 2022, opponents are batting .141 (50-for-354) against his slider, the sixth-lowest average among major league relievers off a single pitch (min. 250 AB) during that time. According to Baseball Savant, Helsley’s slider had a run value of 12 in 2025, tied for the fifth best in the majors. He was also tied for fifth in slider run value with 13 in 2024, but the pitch’s run value per 100 pitches was 2.8, the best in the majors on a slider and tied for the third-best pitch in the majors that season behind Cleveland’s Cade Smith’s four-seam fastball (3.0 RV/100) and Emmanuel Clase’s cutter (3.1 RV/100).

Helsley was originally selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Northeastern State University (OK). In 297 career appearances between the Cardinals (275 G) and Mets (22 G), he’s 31-18 with 105 saves, a 2.96 ERA (105 ER/319.2 IP), and 377 strikeouts.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

If the Nationals are looking for ways to improve from 2025 to 2026, they can look at almost any position on the field and see plenty of room for growth. But if Paul Toboni and his new front office are allowed to point to only one aspect of the roster that could benefit the most from an upgrade, they surely would point to a rotation that regressed from the previous year.

After a moderately encouraging 2024 season that saw the emergence of several young arms and a respectable 4.40 ERA that ranked 23rd in the majors, Nats starters went backwards this season, finishing with a 5.18 ERA that ranked 29th in the sport, ahead of only the lowly Rockies.

What happened? The regression can be found in MacKenzie Gore’s rough second half following his first All-Star selection. It can be found in Trevor Williams’ inability to build off an encouraging 2024 before suffering another significant arm injury. And it really can be found in the way Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker – two bright spots from the previous year – devolved into two of the least effective starters in baseball.

Not that there weren’t positive developments mixed in there. Cade Cavalli finally made it all the way back from his injury woes and flashed top-of-the-rotation potential during his 10 late-season starts. Brad Lord did what Irvin and Parker did in the past and turned in a surprisingly effective rookie campaign (though he bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen). And Andrew Alvarez, another unexpected contributor, more than held his own in five September starts.

The new group that has since taken over the franchise sees things it likes in this group.

Not all seasons are created equally.

Rookie years are for making mistakes and learning from them. Final seasons are for curtain calls and flowers. Contract years are for playing your best baseball in hopes of a big payday.

2025 was Ryan Helsley’s contract year, and it didn’t go exactly as he’d hoped.

Entering the season, the flamethrowing right-hander looked like one of the best relievers in the game. His previous three seasons in St. Louis included two All-Star appearances, thanks to a 1.83 ERA, more than a dozen strikeouts per nine innings, a WHIP under 1.000 and 82 saves.

In fact, in 2024, Helsley led all of baseball in saves with 49, one of just two pitchers to even reach 40.

The Orioles aren’t tip-toeing into the upcoming Winter Meetings.

Mike Elias got his power-hitting right-handed bat when he traded for outfielder Taylor Ward. He got his closer yesterday by reaching agreement with Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million contract, which a source confirmed last night.

Executives won’t convene in Orlando until Dec. 7. Elias might check another box on his list before his flight lands.

Two starting pitchers, at least, are priorities for a team whose rotation posted a 4.65 ERA this year that ranked 24^th in the majors, traded Grayson Rodriguez and apparently won’t bring back Zach Eflin or Tomoyuki Sugano. Elias indicated that he could pursue another impact bat, and he’d like to find a center fielder to provide options beyond Colton Cowser and Leody Taveras. The Orioles might not be able to carry three catchers, but he could use more depth at the position, just in case. A true utility infielder also might be desired.

Sleeves aren’t rolled down. Ward and Helsley just scratched the surface.

The Orioles remained hopeful that they could get back Félix Bautista sometime after the break, but they had to find a closer to assist in their push to go from last place to first in 2026.

They didn’t wait for the Winter Meetings.

Multiple reports have the Orioles agreeing to terms with closer Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million deal pending the results of a physical. The contract includes an opt-out.

Bautista had surgery in August to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. He didn’t pitch after July 20, and he missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

Helsley, 31, was drawing interest from the Tigers as a potential starter, but all 297 of his appearances in seven major league seasons came in relief. He led the majors with 49 saves in 53 chances with the Cardinals in 2024, made his second All-Star team and finished ninth in National League Cy Young voting. He also won the Trevor Hoffman award as the league’s top reliever.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions yesterday for our Nats Q&A with a twist. Instead of answering live yesterday morning, I waited to compile all of the questions and answer them in whole this morning.

Here’s my best attempt at responding to almost all of your submissions. Apologies to those I couldn’t answer …

Good morning, Mark. How long does Crews have to prove he’s a real baseball player? The team needs him to be more than replacement level moving forward. – Katey2

For the record, Dylan Crews was more than replacement level this season. Not by a lot, but he was: 0.3 WAR in 85 games, which would work out to nearly 0.6 had he been healthy the entire year. That’s not me trying to suggest he was good, because he wasn’t. It was a disappointing first full MLB season for the former No. 2 overall pick. Some of that (the oblique injury) was out of his control. Some of it (the actual performance when healthy) was in his control. I think the important thing to keep in mind right now is that we’re still talking about a 23-year-old who has taken only 454 major league plate appearances. And, maybe more importantly, only took 652 plate appearances in the minors. That’s not much at all. Point is, he deserves more leash. Yes, partly because of his reputation as the No. 2 overall pick. But even more because of his extremely limited experience and haphazard rookie season that included not only a major injury but the firing of his manager and general manager in early July. You have to give him the entire 2026 season before making any hard judgments.

Hi, Mark. I’ll go for the brass ring: What minimal changes would it take to make the Nats a .500 team this year? I think they need to show progress this year in order to build fan interest in the team (as momentum toward even better success in the future). For example, I thought they had a potentially league-average batting squad last year, but they under-performed (House, Crews, Lowe, others). I still think defense and pitching are the keys to 2026 success. Where could we see the greatest return on investment? – cgire

Sammy Stewart’s life story is filled with chapters documenting his athletic successes, including a World Series championship with the Orioles in 1983, and tragedies that left him incarcerated, homeless and broken.

A childhood friend wants to pen the final one.

David Cody grew up with Stewart in the small town of Swannanoa in western North Carolina. They played baseball together. Everyone in the community had a bat and glove. None were better than Stewart, a major league pitcher for 10 seasons, the first eight with the Orioles, who signed him as an amateur free agent out of tiny Montreat College.

Stewart and Cody attended Charles D. Owen High, a 2A school where former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and NBA center Brad Daugherty also roamed the halls. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Daughtery was the first-overall pick in the 1986 draft and a five-time All-Star who retired as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Why isn’t Stewart included in the Charles D. Owens and Buncombe County Halls of Fame?