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The flurry of deadline trades massively altered the Orioles’ roster, made it much harder to stay competitive but also provided a nice bump to a farm system that slipped in the rankings due to the many promotions and the graduations from eligibility.
They also took away a chunk of the team’s pending free agents, including Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Charlie Morton, Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. Some players under team control or with options also were dealt, including Bryan Baker, Andrew Kittredge, Ramón Laureano and Ramón Urías.
Three players on the current roster will become free agents five days after the World Series and the Orioles can negotiate to bring them back, though the chances of the entire trio returning are pretty much nil.
Let’s start with the reason why.
Catcher Gary Sánchez
The Orioles signed him to an $8.5 million contract to provide right-handed power behind Adley Rutschman. The left field wall moved in. Sánchez moved in, playing for his sixth team.
He didn’t play nearly enough, with wrist and knee injuries limiting him to only 29 games.
Sánchez batted .231/.297/.418 with two doubles, five home runs, 24 RBIs, four walks and 27 strikeouts. His minus-0.4 bWAR and minus-0.6 dWAR were the lowest of his career, and he threw out only one of 18 runners attempting to steal.
The need for a backup came from the decision to let James McCann leave via free agency. Adley Rutschman hadn’t gone on the injured list until straining both obliques this summer, and the Orioles used a club-record seven catchers.
The Orioles won’t be in the market for any others unless they make a depth move for the minors. Rutschman is going to be the frontline guy, per president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias, Samuel Basallo will break camp with the team barring an injury, and the Orioles kept Alex Jackson on their expanded roster and shut down Sánchez after the Triple-A season.
Jackson is out of minor league options and the Orioles didn’t want to risk losing him. They’ve also got Maverick Handley on their 40-man roster, at least for now.
Starter Zach Eflin
Eflin seemed like a candidate to receive the qualifying offer, which would net the Orioles a compensatory draft pick if he declined. The amount hasn’t been determined but it was $21.05 million for 2025.
This could have been a win-win for the Orioles. Get the pick or a track-record starter for one year to deepen the rotation. Maybe not your Opening Day starter again, but a guy who can give you innings and chances to win every five or six days. A steady vet.
And then, 2025 happened.
Eflin went on the injured list three times, twice for his back before undergoing lumbar surgery. He lost his status as a trade chip if the Orioles wanted to move him. He made 14 starts and registered a 5.93 ERA and 1.416 WHIP over 71 1/3 innings, hugely disappointing after his 2.60 ERA in nine starts after the Orioles acquired him from the Rays on July 26, 2024.
Certainly not what they’d expect for the $18 million he was paid.
There’s always a chance that the Orioles try to negotiate a one-year deal with Eflin, perhaps with an option, and see whether he bites. He’d need to prove that he’s healthy and the Orioles would need to trust that he could stay that way. It’s a little early to be reading the market for a pitcher recovering from back surgery.
Starter Tomoyuki Sugano
The Orioles gave Sugano $13 million to leave Japan and fulfill his dream of pitching in the majors. He eliminated one concern by being more durable than maybe expected, leading the club with 30 starts while adjusting to a different schedule.
Attempts were made to simulate his old one, with extra rest provided when possible.
Sugano was impressive early on, to the point where he caused some premature chatter about Cy Young votes. He posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.152 WHIP in his first six starts and a 3.48 ERA and 0.968 WHIP in five May starts. However, he went through a pretty big rough patch – the 6.20 ERA and 1.743 WHIP in June and 5.75 ERA and 1.672 WHIP in July – and opponents tagged him for 13 runs (12 earned) and 22 hits in 16 1/3 innings in September.
Nine of Sugano’s 33 home runs, which led the American League, were surrendered in the last month.
Sugano wants to stay in the U.S., of course. Nothing ever suggested otherwise. And he’ll probably get another one-year deal after he turns 36 on Oct. 11.
The front office wants to bring in a starter who slots in the 1-to-3 range. That isn’t Sugano. It also could strengthen the depth and the camp competition with someone else. That sounds more like Sugano, but whatever salary is coming to him probably won’t make sense for the Orioles with Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer returning.
