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The 2025 season hasn’t gone the way that anyone had hoped.
At 73-81, the Orioles are likely on their way to a losing season, playing spoiler rather than contender. Just two active members of Baltimore’s roster have played more than 85 games, and only two pitchers have started more than 20 contests.
Yet, despite disappointing results, there have been no shortage of positive stories. This week on “The Bird’s Nest,” we broke down some of our favorites.
If you missed this week’s show, you can watch the full episode here: https://masn.me/v3mmyrwe.
Trevor Rogers
The “worst trade in Orioles history,” according to some on the bird app, turned out just fine, huh? After another gem last night, Rogers improved his ERA to a staggering 1.35 through 17 starts.
In the Divisional Era (dating back to 1969), only Jacob deGrom’s 1.08 ERA in 2021 is better than Rogers’ 1.35 among pitchers with at least 15 starts in a season. Moving the threshold to match Rogers’ 17 starts, Baltimore’s lefty has the best ERA in the Divisional Era, most closely challenged by Doc Gooden’s 1.53 ERA in 1985.
Decent company.
The left-hander’s dominance takes on more significance when paired with the notion that Rogers questioned whether or not he could make it in the big leagues. Instead, he posted a career-defining season, well on his way to Cy Young votes and perhaps a Most Valuable Oriole award.
And on a broader scale, the offseason calculus is, perhaps, shifted. While the Orioles may, and probably should, still be in the market for a high-end starting pitcher, Baltimore now has the confidence that they have an ace in the hole to pair with Kyle Bradish, one that wasn’t a known commodity entering the season.
Speaking of …
Kyle Bradish
Returning from Tommy John surgery to regain peak form isn’t a guarantee. But Bradish hasn’t skipped a beat.
In his four starts in 2025, the right-hander has posted a 2.45 ERA, striking out over 12 batters per nine innings. Those numbers are on pace, and, in fact, better than his 2023 season, in which he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting.
If Bradish can maintain this form and couple it with Rogers’ dominance, the Orioles will have one heck of a one-two punch at the top of their 2026 rotation.
Tyler Wells certainly deserves to be in that feel-good conversation, too. Only time will tell what role the big right-hander will play for Baltimore next season, but the O’s have to feel great about where the duo appears to be post-injury.
Dylan Beavers
We’ve been spoiled by Orioles prospects.
When Beavers, in his age-22 season, posted a .756 OPS in 119 games with Double-A Bowie in 2024, questions arose about his future outlook. The former No. 33 overall pick did earn a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk at the end of the season, but expectations were tempered for 2025.
The outfielder raised the bar.
In 94 games with the Tides this season, Beavers hit .304 with a .934 OPS, and he hasn’t missed a beat in the big leagues. The Cal product enters tonight’s game with an on-base percentage of .417, walking 22 times in 28 games compared to just 2026 strikeouts.
He’s worked himself into the conversation as a potential everyday starter in 2026.
Jeremiah Jackson
Beavers may have outperformed expectations, but he was still a top-10 prospect in the system. Jackson wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a free agent minor-league signing this offseason.
All he’s done is become an adopted member of the O’s young core.
A former second-round pick himself, the do-it-all contact hitter has posted a .284 batting average in 42 games with a knack for hard contact. He’s played all over the diamond, too, steadily improving in the outfield along with his natural home on the infield dirt.
Jackson once struggled to get out of Double-A, spending four seasons and 373 games at the level. Now, he finds himself succeeding in the bigs, working his way into Baltimore’s 2026 plans.
Tony Mansolino
How about some love for the interim skipper?
It's hard to envy anyone tasked with such an undertaking mid-season, but Mansolino has had Baltimore playing quality, competitive baseball for months. Since Mansolino took the reigns, the Orioles have been 58-53, a .523 winning percentage. Extrapolate that over 162 and you've got 85 wins, in the fight for an AL Wild Card spot. Consider, too, that that number includes a second half after a deadline at which the O's traded away big league talent.
The role of manager for 2026 is still a mystery, but Mansolino has done an excellent job to wrap up 2025 to keep the O's heading in the right direction.
For more of our conversation about the year’s best stories, be sure to check out this week’s episode.
