Among the 16 minor leaguers that the Orioles acquired at this year’s trade deadline, five of them can be found among Baltimore’s top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Slater de Brun, selected with the draft pick acquired by sending Bryan Baker to the Rays, makes six. 

de Brun and Boston Bateman, the headliner of the trade that sent Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano to the Padres, are both ranked in the top 10. Juaron Watts-Brown joins a group of excellent starting pitching prospects in Double-A. 

But it’s three unranked deadline acquisitions, Anthony Nunez, Tyson Neighbors and Cameron Foster, that could make the biggest impacts in Baltimore next season. 

Why, then, are the three pitching prospects relatively unheralded?

Typically, in prospect rankings, more stock is put into arms with a starter’s upside than those that are already coming out of the bullpen in the minor leagues. If the starter fails to reach his potential, the “fallback” is in the bullpen. 

But in Nunez, Neighbors and Foster, the Orioles have three young arms that have found homes in the bullpen and made the most of their roles. 

Let’s start with Nunez, who only started pitching in 2024. His ascent, though, has been rapid. 

In his first 10 games of 2025, Nunez posted an 0.63 ERA in 10 relief appearances in High-A with over 15 strikeouts per nine innings. Double-A only provided a bit more of a challenge, as he surrendered just six earned runs in 25.2 innings of work. 

That was enough for the Orioles to target him upon sending Cedric Mullins to New York, and Baltimore wasted no time promoting Nunez to Triple-A Norfolk upon his arrival. 

There, he still impressed with a high strikeout rate, a WHIP of just 0.894 and a 3.45 ERA, finishing 11 of the 16 games he appeared in. 

Baseball America notes that Nunez “throws a lot of strikes for someone so new to pitching,” with a slider and changeup that have elite whiff rates. If he continues on his rapid upward trajectory, he could be a key piece of Baltimore’s 2026 bullpen sooner rather than later. 

One spot above Nunez’s No. 25 ranking on Baseball America’s Orioles top 30 is Tyson Neighbors, another piece of the O’Hearn/Laureano trade. To say that the right-hander had a dominant 2025 would be an understatement. 

Across three levels of the minors, Neighbors posted a 1.53 ERA in 44 appearances, striking out close to 13 batters per nine innings with a WHIP of 0.898. 

A product of Kansas State, and one of the best relievers in college baseball in 2023, Neighbors is an analytical darling. Baseball America notes his “feel to spin the baseball” with a mid-to-upper 90’s fastball that averaged close to 22 inches of ride last spring. 

Neighbors is the prototypical “stuff guy,” and with 26 Double-A games under his belt, a quick rise through the ranks isn’t out of the question. 

Foster is the least heralded prospect of the three, not ranked in either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America’s top 30 Orioles prospects. 

Another prospect from the Mets organization, this time in the Gregory Soto trade, Foster didn’t start his professional career until his age 24 season. Now 26, the 6 '5 right-hander impressed in 13 games with Norfolk, posting a 3.38 ERA and striking out close to 13 batters per nine innings. 

If he takes another step forward in 2026, he could certainly be in consideration for a bullpen role. 

While a busy offseason could change the landscape of the Orioles’ bullpen, the reality remains that there is a lot of work to do to fill the void left by four deadline deals and an injury to Félix Bautista. 

Certainly, Mike Elias and company knew at the deadline that there would be holes to fill in the ‘pen, and targeting bullpen arms in the upper levels of the minor leagues could mitigate some damage. 

You won’t find Nunez, Neighbors or Foster too high on any Orioles prospect rankings. They may not generate the kind of buzz that top starting pitching prospects may receive. 

But don’t be surprised if the trio is helping the Orioles late in games next year.