BALTIMORE — Tyler O’Neill’s attempt at a bounce-back 2026 season will be taking place in Baltimore, as expected.
O’Neill is opting into the final two years of his contract with the Orioles, a source confirmed to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Monday. The club has not yet announced the news.
The O’s signed O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal last Dec. 10, marking the first multi-year contract given to a free agent since Mike Elias became the head of the team’s baseball operations department in November 2018. However, O’Neill’s agreement also featured an opt-out clause at the end of the first season.
It’s not surprising that O’Neill has decided to not return to free agency. The 30-year-old outfielder had an injury-marred 2025 campaign featuring three stints on the injured list due to a variety of ailments: neck inflammation (April 24-May 9), a left shoulder impingement (May 16-July 4) and right wrist inflammation (Aug. 6-Sept. 12).
O’Neill was limited to 54 games during his first season in Baltimore, hitting .199 with six doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 26 RBIs and a .684 OPS.
The Orioles are optimistic that O’Neill will fare better in 2026. The slugger isn’t far removed from a strong showing with the Red Sox in ‘24, when he belted 31 homers and posted an .847 OPS over 113 games.
“From what I see as an evaluator, the talent is there,” Elias said at his end-of-season press conference on Sept. 29. “I mean, the power, the swing, the way he moves in the outfield — that player is in there. He wasn’t able to express the type of production that he’s done in his best years this year, because he wasn’t available that much. That’s been part of his history, and we know that.
“I think he’s a tremendous roster fit for our group when he’s up and running and going good, and he’s a guy that can carry a lineup when he’s doing that.”
Another player returning to Baltimore next season will be left-hander Dietrich Enns, who agreed to terms on a one-year contract featuring a 2027 team option on Monday. The 34-year-old was traded from the Tigers to the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations on July 31, then recorded a 3.14 ERA in 17 games (one start) for the O’s.
Enns had a $3 million team option for next season, but Baltimore instead opted to sign him to a contract that allows the club to potentially keep him for the following year as well. The southpaw should compete for a spot in the bullpen during Spring Training.
While O’Neill and Enns will be back, utility man Jorge Mateo may not be returning.
According to multiple reports, the Orioles are planning to decline Mateo’s $5.5 million team option for the 2026 season. The speedy 30-year-old infielder/outfielder has spent five seasons in Baltimore, but he’s been limited to 111 games over the past two years due to injuries, while also struggling to produce offensively.
Mateo, who will now become a free agent, hit .218 with a .626 OPS over the past four seasons, though he collected 95 stolen bases during that span.
