BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ Game 162 roster on Sept. 28 looked much different from their Opening Day roster on March 27. The injury bug never completely let up. A Trade Deadline selloff in July sent nine MLB players to other clubs.
Baltimore used 70 players this year (an American League record), frequently utilizing the shuttle between the big leagues and Triple-A Norfolk.
As interim manager Tony Mansolino said on the final day of the season, the O’s went 60-59 under his leadership despite finishing “with a group of players that’s mostly [from] Norfolk.”
The area of the roster that transformed the most from Game 1 to Game 162 was the bullpen:
Opening Day bullpen: RHP Félix Bautista (closer), LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Yennier Cano, RHP Seranthony Domínguez, LHP Cionel Pérez, LHP Gregory Soto, RHP Albert Suárez, RHP Bryan Baker
Game 162 bullpen: LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Yennier Cano, LHP José Castillo, RHP Rico Garcia, RHP Yaramil Hiraldo, RHP Carson Ragsdale, RHP Colin Selby, RHP Kade Strowd, LHP Grant Wolfram
Bautista didn’t pitch after July 20 and underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum on Aug. 19, a procedure expected to sideline the 2023 All-Star for most (if not all) of 2026. Suárez’s season was bookended by stints on the injured list, with five appearances in between.
Domínguez (Blue Jays), Soto (Mets) and Baker (Rays) were traded in July, as was righty Andrew Kittredge (Cubs), who opened the year on the IL. Pérez was designated for assignment on May 24 and never returned to the Majors after mostly struggling in Triple-A.
The only relievers with the Orioles for both Opening Day in Toronto and the finale in New York were Akin and Cano — and perhaps they’ll be the only relievers from the latter group who will also be in Baltimore’s bullpen for Opening Day 2026, as president of baseball operations Mike Elias will be tasked with reshaping the unit this offseason.
Akin has become a reliable arm, recording a 3.36 ERA in 130 games over the past two seasons. The 30-year-old often closed out of necessity during the second half of 2025, collecting a career-high eight saves, though he admitted the role was challenging.
“It’s definitely not as easy as Félix makes it look,” Akin said after recording a five-out save in a 3-2 win over the Astros on Aug. 24.
Cano, a 2023 All-Star setup man, has taken steps back in recent years and did so again in ‘25, posting a 5.12 ERA in 65 outings during a season that also featured a brief demotion to Triple-A. It would be helpful to the O’s if he could return to form.
Some bright spots emerged as lesser-known relievers auditioned for jobs down the stretch.
Strowd, a hard-throwing righty, posted a 1.71 ERA in 25 appearances. Garcia had a 2.84 ERA in 20 games while showing a knack for pitching out of jams. Hiraldo, Selby and Wolfram all flashed stuff at times that could make them intriguing options for the future.
Another candidate for a 2026 bullpen role could be left-hander Dietrich Enns, who had a 3.14 ERA in 17 games before finishing the season on the paternity list. The 34-year-old is a former starter who can serve in numerous roles, though Baltimore must first decide whether to accept his $3 million club option.
Let’s assume Akin, Cano, Suárez (if healthy) and two or three other returning relievers make the Orioles’ Opening Day bullpen. That still leaves multiple holes to fill, including a major one at the back end. Plus, it can never hurt to bring in additional high-octane arms to serve as high-leverage options, shifting some of the returnees to depth roles.
Baltimore has shown a preference to have a set closer, as it signed Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal for the 2024 season, when Bautista was sidelined following Tommy John surgery. So perhaps the O’s could target one of the top relief arms expected to be on the free-agent market.
Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez (Albert’s brother) have opt-out clauses in their deals with the Mets and Padres, respectively. Top relievers known to be hitting free agency include Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley and Devin Williams, while the Mariners’ Andrés Muñoz and the Rays’ Pete Fairbanks have team options for 2026.
If the Orioles plan to return to postseason contention next season — which has been Elias’ stated goal — they’ll need to bulk up their bullpen by adding to the group and picking the best arms from their internal options. Whether or not they’re successful in doing so could be a large factor in how the team fares in 2026.
