SARASOTA, Fla. — The Orioles have a talented roster, several intriguing prospects and more depth than most organizations.
Those things normally correlate to heated roster battles during spring training, but that’s not the case this year. Through the first week of spring training, there appears to be little competition for roster spots.
Two years ago, it was top prospect Grayson Rodriguez competing for a spot in the Orioles’ rotation that was the story of camp. Last year, the biggest storyline was wunderkind Jackson Holliday fighting for a spot on the opening day roster.
At this time last year, a roster projection would have put Heston Kjerstad or Ryan McKenna ahead of Colton Cowser, who wowed during exhibitions to earn a bench spot and eventually broke out to finish second in American League Rookie of the Year voting. And the competition for the final spot in the bullpen was wide open with about eight pitchers in the running.
This year, assuming everyone remains healthy, there’s little ambiguity, if any, when projecting the roster. Now, that’s not to say it’s a lock that the following 26 players will definitively be heading north in a month. One or two injuries could throw a wrench into the club’s plans, or someone could emerge and play himself onto the roster.
As the Orioles begin Grapefruit League play Saturday, here is a projection for Baltimore’s 26-man opening day roster. (Note: This is based on players presently in the organization and does not consider those the team could acquire or part ways with.)
Starting rotation (5): Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano
Other candidates: Albert Suárez, Cade Povich, Brandon Young
The Orioles’ rotation doesn’t have an ace like Corbin Burnes atop it, but one through five (and beyond), it’s a deeper group than last year when the club won 91 games and in 2023 when it tallied 101 victories.
“No, it’s not necessary,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said at the beginning of spring training. “It’s nice if you have one. But it’s not something you’re going to have all the time.”
Assuming the Orioles begin the season with a five-man rotation, there’s no guessing who the five will be. The only question is which order they’ll go in, mostly whether Eflin or Rodriguez will start opening day.
Perhaps the biggest starting pitching competition this spring is between Suárez, Povich and Young to determine who will be the next man up if a starter is needed. Suárez, who is starting Saturday’s opener at Ed Smith Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates, has the inside lane since he will likely begin the year in the bullpen. But Povich was excellent with the Orioles in September, while Young had a breakout 2024 campaign to earn the organization’s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award.
The Orioles also have prospect Chayce McDermott and left-hander Trevor Rogers in the rotation mix, though both are dealing with injuries this spring that rule them out of consideration for opening day.
Bullpen (8): Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez, Cionel Pérez, Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin, Albert Suárez
Other candidates: Bryan Baker, Colin Selby, Kade Strowd, Roansy Contreras, Luis González, Matt Bowman, Dylan Coleman, Rodolfo Martinez, Cade Povich
Elias said the Orioles will “take it slow” with Bautista this spring as he returns from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. If he’s not 100% ready by March 27 in Toronto, the Orioles will almost certainly start him on the injured list.
But assuming Bautista, who has looked strong in his bullpens this spring, is ready to go, the group of eight relievers is mostly set. Cano, Domínguez and Kittredge are the right-handers behind Bautista; Soto, Pérez and Akin are the lefties; and Suárez is the long reliever.
If a starter is injured and Suárez fills in, it’s possible Povich is added to the bullpen as a long reliever. But that scenario is more likely to see a short reliever on the 40-man roster — Baker, Selby, Contreras, González, Strowd or Contreras — earn the nod. Baker and Contreras are out of minor league options and would be subject to waivers if they don’t make the Orioles’ opening day roster.
Bowman, Coleman and Martinez headline the group of nonroster invitee relievers in camp. Bowman had success in Baltimore last season. Coleman was excellent in 2022 with the Kansas City Royals but has struggled throwing strikes since. And Martinez, while a long shot to make the club out of camp, has been one of the most intriguing arms this spring with his high-90s mph fastball and fall-off-the-table splitter.
Catchers (2): Adley Rutschman, Gary Sánchez
Other candidates: David Bañuelos, Samuel Basallo, Maverick Handley
What do the Orioles do if one of their catchers gets injured this spring?
Do they bring up Bañuelos or Handley to fill the gap? Do they give Basallo, a 20-year-old top prospect, a shot? Or do they give old friend James McCann a call to come back to Baltimore?
The Orioles hope they don’t have to answer any of the above questions. Rutschman has looked excellent in camp thus far, while Sánchez appears to be taking Basallo under his wing. If they’re both healthy and they hit the way they have for most of their careers, Rutschman and Sánchez will form one of the best catching duos in baseball.
Basallo, who FanGraphs recently ranked as its No. 5 prospect, isn’t fighting for a roster spot, but he will get plenty of opportunities to play in games, manager Brandon Hyde said. If he continues at his torrid pace, Basallo could be an option to join the Orioles late this season or to begin 2026.
Infielders (6): Ryan Mountcastle, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Urías
Other candidates: Jorge Mateo, Emmanuel Rivera, Coby Mayo, Livan Soto, Nick Gordon, Terrin Vavra
Elias said Mateo will likely begin the season on the IL, but the speedster hopes he can still break camp healthy. Mateo is recovering from left elbow surgery in August.
Assuming Mateo isn’t fully healthy by opening day, the Orioles will go with six traditional infielders and five outfielders — a different format than expected earlier in the offseason. Before the Ramón Laureano signing, it was assumed that Mateo, who can also play outfield, would be ready for opening day, allowing the Orioles to carry seven infielders and four outfielders.
At 21 years old, Holliday is young enough that a bad spring could cause the club to reconsider opening him in the majors, though that’s unlikely. Urías’ future in Baltimore has been uncertain for years, but here he remains after perhaps the best offensive season of his career.
If a corner infielder is injured, Rivera could be the most likely next-man up. But if Mayo, who struggled in a small sample against major league pitching last summer, crushes the ball this spring, it could be him instead. Soto, Gordon and Vavra are options if a middle infielder goes down, and all three have positional flexibility.
Outfielders (5): Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill, Heston Kjerstad, Ramón Laureano
Other candidates: Jorge Mateo, Dylan Carlson, Daz Cameron, Nick Gordon, Terrin Vavra
The outfield makeup is ironclad.
Cowser, Mullins and O’Neill are the starting three. Kjerstad will get plenty of playing time against right-handed starting pitchers, filling in at either designated hitter or right field in place of O’Neill. Laureano will likely start most games against left-handed starters, filling in for either Mullins or Cowser.
Whenever Mateo is back on the roster, he maintains the ability to play the outfield, especially center field. Carlson, a switch-hitter, has minor league options and will be on call throughout the season if there’s an injury. Cameron, a right-handed hitter with speed, could fill in for Laureano if the latter is injured. Cameron has never caught on as a regular big leaguer because of offensive struggles, but he hit .253 with an .817 OPS against lefties for the Athletics last season.
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