"President of baseball operations Mike Elias spoke to the media today about the club's offseason and was asked if the O's had enough spending capacity to address both needs via free agency. "Yes, I think so," Elias said, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. "I mean, you look at our payroll as it stands right now, and it's still well below where we went last year.""
"Baltimore went into 2025 with an Opening Day payroll of $165MM, per Cot's Baseball Contracts. Thanks to some midseason trades and some guys reaching free agency at season's end, next year's payroll isn't close to that number. As of today, their 2026 club is slated to cost about $118MM, per RosterResource. Even if there's no bump in payroll coming, that's more than $45MM in wiggle room."
"Elias said today that the club is willing to be open-minded about the positional fit of the hitter they look to add, per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. "If the player is good enough, we can figure out ways to accommodate them, so we have a lot of conversations going on, mostly in free agency, but also in some trades, on guys we view as impact bats.""
The Orioles enter the offseason with about $118MM projected payroll for 2026, roughly $45MM below last year's $165MM Opening Day total, creating clear financial flexibility. The club still needs a front-of-rotation starter and an impact bat, while the bullpen received an upgrade with the signing of Ryan Helsley and may add another reliever but could preserve roles for incumbent arms. The team acquired Taylor Ward but continues to pursue lineup upgrades and is open-minded about positional fit, pursuing options in free agency and exploring trades for players viewed as impact bats.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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