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Baltimore Orioles Bullpen is Better Than You Think, But Not Quite Complete
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- Baltimore Orioles Bullpen is Better Than You Think, But Not Quite Complete
The Baltimore Orioles were one of the most active teams in the early offseason period. After signing superstar first basemen Pete Alonso , flame-throwing reliever Ryan Helsley , and home run hitter Taylor Ward , Baltimore is looking destined to make a run for the AL East pennant.
However, there is still one department that Baltimore lacks star power in -- the bullpen.
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In 2025, Baltimore had one of the weaker bullpens in the major leagues. You could say because of injuries, or you could make the claim that President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias didn't do enough.
The expectation coming into 2025 was that Baltimore's bullpen would be much improved with closer Felix Bautista returning from injury -- unfortunately for Baltimore, that hope was short lived.
Baltimore Orioles Closer Felix Bautista (74) | © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
On August 19, 2025, Felix Bautista tore is labrum and rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, forcing him to get surgery which will keep him sidelined until the 2027 season.
The loss of Bautista was the nail in the coffin for Baltimore's bullpen, as they traded away multiple other arms at the deadline, such as Bryan Baker , Seranthony Dominguez , Gregory Soto and Andrew Kittridge.
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This fire sale indicated that Baltimore was going to significantly shake up their bullpen pieces going forward.
With a majority of Baltimore's bullpen arms departing, it allowed for other players to make a name for themselves.
Dietrich Enns , Rico Garcia and Kade Strowd performed at an extremely high level for Baltimore in the second half of the season.
Enns was DFA'd by the Detroit Tigers in late July, and Baltimore saw the opportunity and jumped on it. The lefty pitcher appeared in 17 games for Baltimore, pitching to the tune of a 3.14 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched. Enns is a player that I fully expect to be in Baltimore's bullpen for 2026.
Baltimore Orioles Reliever Dietrich Enns (71) | © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
Garcia, on the other hand, had 20 appearances for Baltimore last season, posting a stellar 2.84 ERA in 19.0 innings pitched. Garcia also had arguably the best moment of his major league career in a game against the Boston Red Sox , where he struck out the side with bases loaded and zero outs. Garcia is a legitimate late inning option for Baltimore in 2026.
Baltimore Orioles Reliever Rico Garcia (50) | © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
Unlike Enns and Garcia, Strowd made his MLB debut last season, and he did not disappoint. Strowd appeared in 25 games for Baltimore, where he pitched to a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings. At only 28 years-old Strowd could be a longterm building block in Baltimores bullpen.
Baltimore Orioles Reliever Kade Strowd (57) | © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
I believe Baltimore's bullpen has a lot of upside, but could still use one or two more high leverage guys to round out that group. With the addition of Helsley to be the primary closer, Baltmore is only a few moves away from being right back in AL East title contention.
