Orioles Offseason Tracker
Every Orioles signing, trade, option decision and roster move from the end of the 2026 season to spring training, plus the deadlines that shape them.
Updated Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.
Orioles transactions
Every Orioles move this offseason, newest first.
| Date | Type | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2 | Qualifying offer | Extended LHP Trevor Rogers the one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer. He has until Nov. 17 to respond. If he declines and signs with another club, Baltimore gets a compensatory draft pick; he could also decline and still return to the Orioles as a free agent. Free agent rankings. |
| Nov. 2 | Waivers | OF Leody Taveras cleared waivers and chose free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He had been a non-tender candidate in arbitration. |
| Nov. 2 | Option | Declined 1B/DH Ryan Mountcastle’s $7.5 million club option, making him a free agent. The 2015 first-round pick played only eight games in 2026 after breaking a bone in his foot and then straining his oblique as a rehab assignment began. More on his Orioles tenure. |
| Nov. 2 | Release | Released OF Heston Kjerstad after he went unclaimed on outright waivers. The No. 2 overall pick in 2020 never got a sustained look in the majors. |
| Oct. 31 | Option | Declined OF Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million club option and will pay a $2 million buyout. Acquired late in the season to help a playoff push, Robert appeared in three games before a hamstring injury ended his year. |
| Oct. 30 | Option | Declined RHP Zach Eflin’s $25 million mutual option; he’s owed a $2 million buyout. Eflin is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and could look for a two-year deal that covers most of his 2027 recovery. |
| Oct. 29 | Free agency | LHP Trevor Rogers, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Andrew Kittredge and LHP Keegan Akin filed for free agency. Akin is recovering from Tommy John surgery he had in July. See where they rank. |
| Oct. 29 | Option | RHP Ryan Helsley exercised his $14 million player option and is under contract for 2027. Injuries held him to 15 1/3 innings (eight saves, 4.11 ERA) and he didn’t pitch after June, but he’s expected to be ready for spring training and to pair with Félix Bautista at the back of the bullpen. |
| Oct. 27 | Front office | Jared Banner was formally introduced as general manager. He'll run player development, coaching and performance, and work with president of baseball operations Mike Elias on strategy, staffing and acquisitions. Banner led the Cubs' player development department in 2022 and 2023. |
| Oct. 26–30 | Minor league signings | Signed RHP Robinson Martinez, who pitched in the Mexican League in 2026, and 17-year-old Dominican RHP Victor Padilla to minor league deals. |
Option and qualifying offer decisions
Baltimore has until 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 2 to settle its contract options, decide on a qualifying offer for Rogers (he received one) and return its 60-day injured list players to the 40-man roster. Most of the moves so far have trimmed payroll. A declined option doesn’t rule out a reunion: Mountcastle, Robert and Eflin can all still re-sign with the Orioles on new terms.
| Player | Pos | Decision | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Rogers | LHP | $23.15 million qualifying offer | Extended Nov. 2 | Must accept or decline by Nov. 17. FanGraphs pegs his market at just over $24 million a year, and industry sources expect at least four years, possibly as many as six at a lower annual salary. |
| Zach Eflin | RHP | $25 million mutual option | Declined Oct. 30 | Gets a $2 million buyout. He had Tommy John surgery in April. |
| Ryan Mountcastle | 1B/DH | $7.5 million club option | Declined Nov. 2 | Now a free agent. He missed nearly all of 2026 with a fractured left foot and an oblique strain. |
| Luis Robert Jr. | OF | $20 million club option or $2 million buyout | Declined Oct. 31 | Baltimore takes the $2 million buyout. He played three games for the Orioles before a left hamstring injury. |
| Dietrich Enns | LHP | $3.5 million option | Due Nov. 2 | Unlikely to be exercised. |
| Kyle Bradish, Ryan Helsley, Tyler O’Neill, Jordan Westburg | — | Reinstate from 60-day IL to the 40-man roster | Due Nov. 2 | Required. |
| Colin Selby | RHP | 60-day IL | Due Nov. 2 | No obligation. He didn’t pitch in 2026 after rotator cuff and labrum surgery. |
Mountcastle and Kjerstad move on
Mountcastle’s departure, which may or may not be permanent, ends the Baltimore run of one of the few bright spots from the franchise’s lean rebuilding years. A first-round pick in 2015, he peaked in 2021 with a career-best 33 home runs, built on the highest pull rate of his career (38.7%). Then, before the 2022 season, the Orioles pushed the left-field wall at Camden Yards farther from home plate. Statcast’s estimates, based on exit velocity and launch angle, credit the change with costing him about five home runs in 2022 and roughly five more across 2023, 2024 and 2025 combined. His final season in orange was mostly lost to injury: a broken foot bone, then an oblique strain at the start of his rehab assignment, limited him to eight games.
Kjerstad’s exit closes a frustrating chapter for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Myocarditis pushed back the start of his professional career, and once he reached the majors he rarely got an extended chance to play every day and didn’t hit consistently in the brief windows he received. Baltimore outrighted him, and he was granted his release after no team claimed him on waivers.
Arbitration-eligible players
Six Orioles remain eligible for salary arbitration after Leody Taveras elected free agency on Nov. 2. The team has until 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 20 to tender them contracts for 2027 or let them become free agents.
| Player | Pos | Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Gunnar Henderson | SS | Will be tendered |
| Jordan Westburg | 3B | Will be tendered |
| Félix Bautista | RHP | Will be tendered |
| Colton Cowser | OF | Will be tendered |
| Codi Heuer | RHP | Non-tender candidate |
| Albert Suárez | RHP | Non-tender candidate |
| Leody Taveras | OF | Elected free agency |
Rule 5 protection
By Nov. 17, the Orioles must add eligible prospects to the 40-man roster or risk losing them in the Rule 5 draft. Infielder/outfielder Aron Estrada, who hit 25 home runs between Double-A Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk, is expected to be added. See the full Orioles top 30 prospects.
Key offseason dates
| Date | Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 28 | World Series ends; offseason begins | Done |
| Oct. 29 | Eligible players file for free agency | Done |
| Nov. 2, 5 p.m. ET | Club and mutual option decisions, qualifying offers and 60-day injured list reinstatements due. Free agents can sign with any team once the deadline passes. | Today |
| Nov. 17, 4 p.m. ET | Players must accept or decline qualifying offers | Upcoming |
| Nov. 17 | Deadline to add prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft | Upcoming |
| Nov. 20, 8 p.m. ET | Non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players | Upcoming |
| Dec. 1, 11:59 p.m. ET | Collective bargaining agreement expires; a lockout is widely expected | Upcoming |
| Dec. 9 | Rule 5 draft, if it isn’t postponed by a work stoppage | Uncertain |
Orioles offseason FAQ
- When does MLB free agency start in 2026?
- Players filed for free agency the day after the World Series ended. They can sign with any team once the qualifying offer and option deadline passes at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 2.
- Did the Orioles make Trevor Rogers a qualifying offer?
- Yes. Baltimore extended Rogers the one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer on Nov. 2, and he has until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 17 to accept or decline it. If he turns it down, he can still re-sign with the Orioles, but if another team signs him, Baltimore receives draft pick compensation. FanGraphs projects his market at a little more than $24 million per year, and he could draw a four-year deal or longer.
- What happens to the offseason if there's a lockout?
- The collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. During a lockout, teams can't sign or trade players on 40-man rosters, so many moves that normally stretch across the winter could be squeezed into November.
- Did the Orioles pick up Ryan Mountcastle's option?
- No. Baltimore declined Mountcastle's $7.5 million club option on Nov. 2, making him a free agent. He played just eight games in 2026 because of a broken bone in his foot and an oblique strain. The Orioles could still re-sign him at a different price.
- Why did the Orioles release Heston Kjerstad?
- Kjerstad, the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, was released after clearing outright waivers. Myocarditis delayed the start of his pro career, and he never got an extended run in the majors or produced consistently in his short stints.
- Who is the Orioles' general manager?
- Jared Banner, who was introduced on Oct. 27. He oversees player development, coaching and performance and works alongside president of baseball operations Mike Elias.