We are back, ladies and gentlemen. On Friday, Orioles baseball returned, and with that comes hope. Namely, hope that this team in 2026 can overcome whatever has overtaken it since mid-season 2024. The answer to that question will be available soon. What exactly do we make of this offseason? Did they do enough or too little? Maybe, somehow, a little bit of both?
Our good friend Rob already did a full-on review of the offseason itself, so we won’t rehash that here. Instead, we’ll talk about just how impactful the moves themselves can be. While there could be some more moves made before Opening Day, the big impactful moves don’t usually happen once ST games begin, so we can take a much larger look at the team as a whole.
With that said, here are five factors heading into the season that will go a long way toward determining the fate of the 2026 O’s.
5. The impact of the Beavers/Basallo Combo
We start with moves that weren’t made: nothing was done to jeopardize the roster spots of either Dylan Beavers or Samuel Basallo. First, I’ll say: good! But now the performances of these two young players is paramount to this team’s success. If Beavers and/or Basallo can break out in a big way, then we are running six-plus deep with great hitters in this lineup.
At least one of Beavers or Basallo need to have great years if the team is going to reach the heights we hope to see.
4. Infield Depth Takes Center Stage
It stinks that we even have to have this conversation right now, but here we are. When camp started, Mike Elias gave us updates on Jackson Holliday (broken Hamate bone) and Jordan Westburg (oblique). We learned that Holliday would miss Spring Training and at least some of April, while Westburg was to have a delayed start and miss a couple of games at the beginning of Spring Training. That doesn’t seem that bad, right?
Well, rumors swirled as Westy remained MIA, and long story short (you know it by now), he is out indefinitely with a partially torn UCL, for which he will receive a PRP injection.
Jordan Westburg Has Partial UCL Tear, to Receive PRP Injection
A few weeks ago, we thought they had too much infield depth. We were wondering why guys like Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle were still rostered. Suddenly, all the depth they acquired or kept is now going to play a huge role. Like most other Orioles fan, I flipped out when the Blaze Alexander trade was announced. Why would they give up an intriguing arm in Kade Stroud for yet another infielder? This is why, it’s because you really can’t have enough depth at any position. Alexander is at least going to fill in nicely defensively at second until Holliday is ready sometime in April or May.
Another move not made that now looms large is not trading Mayo, who now has a shot to seize the moment. While Mayo could have been moved for something nice on the pitching side, his absence would have really loomed large over this team, especially if they had settled and traded him for something underwhelming.
Depth is important, and it is also an important lesson for us: don’t hope to see Elias trade guys just because. If the right return wasn’t available, trading Mayo for would have been killer right now with Westburg’s status in question.
3. Alonso’s Leadership
We know what Pete Alonso brings to the baseball diamond. However, it’s his leadership in the clubhouse that has me even more excited. I am absolutely loving his attitude so far. He is a straight-up hype man for this team. The dude talks after every hit the guys get in simulated games, and his presence and personality just seem like something this team has needed. Ever since the middle of that 2024 season, it has felt like there has been a severe lack of leadership on this team. While we will get into the coaching side soon, the player side needs someone to step up, and Alonso seems like the perfect guy for that.
Pete’s on-field impact is very much needed (and his two Grapefruit League HR already are a good reminder of that), but don’t sleep on his off-the-field impact as well.
2. Floor of Bassitt
If there is one main complaint Birdland has about this winter, it’s that Elias didn’t acquire a clear number one starter to pair with Kyle Bradish. While that is disappointing, I really think that Elias got screwed over by the market. The top arms were Framber Valdez, a guy didn’t who fit what the new coaching staff is trying to build culture-wise, and Ranger Suarez, for whom it seems like the Orioles made an offer extremely similar to Boston’s. For some reason, Suarez didn’t want to come here; I really don’t know why, but that’s the only answer I can come up with.
As for trades, is McKenzie Gore really that much better than Shane Baz at this point? Edward Cabrera (and most other trades fans tossed around) would have cost Beavers. When things fell apart last offseason, the backup plan was dreadful: Charlie Morton. Now, though, Chris Bassitt is the perfect backup plan. You can plan out the perfect off-season, but the moment a player doesn’t want to come to your team, it can completely screw up everything. Bassitt is the perfect pivot because you know that he can at least hold the fort down. He can give you a ton of quality innings. While an Ace would be great, that’s also what this rotation needs right now: innings. Bradish is a true number one in my eyes, but Trevor Rogers is not putting up an ERA below 2 again. Baz is the upside guy, and I love getting him out of that minor league park to get his ERA down, but he is a question mark. Zach Eflin has serious injury issues, and Dean Kremer is a back-end starter. This team needed the innings of a Chris Bassitt. He is not the pitcher we all thought we were acquiring, but when things don’t go the team’s way, you have to pivot, and this one raised the floor.
1. Impact of the New Coaching Staff
This seems odd to put at the top of the list, but I truly believe this coaching staff is the true key to making everything work with this core. The group that Craig Albernaz has put together just feels right. It includes a lot of guys who have had success in their careers, and not a lot of guys have existing ties to the O’s front office. Not to sound like a Nick Castellanos-type of guy here (not respecting coaches who didn’t play in MLB), but for the last couple of years, the staff has felt like an extension of the front office. They never felt like they had any feel for the game; instead, they just felt like guys who viewed the players as numbers on a spreadsheet. This feels different. It feels like Craig has a grip on the clubhouse. He feels like a guy who can lead, not a guy who just sits there and listens to whatever the front office has to say. Albernaz also just feels like a hype guy for the players, while also being firm enough to command respect. This staff is crucial to achieving what this team wants, and I am confident the team has the right guy, with the right coaches in place around him.
