While the 2025 season was an unfortunate one for the Orioles, there were still some happy and unexpected times. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Trevor Rogers makes the trade look better
After the Orioles traded Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to the Miami Marlins for left-hander Trevor Rogers on July 30th, 2024, the hope was that Rogers could help stabilize a rotation that had lost starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells to season-ending elbow surgeries the previous month.
Instead, Rogers had four awful starts and a 7.11 ERA before he was sent to Triple-A Norfolk.
Rogers began the 2025 season on the injured list with a knee injury and didn’t join the rotation until June 18th when the Orioles managed to fritter away an early 8-0 lead and give up 12 unanswered runs to Tampa Bay.
On May 24th, Rogers was added as the 27th man in the second game of a doubleheader in Boston and pitched brilliantly, allowing two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Even though the Orioles returned him to Norfolk after that game and didn’t immediately add him to the starting staff, they saw promise.
From July 6th-August 30th, Rogers pitched six or more innings and allowed two or fewer runs. Those 10 starts were the most in club history.
By the time, he allowed six runs in three innings on September 26th at Yankee Stadium, Rogers had been named Most Valuable Oriole.
He was 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA and had a 5.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Rogers gave up just 5.7 hits per nine innings.
While Stowers was the Marlins’ All-Star representative and had five hits, three homers and six RBIs in the final game before the break, Rogers made the trade look much better.
Basallo gets extension
After becoming the first home-grown Dominican Orioles player since 2011, and the first Latin player signed by president of baseball operations Mike Elias to play for the team, Samuel Basallo got paid—and quickly.
Just five days after his first major league game, Basallo signed an eight-year, $67 million contract with an option for 2034.
The catcher/first baseman was just four days past his 21st birthday when he started his career, and though he hit only .165 in 31 games, Basallo is still eligible for the 2026 Rookie of the Year award because he accumulated 43 service days and 109 at-bats.
Players with 45 or more service days or 130 at-bats are ineligible.
Basallo’s maturity stood out, and he threw out five of the 13 players attempting to steal (38.5 percent).
He’s expected to start 2026 with the Orioles and get playing time at catcher and designated hitter. Pete Alonso, who signed with the Orioles earlier this month, should play first base nearly every day.
A fun weekend in September
The Los Angeles Dodgers came to Baltimore on September 5th, expecting to end a three-game losing streak.
Basallo and the Orioles surprised them with a stirring 2-1 win. His walk-off home run off Tanner Scott in the bottom of the ninth was the first of his career at home. He was the first Oriole in more than 10 years (Henry Urrutia, August 18th, 2015) to hit a walk-off homer for his first home run at Camden Yards.
A night later, the Orioles celebrated the 30th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.’s consecutive games streak with an improbable comeback.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto no-hit the Orioles for 8 2/3 innings with a 3-0 lead. Jackson Holliday homered to break up the no-hitter, and six batters later, Emmanuel Rivera hit a two-run single for a wild 4-3 win.
On Sunday, Clayton Kershaw pitched against the Orioles for the only time in his career. He recorded his 222nd win, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Unexpected contributors
After Elias dismantled the team at the trade deadline, with eight players sent away, there was an opportunity for some new players to audition.
Jeremiah Jackson, who spent four seasons at Double-A for three organizations, finally got a chance to play in the majors. Jackson hit .254 at Chesapeake in 45 games, and after hitting .377 in 40 games at Norfolk, he got the call to join the Orioles.
Playing third base and right field, Jackson hit .276 with a .775 OPS in 48 games, and he’ll have an opportunity to start 2026 with the Orioles. Even if he doesn’t, he has three options, and should see more playing time in 2026.
Dietrich Enns was acquired at the trade deadline, and the 34-year-old left-hander was 2-2 with two saves and a 3.17 ERA in his most extensive major league time.
Enns, who spent the previous three seasons in Japan and Korea, signed a $2.5 million contract for 2026 with a $3.5 million option for 2027.
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.