The Orioles found out the hard way last season what life without Félix Bautista could be like.
After losing Bautista to Tommy John elbow surgery at the end of the 2023 campaign, a year in which the right-hander won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award and the Orioles’ 3.55 bullpen ERA ranked fifth in the majors, they spent the next 12 months patching together the back end of their bullpen.
Baltimore signed Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal to be its stopgap closer and he put together a solid first half before fading after the All-Star break, ultimately leading to his September release. Seeking other high-leverage options, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias acquired Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto at the trade deadline. Though the former took over for Kimbrel and recorded 10 saves, both were inconsistent down the stretch.
The bullpen as a whole struggled to repeat its success, posting a 4.22 reliever ERA that finished 23rd in MLB. Injuries to Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb tested their depth and forced manager Brandon Hyde to get creative with his matchups. He relied heavily on setup man Yennier Cano, who regressed from his 2023 All-Star form but still proved reliable against right-handed hitters, as well as left-hander Cionel Pérez and Keegan Akin.
“Last year in the second half, when we had all those injuries, it was really eye-opening what happens when your depth gets depleted,” Elias said at a Birdland Caravan volunteer event last week. “That was a pretty extreme amount of injuries. I think, right now, with the way we’re constructed, we feel good about the depth that we put together. Now, anything can happen. We’ll see what happens. But I think that [Hyde] is going to have a lot of options on both sides of the ball and that’s a good thing.”
Now, Bautista is back. The Orioles’ closer is going to “ramp” into form during spring training, and Elias expects him to be ready for opening day. Whether he returns to the closer role right away will depend on how he looks in camp. Though they let go of Coulombe and Webb, the Orioles signed setup man Andrew Kittredge in free agency and he’ll be a candidate for early-season saves should Bautista need time to ease back into high-leverage situations.
However, once he does return to form — something the Orioles will be counting on this season — it should alleviate some pressure that fell on other relievers last year. Cano, Domínguez and Kittredge will be their top setup men from the right side and Akin, Soto and Pérez will benefit from facing more left-handed hitters. If they get better injury luck, Hyde will have more options for favorable matchups than he did a year ago.
But it all starts with Bautista. Any semblance of the 2023 version of the Mountain boosting the Orioles’ roster this season will go a long way in helping the bullpen unit bounce back.
On the verge of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, The Baltimore Sun is breaking down the roster position by position, examining the biggest questions at each spot and who will help the club attempt to make it back to the postseason for the third consecutive season.
After taking a look at the infield’s potential, the outfield’s makeup and their new-look rotation, next up is the Orioles’ bullpen.
Opening day candidates
Barring any injuries during spring training, all eight spots in the Orioles’ bullpen already appear to be spoken for even with pitchers and catchers yet to report.
Bautista and Cano are former All-Stars, secure in their roster spots. The Orioles signed Kittredge, another former All-Star, to a $10 million deal to be one of their top high-leverage arms. They picked up Domínguez’s $8 million team option and agreed to a $5.35 million salary for Soto rather than nontendering him at the start of the offseason. Akin is quietly coming off a career-best season and Pérez remains dominant against left-handed hitters.
The only other spot will likely go to a long reliever. Albert Suárez, who last year was a revelation bouncing between the bullpen and rotation, stands out as the top candidate after being squeezed out of the rotation by the additions of Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. When asked about his plans for the club’s pitching staff, Elias downplayed either deploying a six-man rotation or converting any roster-fringe starters into relievers.
“I think health is going to determine a lot in camp, but if you just count up all the guys we project to be healthy right now, it’s a pretty full bullpen,” Elias said. “So, probably won’t happen, but there’s a lot of unknowns coming up.”
If any injuries arise, right-handers Bryan Baker, Colin Selby and Kade Strowd as well as left-hander Luis González are on the 40-man roster. Baker, who’s appeared in 131 games for the Orioles over the past three seasons, is out of minor league options. Right-hander Matt Bowman also returned on a minor league deal this winter and will be with the team in camp.
Biggest question
Which left-hander will become the Orioles’ primary option late in games?
While the Orioles have to feel pretty confident in their expectations for Bautista, Cano and Kittredge this season, it will likely take a few months for them to feel the same about their primary left-handed options.
Gone is Coulombe, with his team option declined after an elbow injury sidelined him for most of the season. He was Hyde’s top choice against left-handed hitters in high-leverage spots over the past two seasons and he handled them well, posting a 2.56 ERA that ranked behind only Bautista among Orioles pitchers with at least 10 appearances over that span.
Hyde’s choices for that role now come down to Akin, Soto and Pérez. Akin posted strong peripherals in 2024 that suggest he was better than his 3.32 ERA might indicate; he was one of only six pitchers in baseball with a WHIP below 1.00 and a FIP under 3.00.
Just came across this list of pitchers to post a sub-1.00 WHIP and FIP below 3.00 last season (min. 75 IP):
Tarik Skubal (Cy Young winner)
Paul Skenes (Rookie of the Year)
Tyler Glasnow (All-Star)
Cade Smith (9th in Cy Young voting)
Ryan Walker (SF’s breakout closer)
Keegan Akin— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) February 5, 2025
Soto, despite his early struggles with the Orioles, still has some of the highest fastball velocity in the sport and is only two years removed from making back-to-back All-Star Games with the Detroit Tigers. Pérez didn’t allow a single home run last year but has a concerning 1.48 WHIP over the past two seasons.
X factor
Chayce McDermott might not break camp with the team — and he’ll likely remain a starting pitcher to begin the season — but the Orioles’ top pitching prospect could make a significant impact in the bullpen this year.
He faces a tough path to the majors through the rotation, trailing both Cade Povich and Trevor Rogers on the organizational depth chart in addition to the five starters projected to break camp with the team. Where McDermott could break through, however, is in the bullpen, where his still-developing pitch mix and mid-90s fastball velocity might play up a bit.
McDermott’s command has been shaky at times, but the right-hander has put up impressive strikeout numbers at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s developed both a slider and curveball as legitimate swing-and-miss pitches and publicly expressed his willingness to take on any role the Orioles need filled to get to the majors.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich.