A first look at the Baltimore Orioles offseason 40-man roster decisions
The Orioles should be making a lot of additions to their roster this coming off season. And because of that, it’s going to be a lot of turnover and a lot of tough decisions on that 40man roster. We’ll kind of preview those tough decisions coming up on this episode of the Locked On Orioles podcast. You are Locked On Orioles, your daily Baltimore Orioles podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hey there, Orioles fans. Today is Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, and welcome back in to the Locked on Orioles podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. As always, I’m your host, Connor Nukem, and coming up on today’s episode, we’re going to take kind of an early look at some of the Orioles off season plans. Not necessarily what kind of players they’ll try to trade for or sign to bolster this big league roster heading into 2026, but more so the minutia of this roster because they currently have a full 40man roster, but they’re going to need to open some space obviously to add some players. So, which of these guys who are kind of auditioning here in September for the Orioles will stick and which ones won’t? and who is really in danger of being on the bubble as we get to November, December, and beyond. We’ll get to all that coming up on this episode of the Locked On Orioles podcast, which is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. So, as you can already tell, this episode is not going to be recapping the Tuesday night game between the Orioles and the Padres’s in San Diego. If you’ve been listening along, watching, following along with this show for a while, you kind of know what generally happens when the Orioles are on the West Coast during the week. Uh, I do work a 9 to-ive job. It becomes almost impossible to stay up for a game that starts really any later than like 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, watch the whole game, record a podcast, do my notes, edit it, and get it published and uploaded by the next morning. So generally when there is a weekday West Coast game, I still give you another episode talking about something and then follow up on that game. So this episode will not include anything about Tuesday night’s game. When I am back tomorrow on Thursday because the Orioles of course had the, you know, nightish game on Monday. That was normal time. They get the day game here on Wednesday. I’ll have a recap of games two and three of the Orioles Padres’s series. And of course the biggest story line there is recapping the season debut for Tyler Wells. Hopefully it went well if you’re listening to this now, but I’ll have a full recap of it on tomorrow’s episode. But still want to get you some content here on a Wednesday. And it’s something I’ve been kind of alluding to, talking about some over the past couple of weeks. Really, I would say since the trade deadline, and the Orioles got this influx of minor league talent, they’ve been bringing in all these different relievers to fill this bullpen and auditioning these guys. You know, it’s it’s kind of a roster of half auditions and half solidified players right now. It’s going to make for a lot of interesting decisions for Mike Elias in this front office. who stays and who goes, you know, who’s good enough to be a part of the next good Orioles team and who has just kind of been filler for this team this year and will be gone in the offseason. I think the best way to break it down is to look at the 40man roster. So, if you’re unfamiliar, of course, there are 26 players on the active roster of a Major League Baseball team. It’s actually up to 28 now because you get two expanded roster spots for the month of September, but for the most of the year is 26. But beyond that 26-man roster, there is a larger 40man roster. Some of those guys may be injured or they’re in the minor leagues, usually in AAA, but if you’re on the 40man roster, you’re making a bigger salary. And those are the guys that you can easily just call up and down from the minor leagues. Those are the guys who are quote unquote on major league type contracts generally. On the 40man, you can mix and match to get your way to that 26 active players. And while the 26-man roster is very important because that’s who’s on the field every day, the 40man roster is arguably more important because that’s who’s kind of sticking in your organization and the depth and the players who are getting you through the entirety of a 162 game season. So the question is among these Orioles we’re seeing now, who is going to stick for next year and beyond? So I wanted to start with the guys who are locks, right? guys who won’t really come up for the rest of this conversation because unless something crazy happens, you know, they’re involved in some blockbuster trade this off season, they are going to be on the 2026 Orioles and a part of this 40man roster. I would say there are nine hitters who fall into that category. Samuel Basio and Adley Rutman are going to be the two catchers of this team. Obviously, you’re going to see Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holiday, and Jordan Westber in the infield every day. I know Kobe Mayo’s had his struggles and it’s a potential the Orioles could trade him this off seasonason, but if they don’t, he’s going to be there with this team. And then in the outfield, you got Dylan Beavers with a great start to his career. We know Colton Cowser is going to be here. And as much as many people may not want this to be the case, Tyler O’Neal is going to opt into his contract is going to be around for two more years. So, you put him on that list as well. To go along with the nine hitters, there are eight pitchers who I think fall into this category. The Orioles, I would think, expect that Kyle Bradshish, Dean Kramer, and Trevor Rogers will all be part of their rotation next year. And then guys like Kovichic and Tyler Wells will provide them depth, maybe move into the bullpen. Then there’s Keegan Akin and Yenir Cano who will be parts of this bullpen will kind of be the veteran guys returning to this pen next season. And then there is Chase McDermott who again, he’s been in the big leagues for three games. He’s currently in AAA, but it’s on the 40man roster. another guy who could be involved in a trade to go get pitching this off seasonason, but is not a guy on the 40man where it’s like, oh yeah, the Orioles would, you know, cut bait with him and DFA him to sign a middle reliever. Like they believe Chase McDermott, even though it’s been a bad year, he’s kind of been moved to the bullpen. He has been their number one pitching prospect for a while for a reason. They believe he can be a good bullpen arm next year. He is going to be around. So that’s 17 players, nine hitters, and eight pitchers. Then there are three more players who are currently on the 60-day injured list. Those are guys who are out for the remainder of the season. And when you get moved to the 60-day injured list, you actually don’t count against the 40man roster. It kind of gives you a free spot. The only thing is as soon as the season ends, which of course it will end in late September with this Orioles team not going to the postseason. You have to take those players who are on the 40man roster and or who are on the 60-day injured list, I should say, and you have to put them back on the 40man roster. Now, if you have open space, it’s an easy move. If you don’t, you have to cut some other guys to get those longtime injured guys back on a roster spot. And the three of those guys who will clearly be added back to the roster will be Felix Bautista. Although he will miss most of next season, maybe all of it with shoulder surgery, he’s still under contract through 2027. and the O’s are going to have him back. Grayson Rodriguez, it was a lost year. He missed all of this year, but the elbow surgery, he got the deb breedment, is not going to take him out for any of next year, at least at this point. So, they hope to have him back next year. And then Brandon Young, who was out for the remainder of this year with a hamstring injury. Orioles hope he will be good depth for their pitching staff in 2026. So, that is 20 players right there. So, 20 of your 40man roster spots basically locked up going into next season. that still gives you a good amount of leeway to make some moves. Now, the part is obviously it’s not that you have 20 open spots. You have a lot of other guys who are competing for those spots who might be there. Now, there are three players currently on the Orioles roster who are going to hit free agency and the Orioles don’t have to do anything and they’re going to come off the roster and open up spots. It’s going to be Zack Efflin, Tommyuki Sugano, and Gary Sanchez are all going to hit free agency in open spots as well. So, the question is, who are the guys on the bubble? And to me, there are who’s on the roster right now? Again, 20 guys who are going to be there. Let’s say for the sake of argument, the Orioles add five players this off seasonason. And this number could be off. Maybe they trade one of their current major leaguers to get another major leager. But let’s assume they add two starting pitchers, two relief pitchers, and some sort of position player on major league deals. That’s it could be more, it could be less depending on the talent of those players they bring in. That seems like an average assessment of what they’ll do, right? Two relievers, two starters, and a position player. That’s five more spots taken up on the 40man roster. So, it goes from 20 to 25 at that point. So, that leaves us with 15 open spots. still a lot of space to maneuver with 15 spots. So, with those 15 openings, let’s at least just run through the players who will be kind of competing for those roles. Let’s begin on the pitching side with 14 arms who are currently on the 40man roster or on the 60-day injured list who will be in competition for one of those spots. Most of them are relievers. Most of them have been given some kind of chance by the Orioles this year, but none of them are certain to be on the team next year. Scott Puet, Shawn Dubin, Dietrich Ends, Jose Espatada, Rico Garcia, Yarm Heraldo, Corbin Martin, Carson Ragsdale, Elvian Rodriguez, Colin Selby, Cade Strad, Albert Suarez, Josh Walker, and Grant Wolf. Those are all those guys on the 40man at the moment who at least have a shot to still be here next year. On the hitting side, there are 11 of those similar players, right? They’ve been given some sort of chance by the Orioles this season. They’re currently on the 40man roster and they’re trying to make themselves stick for next year. Maverick Hanley, Alex Jackson, Ryan Mount Castle, Jorge Mateo, Ryan Nota, Emanuel Rivera, Luis Vasquez, Jeremiah Jackson, Dylan Carlson, Daniel Johnson, and Hed Kirstad are those 11. So that is 25 players kind of sort of competing for 15 spots. However, you have the other wrinkle in here on the 40man roster, and that is guys who are still prospects, who are still in the minor leagues, who are not yet on the 40man, but need to be added this off season because players generally three years after they are drafted out of college or four years after they are drafted out of high school become eligible to be selected in the rule five draft. The rule five draft is where the Orioles found Tyler Wells a couple of years ago. It’s a draft that basically doesn’t allow teams to just hoard their young players in the minor leagues without calling them up. If you get to a certain point in the minors and you still haven’t been called up, you are available to the other teams if you aren’t added to the 40man roster to be protected. And I think the Orioles have probably five prospects right now who are rule five eligible this off season who they’re going to want to definitely add to the 40man roster to protect them from the rule five draft. In terms of hitters, I would say it’s probably just Jud Fabian, right? The outfielder in Triple A, who’s yet to debut yet, but you know, we’ll see what his future looks like, but I think they’ll keep him around. And then it’s four pitchers. One is Cameron Weston, who’s been in the Norfolk rotation all year. It’s been very up and down, but the Orioles see a big future for him. I think they’ll certainly want to keep him. And then there are three other relief pitchers, Anthony Nunees and Raone Gomez, two guys they acquired at the trade deadline. And Cameron Foster, they also got at the deadline. when you trade for these guys, you’re probably going to protect them because you don’t want to lose them after having them for basically three months. So those are five players that I think will be added. So now you have five more. So again, you go from spots you’ve used on the roster, it was at one point 20, now you are up to 25 with those players you’re signing. Now you’re up to 30 with the rule five guys. And that doesn’t even include some guys who are like big-time may about being protected. Carter Baller, Keegan Gillies, Creed Williams are guys who could be protected as well. So essentially that leaves our 25 players currently on the 40man for 10 open spots for next year. So coming up next, we’ll start with the hitters. All those hitters on the bubble. What are the Orioles going to do with them this off season? But first, this episode of the Locked Orioles podcast is brought to you by Upside. 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And this episode of the Lockdown Orioles podcast is also brought to you by Game Time. There’s nothing like catching a baseball game live. The energy, the crowd, the chance to see your team in person, but actually getting tickets, that’s the tough part. Cues, login screens, surprise fees, it takes all the fun out of it. So that’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives you the advantage back to fans. Game time is fast, easy, and backed by the game time guarantee. You’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all the fees are included. So, the price you see is the price you pay. That’s probably the best part when I’m shopping for Orioles tickets at Game Time. Fees are included. So, I’m checking out, I’m looking at tickets, I know my total upfront. No surprise fees when I get to checkout. So, download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code Loc MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download Game Time today. So, for the Orioles, as I mentioned, a lot of big decisions to make this off season. Just to recap kind of the math we’ve done so far. There are give or take 30 of the Orioles available 40 40man roster spots kind of accounted for for next year at least late in the offseason, right? Some of these guys like Felix Bautista, you know, they’re going to start next year on the 60-day injury list. So, that’ll eventually open a spot, but you don’t put him on there until late in spring training. He’s someone who you got to kind of carry at that point. So, 30 spots, right? We got those 20 guys who are locked in on this roster. We got the five we’re assuming guys they bring in via free agency or trade and the five guys I talked about adding to the 40man roster as prospects to protect them from the rule five draft. So for the Orioles that leaves 25 players currently on the 40man vying for 10 spots theoretically heading into next year. Let’s start with the 11 hitters and where I see them going. Starting with Maverick Handley who is back on the roster right now. I think Maverick Hanley probably is DF8 at some point this off season. He just they have more catching depth, right? They’ll have Adley, they’ll have Basio, they’ll have a guy we’ll talk about in a bit. I think they’re confident Handley would clear waiverss and would stay with the organization, but at this point, you don’t need four catchers on the 40man roster. And so, I think he would be one of the first guys to go. However, for Alex Jackson, I think he’s going to stay on that 40man for the entirety of the offseason. Now, once we get to spring training next year, it’s going to be really interesting to see what the Orioles want to do from a catching perspective. But as I’ve talked about, especially as we’ve seen Samuel Basio get the extension, we’ll get Adley Rutman back next year. And the fact that Alex Jackson has looked as good as he has both offensively and defensively since the Orioles went and got him a couple of months ago. I think it would be nice to carry three catchers on this roster next year because then, you know, you can have Adley and Bisio, whether it’s catcher DH or catcher first base in the lineup at the same time and not have to worry as much about, you know, one getting hurt, having to burn the DH. you would still have another catcher in Alex Jackson on the bench for those moments. And having that third catcher allows you to rotate Adley and Bisio out from behind the plate even more often, keep them healthy because it’s been an issue the health for both of those guys over the past couple of years. So Jackson is a keep for me. Ryan Mount Castle, this is going to be an entire episode in the offseason talking about what to do with Ryan Mount Castle. Obviously coming off a great weekend in San Francisco, so that was nice to see. He’s got one more year left in 2026. I really still think they’ll find a way to trade him. It’s It’s possible they could non-tender him, but more likely they would find a way to trade him. That’s why I think he doesn’t have a spot. Jorge Matteo probably going to be back later this week from the hamstring injury. He’s got a $3.5 million team option on his contract for 2026. The Orioles could choose to bring him back or just say no and let him hit free agency. I think it’s got to be time to just pull the plug on Jorge Matteo. There’s been some great moments. There’s been a lot of bad moments. It’s there’s better, cheaper options to do what he does. I I think it’s time to just decline that option, not have him be a part of this team. Ryan Nota, who came over on waiverss we saw for a little bit, is currently back down in TripleA. He’s got some skills. I just I just think there’s not going to be a lot of room for him and the positions he plays on this roster kind of first base and right field. So, I see him getting DFAD. And then there is Emanuel Rivera, who, you know, hit cleanup in the starting lineup for the Orioles on Monday night in San Diego. He’s also probably going to get DFAD later this week when hopefully Jordan Westber comes back from his ankle injury. So, a week from now, Rivera might not even be on the 40man roster anyway, but I definitely don’t think he’s surviving through the off season. Luis Vasquez, I think he stays. No guarantee he’s got an opening day roster spot for next year, but what he does give you is versatility. Can swing the bat a little bit. He can play all the infield positions. He can play a little bit outfield. He’s a really good position player, pitcher, and he has minor league options. even if he doesn’t make the team next year, he’s that perfect kind of optionable depth infielder to have in TripleA and kind of the first guy you can call on when you have an injury, I think they like him enough to keep him around. And same with Jeremiah Jackson, although I think Jeremiah has a much better spot of actually making the opening day roster next year than Luis Vasquez. He has continued to hit, you know, was on recording this here Monday night. He’s on a 12game hitting streak at this moment. He’s been great since the Orioles called him up. I think he stays and has a good shot to make the team kind of be the Ramona Reus of next year’s squad as I’ve talked about. Definitely a keeper in Jeremiah Jackson. Dylan Carlson is a tough one. You know, the Orioles signed him to a very cheap one-year deal this off seasonason. He’s played a lot this year, mostly because of all the injuries in the outfield and the trade the or the Orioles made at the deadline. Carlson hasn’t really been that good. Now, because of his contract status and when he was non-tendered by the Rays last year, the Orioles actually don’t have to extend him. he is back into the arbitration process. So he actually has one more year of arbitration where the Orioles if they want to still have team control of Carlson through 2026. So they have an extra year of him if they want you know would they want to he’d probably only cost you know I don’t know$2 to3 million next year. That’s pretty cheap for a guy who’s fairly versatile in the outfield to switch hitter. It’s just I don’t love the bat. I think there’s you know you could go out and get a guy for maybe five or six million. you pay a little bit more money but get a lot more production from that fourth outfielder spot. Kind of a Harrison Bader type and because of that I I think Carlson’s probably a non-tender candidate and doesn’t stick around. Then you have Daniel Johnson who I really like but he’s probably I mean I think it make a good argument if you said Daniel Johnson is below Dylan Carlson in the pecking order for kind of a fourth or fifth outfielder spot on next year’s team. So if Carlson’s going to go, Daniel Johnson probably will as well. although I like him. That’s um he’ll probably find himself on waiverss at some point this off season. And then you have the curious case of H Kirststad who’s been in Triple A for a while. He’s been on the AAA injured list for over a month. All the Orioles have said that it’s fatigue and that he’s dealing with something and they’re not quite ready to say what it is. I I really hope that just healthwise H is okay, but barring some crazy or unforeseen circumstances, I mean, the O’s are going to keep him on the 40man roster. Keep believing in him, hoping he can be an impact bat for this team again at some point. It’s a weird situation, but he’s probably going to at least keep his 40man roster spot with this team. So, out of the 11, I’m keeping four. Alex Jackson, Jeremiah Jackson, Luis Vasquez, and H Kirstad. That leaves six spots for the 14 pitchers who currently sit on the bubble. I’ll make my selections for those six coming up next. But first, this episode of the Lockdown Orioles podcast is also brought to you by Monarch Money. For me, like this is where you go for financial help. Most people can’t name all their financial accounts or even what they’re worth, whether it’s 401ks, properties, or investments. And and when you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving money on the table. That’s why there is Monarch Money. It’s an all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean, easy to use interface on your laptop or your phone. 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We’ve put together a survey to learn more about our listeners and make your favorite podcasts even better. This is your chance to tell us what you like, what you don’t, and answer questions about our advertising. Go to lockdonpodcast.com/servey to get started. Everyone who completes a survey will be entered for a chance to win one of 10 $100 Amazon gift cards. Again, that’s lockedpodcast.com/servey. You can also find the link in the show notes. Thank you so much for helping us out here at Lockdown Orioles and the Locked on Podcast Network. So, we’re running through the Orioles 40man roster and the crunch they’re going to hit. Kind of an early preview of what that’s going to look like. And and I’m doing it now because we’re just seeing so many of these names, especially relievers, kind of roll through this Orioles active roster and 40man roster really over the past month since the trade deadline. And it’s kind of hard to figure out like, okay, first of all, we’re trying to evaluate them talent-wise who would stick around. But then even if you’ve evaluated, hey, there’s eight of these guys who I think are good. How many of them can actually have a spot on this roster when you’re still going to be signing other more veteran guys to come in? It’s it’s a puzzle the Orioles will have this offseason. And it doesn’t mean they won’t have open space on the 40man, right? If they are going to sign or trade for a legitimate big league player, most likely a pitcher, they’re not going to let a player like Rico Garcia get in the way of that, right? Just to use an example. However, if there’s space for Rico Garcia, he’s a guy they might keep. So, let’s get to those pitchers. I’ve I’ve gotten it down to, okay, there are 20 set guys in the 40man who are going to stick. I’m assuming five guys get brought in in the offseason, be a free agency or trade, two starters, two relievers, and a position player. I’m assuming five players get protected on the 40man roster as prospects to uh get protected from the rule five draft. I got four position players on the bubble to stay. Alex Jackson, Jeremiah Jackson, Luis Vasquez, and Hston Kirststad. That’s 34 players. That leaves six spots on the 40man for 14 pitchers I have on the bubble. So, let’s go one by one. Scott Luette claimed by the Orioles twice on waiverss this season. They like his stuff, but he’s been hurt. He just got moved to the 60-day injured list. They’ve already dfed him once. I don’t see him surviving the offseason with the Orioles. Shawn Dubin, this is kind of a question mark, right? Two outings, three scoreless innings with the O since they claimed him off waiverss from the Astros last week. The Orioles clearly likes something in him, but he just hasn’t been here that long. So, I tend to say, especially with the limited amount of spots left, he’s probably on the wrong side of that bubble. How about Dietrich Ends? He was awesome again on Monday night in San Diego. I know he’s out of options. I know he’s a 34y old journeyman lefty coming back after multiple years pitching in Asia, but man does he look good. I’m earmarking a spot for Dedric Ends. He stays on this roster. Jose Espatada, who added to the 40man a couple of weeks ago to stop him from opting out. He’s still pitching as as kind of acting as the closer right now in TripleA Norfol. The stuff looks good, but we haven’t seen him in the big leagues yet, so I lean towards no, although he could come up next week and surprise us for the rest of the year. Rico Garcia, a name I am literally watch watching pitch right now because full disclosure, I’m recording this uh near the end of Monday night’s game. And Rico Garcia is pitching in the bottom of the eighth with the Orioles leading four to three. His stuff just looks nasty. His second time around with the Orioles, he’s a completely different pitcher than he was when he was in Baltimore three years ago. Again, a guy that’s out of options and a little bit older, so tough to keep him, but I would do all I can to keep him around this off season. Same with Yarm Heraldo. He did just get optioned back down to AAA Norfol. He had his struggles with home runs, but that stuff is electric. What a find on a minor league contract by the Orioles this off season. I think Haraldo can stick. Here’s my toughest no. Corbin Martin. Tough move. Wildly inconsistent. Has had some awesome moments with multiple big saves. Has had multiple just absolutely horrendous, some of the worst relief outings you’ll ever see. It’s it’s a roller coaster with Martin. He’s has an injury history. He’s out of options. It’ll be a tough move. I think they do get to the point where they DFA Corbin Martin. Carson Ragsdale, Orioles claimed him from the Giants a couple of weeks ago. They kind of built him back up as a starter in AAA. Again, we just haven’t seen him much, so I can’t say that we’re going to keep him. Elvian Rodriguez, another one, came over on waiverss from the Brewers. He only pitched for the Orioles once before getting optioned back down to AAA again. Just we haven’t seen much. His numbers aren’t great in TripleA. I don’t think he survives the off season. Colin Selby, you can’t get me to quit Colin Selby. He’s on the injured list with an ankle injury right now, so not an arm thing. The stuff is just so so good. I think the Orioles just believe in his stuff too much to let him go this easily. I think he’ll stick. I think Cage Strad sticks, right? They added him to the 40man last off seasonason to protect him from the rule five draft. Had a really good two inning outing the other day. He’s got options. He gives you really, even if he doesn’t make the team, he gives you great reliever depth in Triple A to begin next year. I think the O’s will prioritize Cade Strad. Josh Walker again came in on waiverss last week. He’s in TripleA. Haven’t seen him yet. Don’t think he survives. Grant Wolf Ram has been sneaky awesome lately. I am like the number one president of the Grant Wolf fan club. It’s awesome stuff from the left side. I think he sticks. And honestly, my prediction is still that Wolf Ram is in the opening day bullpen in 2026. So, he takes a spot as well. And guess what? That is six spots. Dietrich ends, Rico Garcia, Yarm Heraldo, Colin Selby, Kate Strad, and Grant Wolf. And the final guy on the list is Albert Suarez. And as of recording right now, I haven’t seen him pitch this week since being activated back to the roster on Monday. Maybe that has been the case already. I just, you know, he’s going to be 36 in October. The stuff is way down. Just had a major shoulder injury that cost him most of this season. It was an amazing, incredible, like where would the Orioles pitching staff have been without Albert Suarez in 2024? You can’t hold on to that if it’s not the same guy. I I don’t think it is at this point. And I think it’ll be tough and I think the Orioles will hold him as long as they can. But I think Suarez is one of the the biggest names who falls victim to that 40man roster crunch this off seasonason. So those are the guys, right? And that’s exactly 40. It doesn’t take into account though any waiver moves the Orioles make or more signings or other trades or anything that happens between now and next spring training. A lot of moves to make hopefully for the Orioles. Hopefully some big moves as well between now and then. But, you know, there’s guys to cut down. Yes, these were some tough decisions, but also, as I mentioned, with Rico Garcia or with Colin Selby, right, if the Orioles keep them and then they find a way to go and get a really good setup man, you know, they sign Luke Weaver, I’m not going to bat an eye if the Orioles DFA Colin Selby to get Luke Weaver on this team for next year. Like, that’s ju just know that that’s kind of how I’m approaching this. This is what I’m looking at with the guys we have right now and building in five spots for free agents. But if there’s other better free agents they want to bring in, too. We wish you luck in the future. Luis Vasquez, right? Like that that is okay if they’re going to make this team better and back to playoff level in 2026. That’ll do it though for today’s episode. Make sure you are following the show wherever you listen. Subscribe. Five star rating and a review really helps us out. Apple, Spotify, wherever it may be. We’re also here on the Locked on Orioles YouTube channel. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe and put your comment right here in this video. Who Who did I get wrong? Right. Whether there’s some guys like Albert Suarez or Corbin Martin who you don’t think the Orioles should get rid of or guys who I kept like Yarm Heraldo or Colin Selby or saying Connor, no way they’re going to keep those guys through the offseason. Let me know what you think of this kind of 40man roster crunch preview. Again, I’m recording this here on Monday night because of the late game Tuesday and just my schedule on Tuesday evening. So, no Tyler Wells season debut recap. That’s coming up on tomorrow’s episode. I will recap games two and three of the Orioles Padres’s series. And of course, we will um spend the most time on how Tyler Wells looks finally coming back from elbow surgery in his 2025 debut that he made on Tuesday night. That is on tomorrow’s episode. Until then, I’m Connor Nukem and this has been the Lockdown Orioles podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.
The Baltimore Orioles will need to add a lot of talent this winter, but that also means a lot of tough decisions regarding the 40-man roster. Host Connor Newcomb breaks down which players are safe and which guys could be on the bubble once we get to November.
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23 comments
A twin win
Thanks as always Connor!
Who Gonna Win
Trade a few rule 5s and a few prospects for a good, controlled, starting pitcher.
Great analysis as per usual.
I just don't see how this team competes in 2026 with Mayo as the primary first baseman. It's got to be Mountcastle, with Basallo backing him up (as well as backing up Rutschman and hitting DH).
I honestly would extend Mountcastle (3-ish years) and trade Mayo. I've yet to see anything from him at the MLB level to suggest that he would contribute more than Mounty on and off the field.
Trade Mayo for a pitcher while he still has value.
Albert Suarez looked mighty good for 2 innings last night. He sat at 95-96 with his fast ball. I think he does get a roster spot but no guarantee that he’s on the 40 man next March.
I think that Big Kountry Heston missed his opportunity to cement his spot on this Team. I think Elias moves in another direction this upcoming off-season.
You're the man, Connor!
Hey Connor, that locked on survey link doesnt work for me. Couldn't find it on the locked on website either.
I say keep Suarez
I really enjoy these, thanks for making them. Basallo, beavers, and JJ have been bright spots for me this past month. Excited to see them alongside some key additions
NO NO NO. Mayo has proven he can't hit major league pitching. He went 0 for 3 AGAIN last night. Batting under .190. Listen, trade him and extend Montcastle.
Mountcastle is not worth the 10M or so he would get in arbitration and Mayo still can't hit. Look outside the org for actual hitting from 1B/DH, Mayo may be trade bait for pitching which is fine.
Basallo and Adley are C/DH (and some 1B Basallo?).
Stuck with General Soreness for 2 yr. What an awful deal.
Beavers, Cowser, maybe Carlson are remaining OF (and for the inevitable injuries)…Cowser needs a turnaround. Bradfield sometime next yr.
Of course Holliday, Gunnar, Westburg…first two need a step up 3rd needs to stay off the DL.
Still need 2 #1 or #2 type starters if not 3. Moving Povich and Wells to pen helps there.
Don't go cheap with "veteran innings eater" or "building rotation from the bottom up". That's what put them out of the race before Memorial Day.
I was not actively watching/following the team for many years before this season. Without bias from the '23 & '24 seasons is I am not impressed with kerstad or mayo at all. So hype for basallo, beavers, and JJ
Survey link doesn’t work.
Survey just gives a 404 error
Kinda sad bout Mounty, He is raking lately. Getting his avg up to .266, going 2 for 5 last night.
I am curious when we might see Enrique Bradfield Jr. He was a speedy, good outfielder defense wise, and contact hitter. That last part is something i feel this team sorely needs more of.
Kjersted hasnt been the same since getting beamed in the head w/ concussion. Wonder if there are lingering effects from this.
Who else is tired of seeing Mounty swing at the slider with 2 strikes?
I feel like we've been down that road enough.
I'm taking Suarez over Hiraldo next year per the 40 man. Hiraldo's last 7 games: 7.2 innings pitched, 7.04 ERA, 8 hits, 6 walks. He reminds me of Soto – strong arm but too wild and inconsistent. Suarez can also be a starter or reliever as he is more versatile. I hope Judd Fabian makes the 40 man but I think there is a slight chance he does not. I would also consider Rivera over Vazquez as Vazquez doesn't seem to be able to hit consistently, presuming someone else can play shortstop for Gunnar when he needs a break. Finally for the love of God, please no Mateo!!!!
I expect Mounty to be traded, bcause he is not an Elias guy and Elias has a delicate ego. I guess we will have to suffer through Mayonnais who can't field and can't hit. He is only good on a ham sandwich. He stinks and he will never be ANY good.
Will we have Adley in 2026!?? There’s so much talk out there that he’s asked to be traded. Someone even commented that Melanie Newman of MASN confirmed it. Speaking of catchers, Samuel Basallo doesn’t seem to have a good communication/rapport with pitchers. He’s no Adley.
Went to fill out survey, and it says page not found
Great job . Connor. I assume you will prove mostly correct, but I think Montcastle has shown he is the best first baseman. Mayo will be on the 40-man but I think he needs to prove he is MLB ready, rather than Triple A. Beavers, and Jeremiah Jackson have shown they are the best outfielders, and O'Neill with his big contract, makes three. Cowser, needs to re-prove he is MLB ready, and not a Triple A player. Riveria has shown he is the best candidate to replace Urias and has earned his place on the 40-man at least. I still think Adley is one of the team's best players and should split time with Basallo at catcher, DH and even first. Beavers and particularly.Basallo look very good. Basallo's potential is one of the highest I have ever seen.