Ryan Mountcastle entered 2025 as half of Baltimore’s Ryan Platoon at first base. Mouncastle held the higher pedigree as a former first-round pick that exceeded 30 home runs in his first full season, but Ryan O’Hearn carried more momentum after resurrecting his career in Baltimore.

O’Hearn nearly made the All Star team in 2024, but he leveled up last season. O’Hearn shined while the majority of the team struggled, and he became the O’s lone All Star in 2025. The 32-year-old eventually played his way out of Baltimore and joined the Padres when the team sold at the trade deadline.

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Many expected Mountcastle to take advantage of friendlier conditions in left field, but the 28-year-old failed to meet expectations. He slashed a mediocre .246/.280/.348 over 52 games before suffering a hamstring injury at the end of May. The Orioles eventually transferred Mountcastle to the 60-day IL, and the Birds were well out of contention by the time he returned on August 8.

Mountcastle provided a spark when he returned to the lineup. The righty slashed .305/.348/.463 over 21 games in August, but he failed to sustain that momentum in the final month of the season. Playing in another timeshare, everyone’s favorite All Time Low fan slashed a mediocre. .190/.221/.302 over his final 16 appearances.

O’Hearn’s departure could have led to more playing time for a healthy Mountcastle, but the Birds wisely elected to provide former top prospect Coby Mayo an extended look at first base. Similar to a young Mountcastle, Mayo has struggled to find his footing on the defensive side of the ball. First base appears to be Mayo’s only option when playing the field, so the Birds gave the 23-year-0ld some extended run at the position.

Mountcastle has plenty of experience playing in a platoon, but the Orioles possess more than one option at first moving forward. Top prospect Samuel Basallo holds an even more promising power bat than Mayo. While Basallo primarily played catcher in the minors, Baltimore appears comfortable playing the 21-year-old phenom at first when Adley Rutschman is behind the plate.

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The Orioles still have the DH slot to keep their heavy hitters in the lineup, and Mountcastle has developed into the best defensive option at first base. Unfortunately for Mountcastle, first base has never been considered a defense-first position. Baltimore experienced a significant power drop last season, and Mountcastle tallied only seven homers over 332 at bats.

Mountcastle clearly sees the longjam, and he got candid at the end of the season:

“You never know what’s going to happen. Would love to come back. If it’s my last game, I had a lot of fun here. If not, I’m super excited. I love all these guys, they’re my family.”

Mountcastle is entering his final year of arbitration with the Orioles. He made nearly $6.8 million last season, and he’ll be due a raise in 2026. Money alone should not be considered a blocker in the David Rubenstein era, but a raise paired with the roster crunch makes things more complicated.

The Orioles could look to trade Mountcastle in a strength-for-strength deal that brings a pitcher back to Baltimore, but they shouldn’t feel pressed to sell low. Baltimore could easily bring all of their options to Sarasota and see how things shake out. Mayo slashed an impressive .301/.393/.548 with five homers in September, but he struggled to make contact for a majority of the season. Rutschman battled injuries and regressed into a hitter that is no longer guaranteed the DH spot when he’s not behind the dish.

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Mountcastle will likely never develop into the player many hoped he could be after a strong start to his career, but he posted five consecutive years of an above-average OPS+ before struggling last season. The guy is definitely a major-league caliber first baseman, and the Orioles know his strengths and weaknesses better than anyone by now.

The Florida native will be the topic of trade speculation until he’s dealt or reports to spring training. One of the longest tenured Orioles, Mountcastle should see a spike at the plate after a below-average year. Whether that’s enough to keep him in Baltimore remains to be seen.

Monday: Alex Jackson