The signing of reliever Ryan Helsley to a two-year contract with an opt-out clause increases the Orioles’ 40-man roster to 39 players. Twenty-two are pitchers, with three catchers, seven infielders and seven outfielders.

There’s room for the Orioles to make a selection in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10 that wraps up the Winter Meetings in Orlando, but they could choose to pass again.

The Orioles haven’t picked a player in the major league phase since 2022. Anyone remember his name?

Answer below.

Tyler Wells was the last Rule 5 selection to make the club after the Orioles plucked him from the Twins organization in 2020. The 2021 Winter Meetings and draft were cancelled due to the lockout.

Relievers are easier to stash, but contenders find it much harder because development isn’t supposed to continue at the major league level. The Orioles remain in the market for bullpen help but also could take a flyer on a utility-type infielder. Or, again, they could sit this one out and focus on the Triple-A phase for minor league depth.

More room must be created on the 40-man because the Oriole are far from done making moves. None of the outfielders seem in danger. Ryan Noda is probably the most vulnerable infielder. Catcher Maverick Handley will try to hold onto his spot.  

Félix Bautista will go on the 60-day injured list before the start of the season, which removes him from the 40-man. A few other relievers could be designated for assignment later. That’s an easy area to target.

Helsley has recorded 77 saves since returning from injury on Sept. 1, 2023, second most in the majors behind Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (79). The Oklahoma native set the Cardinals’ single-season saves record with 49 in 2024, the highest total in the majors since Edwin Díaz notched 57 in 2018.

Opponents are batting .141 (50-for-354) against Helsley’s slider since the beginning of 2022, the sixth-lowest average among major league relievers off a single pitch in a minimum 250 at-bats. Helsley’s slider had a run value of 12 in 2025, tied for the fifth best in the majors, according to Baseball Savant.

He was tied for fifth in slider run value with 13 in 2024, but it calculated to 2.8 per 100 pitches, best in the majors on a slider and tied for the third-best pitch in the majors that season.

Try not to chip a tooth crunching those numbers.

I didn’t think the Helsley signing set the market for closers like Díaz, Robert Suarez and Devin Williams. He’s in a different tier.

This isn’t like Dylan Cease impacting Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Tatsuya Imai and Michael King.

Williams agreed to terms with the Mets last night on a three-year, $51 million deal (including a $6 million signing bonus.) He was always gonna get more than a deuce. Díaz and Suarez will blow past those figures, let alone the $28 million that Helsley accepted from the Orioles.

In my quiet moments, I also wonder what else will be done with the coaching staff.

The Orioles are waiting until it’s completed to make an announcement. Mike Elias offered confirmation in his last video call by saying, “It’s not done, so I can’t address every nook and cranny of it at this time, but there’s been a lot of media reports about hires and those are accurate.”

The part about the hires not being done creates speculation about a second assistant hitting coach. Or maybe there’s another position.

John Mabry isn’t returning as senior advisor, but he arrived in late May after Tony Mansolino moved into the dugout as interim manager. The Orioles might not need a replacement.

Again, let’s take a look at the coaches who are under contract:

Bench: Donnie Ecker
Hitting: Dustin Lind
Assistant hitting: Brady North
First base: Jason Bourgeois
Third base: Buck Britton
Infield: Miguel Cairo
Field coordinator/catching: Joe Singley
Bullpen: Hank Conger

Drew French, Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek are back. If their titles stay the same, as assumed, French will be the pitching coach, Plassmeyer an assistant and Klimek the pitching strategy coach.

The Rays hired former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde yesterday as a senior advisor of baseball operations.

Hyde managed the Orioles from 2019 to May 17, 2025 when he was fired with their record at 15-28. Tony Mansolino was named interim manager. He’s the new Braves bench coach.

The Orioles made it through the rebuild process under Hyde and reached the playoffs in 2023-24, winning the division and earning the first Wild Card in those years.

His new role will enable Hyde to have influence on the major league club and the affiliates. But I wonder whether he’ll get another shot at managing. He loves being in the dugout and would welcome another opportunity. But in the meantime … 

“I’m really interested in seeing how they operate and how they make decisions, help Kevin (Cash) run spring training and all those type of things,” Hyde said in an interview published by the Tampa Bay Times. “I love the culture that they’ve built. And I’m really excited just to learn, hopefully help and be a part of this group.”

Alex Jackson won’t be the presumed third catcher after the Orioles traded him to the Twins for infielder Payton Eeles. Do they really need one or have the room?

The ideal solution is a super-utility player capable of moving behind the plate if the Orioles have Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo in the lineup and might lose the designated hitter. I don’t know who fits the description.

Taylor Ward used to be a catcher but it would really need to be an emergency. Lenn Sakata would have to be the alternative.

How long does stuffing last? Does it mold like a regular loaf of bread or did we buy more time with the cooking process?

I could make a mattress out of what’s left.

I’d like to see the Orioles re-sign Albert Suárez after they non-tendered him, but would it require a minor league deal?

Suárez made $825,000 this year and MLBTradeRumors.com projected a raise to only $900,000 after injuries limited him to five appearances. The major league minimum salary was $760,000 this year and increases to only $780,000 in 2026.

I’d like to know how the Orioles would fit another outfielder on the roster who plays center. They still seem interested in pursuing one.

Would that open the door for a trade to acquire a starter? Or would we be asking why the Orioles gave Leody Taveras a $2 million contract when he’s out of options and they’re still looking for a center fielder?

Max Brosmer is an NFL quarterback the same way that I’m a concert pianist.

MLB.com chose a “perfect free-agent match” for every team on Sunday and assigned Valdez to the Orioles. Not a bad call.

Here’s the text:

Baltimore has already added a bat (Taylor Ward) and a reliever (Ryan Helsley), but the Orioles need starting pitching as badly as any team in the Majors, putting them in the market for the top arms. Valdez is the oldest of the bunch (he’s entering his age-32 season), but he has the longest track record, has postseason experience, and could sign for fewer years than some of the others.

I’m still not ready to give you a spring training dark horse until after the Orioles announce the roster. It’s early December.

But OK, my early favorite for the title is reliever Anthony Nunez, who was put on the 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. His chances of making the club decrease with each reliever signed or acquired in a trade. Helsley and Andrew Kittredge take up two spots, but the decision to non-tender Suárez clears one.

Lane Kiffin won’t rest until at least a dozen other schools hate him.

Reed Trimble sounds like a musical wind instrument, but he’s actually a versatile outfielder who has a .344 on-base percentage in five minor league seasons and 61 stolen bases without being caught. That last one blows my mind.

The Orioles also protected him in the Rule 5.

Trimble wasn’t invited to spring training last year. Now he’s got a locker waiting for him.

Answer: The Orioles selected Red Sox reliever Andrew Politi in the 2022 Rule 5 draft and returned him at the end of spring training.