LAS VEGAS \u2014 As the Orioles prepare to put a disappointing season behind them, president of baseball operations Mike Elias indicated his club will be an aggressive force in free-agent and trade markets this offseason.<\/p>\n
Elias, speaking Wednesday at the GM meetings at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, laid out three main wish list items. He also indicated the payroll could move past the 2025 level and reinforced the claims of owner David Rubenstein that the Orioles have financial muscle and are willing to flex it.<\/p>\n
The statements set up what could be a pivotal offseason for Elias and the Orioles. They underperformed as they missed the postseason in 2025 but appear determined to bounce back under new manager Craig Albernaz. With that in mind, Elias said the Orioles will target a front-line starting pitcher, a closer or late-inning reliever and an impact veteran who most likely can fit into the outfield picture.<\/p>\n
To do that, Elias said, the Orioles are willing to spend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe payroll last year was, despite the results of the standings, it was a historically high payroll for the Orioles, and we\u2019re willing to do that again,\u201d Elias said. \u201cThere\u2019s a target zone we sort of ID as a sweet spot of what\u2019s healthy for the ownership group, the organization. But what I can say is, it\u2019s by no means tethered to the profits of the team. We\u2019re trying to win, and this ownership group is willing to dip into the red considerably in order to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean we want to do it in a profligate way that haunts us, but in the short term we recognize we\u2019ve got a core who can use some supplementation and that wants to win and bounce back from what happened last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The to-do list doesn\u2019t come as much of a surprise. Elias is encouraged by the depth the Orioles have in their rotation, but there is room to add on the front end of it. He listed right-hander Kyle Bradish and left-hander Trevor Rogers as a \u201creally solid front two,\u201d and the likes of Dean Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez, Cade Povich, Tyler Wells and others fill out the staff.<\/p>\n
But Elias would like to \u201csee if we can add somebody who fits into that tier. That would be Plan A for our rotation,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully we can find somebody who can provide innings and front-half-of-the-rotation stuff, but those usually come at a high acquisition cost in our business. But we\u2019re going to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the issue for the Orioles was the spate of injuries to key pitchers, including Bradish, Wells and Rodriguez. Wells and Bradish returned late in the year from elbow surgeries, although Rodriguez never appeared in 2025 due to lat strains and elbow debridement surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given Rodriguez\u2019s injury history, and that he hasn\u2019t pitched in a major league game since July 2024, Elias said there will be an element of caution around him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not something that we\u2019re planning around very heavily,\u201d Elias said of Rodriguez\u2019s role as a prominent member of the rotation. \u201cBut he\u2019s a guy that provides a real wild card for us talent-wise.\u201d<\/p>\n
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