If you read our first free agent article, you already know the Orioles’ offseason is all about overhauling the pitching staff.
We have already went over the starting pitching market, so next up, we are going to dive in on five relief pitchers who you just might see in the Oriole bullpen this upcoming season.
Before we get started, with the uncertainty of right-hander Félix Bautista’s health heading into 2026, we will be keeping this piece to closers only, since that is far and away the biggest need in the O’s bullpen.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the relief pitching market.
ROBERT SUÁREZ (UPDATE: SIGNED WITH BRAVES – THREE YEARS, $45 MILLION)
Over the last two seasons, Robert Suárez has established himself as one of the better closers in all of baseball.
Owning a career ERA of 2.91, Suárez has converted 76 saves over his last two seasons. The former Padre also has a sub-one career WHIP (0.981) and back-to-back All-Star appearances to his name.
Spotrac projects Suárez to fetch a four-year, $67.3 million deal ($16.83M AAV). Here is where the intrigue comes from with the flamethrower.
Promising K/BB: metrics The most valuable trait a closer can have is a high K rate, and Suárez not only checks that box but does so without issuing many free bases. In 2025, Suárez posted a 27.9% K rate, good enough for the 83rd percentile of relievers. He complimented that with a 5.9% BB rate, which was 85th percentile.
Run Prevention: You don’t rack up 76 saves in two seasons if you can not prevent runs, and both the base and advanced metrics suggest that Suárez is elite at it. Here are some career statistics for the Venezuelan native:
ERA: 2.91
xERA: 3.31
FIP: 3.36
xFIP: 3.54
SIERA: 3.28
While we are very much fans of the player Suárez has become, he does have a few concerns that show up every now and then.
Long Ball Struggles: Suárez has a career groundball rate of just 41.2%. Over the last two years, he has also finished in the 42nd and 16th percentile, respectively, in average exit velocity, which is obviously not a great combination. His career HR/9 does sit around league average at 0.90, but Petco Park in San Diego is one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in the sport.
DEVIN WILLIAMS (UPDATE: SIGNED WITH METS – THREE YEARS, $51 MILLION)
The 2025 season was nothing short of a disaster for Devin Williams, who turned in the worst season of his career with a 4.79 ERA and even being stripped of his closing duties in the Bronx.
Despite the struggles, Williams has the track record to be a very enticing option for the Orioles, and we expect president of baseball operations and acting-GM Mike Elias to be in contact with he and his representation.
Spotrac does not have any current projections listed for the right-hander, but the consensus expectation by well-respected analysts seem to support something in the ballpark of a three-year, $45 million deal ($15M AAV) for Williams.
That might seem like a lot for the season Williams is coming off of, but here are a couple reasons why that actually might be a bargain for his next suitor.
Better Luck Coming: It is fair to say that Williams may have been the unluckiest pitcher in all of baseball last season. Looking past the 4.79 ERA, here are Williams’ marks in statistics that better depict pitcher performance:
xERA: 3.11
FIP: 2.68
xFIP: 2.95
SIERA: 2.67
With most of these being over two runs lower than his actual ERA, we can confidently project Williams to return to his elite status for the 2026 campaign.
Elite Track Record: Another reason to expect a bounce-back from Williams is that his career stats align perfectly with his 2025 expected stats. Williams is a former Rookie of the Year winner, a two-time All-Star and owns a career ERA of 2.45, with a career K/9 of 14.1 and a GB rate at 47.3%.
Despite that track record, there are a few flaws that have plagued Williams his entire career that we do think are not going away anytime soon.
Walks: Willams has had an issue with walks since his debut in 2019. With a 4.14 BB/9, here are Williams’ percentile ranks in free passes throughout his career:
2020: 45th percentile
2021: 11th percentile
2022: 4th percentile
2023: 8th percentile
2024: N/A
2025: 20th percentile
His elite strikeout and groundball metrics certainly do make up for this most of the time, but his inability to find the strike zone is what leads to these seemingly more common blow-up outings from him.
Mentality: Obviously, there is no quantification for this, and it is completely opinion-based. However, we think there is enough historical significance to believe this. Williams owns a career 8.53 ERA in 6.1 postseason innings, a trend he has never really been able to put to rest. It is also worth noting his worst season of his career came in the Bronx, one of the most high pressure places to pitch. The talent is obviously there, but we are not so sure that Williams has the mental makeup of a high-leverage closer in Major League Baseball.
PETE FAIRBANKS
Another closer we expect the Orioles to be in on is former Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Pete Fairbanks.
Fairbanks has turned into one of the better closers in baseball over the last few seasons and only bolstered that resume in 2025, posting a 2.83 ERA and reaching the 20-save mark for the third consecutive season.
Like Williams, Spotrac does not list a projected contract for Fairbanks, but reports seem to suggest a three-year, $27 million ($9M AAV) contract being enough to land the veteran.
If that is accurate, the Orioles should absolutely be interested, and here is why.
Barrel Evader: If you don’t know what a barrel is, MLB defines the metric as a batted ball with an exit velocity at 98+ mph and a launch angle between 26 and 30 degrees. That range expands for every extra mph of exit velocity. Barrels are notable because they historically lead to great offensive results, and that is why it is a major plus that Fairbanks excels at avoiding them. In 2025, he allowed just a 4.8% barrel rate, which was 93rd percentile.
While Fairbanks would undoubtedly be a huge addition to the back-end of the O’s bullpen, there are two major concerns Fairbanks comes with that Mike Elias will definitely have to look into.
Lengthy Injury History: Fairbanks has quite the concerning track record when it comes to health. He has already underwent two Tommy John surgeries early in his career. In 2022, he also dealt with various shoulder issues that limited him to just 42.2 innings. In 2023, Fairbanks dealt with hip and forearm issues, and 2024 was even worse, with nerve issues and a lat injury plaguing his season.
Raynaud’s Syndrome: Unfortunately, Fairbanks suffers from Raynaud’s Syndrome, and while it is nothing overly serious, it essentially narrows blood vessels in the fingers and toes, causing discoloration, numbness and sometimes even pain. The reason this should be a red flag for Elias is that cold weather is one of the biggest triggers for this syndrome. As Baltimore residents know, March, April and October can get pretty cold, which could deter Fairbanks.
RYAN HELSLEY (UPDATE: SIGNED WITH ORIOLES – TWO YEARS, $28 MILLION!!!)
Up next, we have former St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets right-hander Ryan Helsley.
Last season was not the nicest year for Helsley, who posted a 4.50 ERA. However, he is still a veteran closer with a strong track record, who would be a big upgrade over what the Orioles currently have.
Once again, Spotrac has no listed a contract projection for Helsley, so going off of other reports, you can expect a deal somewhere in the realm of two years, $20 million ($10M AAV), which would make sense for Helsley coming off a down year.
Regardless of his down second half last season, Helsley could be a very intriguing option for the O’s to pursue. Here is why.
Elite Chase Metrics: Helsley has been one of the best pitchers in the game at getting batters to chase. Of course, you need great stuff to be able to induce chases, but one of Helsley’s biggest advantages is his 62-degree arm angle, giving him one of the most unique deliveries in the game. For a better visual, here are Helsley’s chase rates over the last four seasons:
2022: 34.2% (91st percentile)
2023: N/A
2024: 33.5% (93rd percentile)
2025: 30.8% (79th percentile)
Strikeouts: Playing of his chase rates, Helsley has also established himself as one of the better swing-and-miss pitchers in the game. With a career K/9 of 10.6, Helsley’s strikeout rates over the last four seasons are as follows:
2022: 39.3% (99th percentile)
2023: N/A
2024: 29.7% (90th percentile)
2025: 25% (69th percentile)
There could still be several red flags with Helsley, so let’s dive in.
Walks: Like a lot of closers, Helsley has a tendency to issue free passes. With a career BB/9 of 3.7, here are his walk rates the last four seasons.
2022: 8.4% (43rd percentile)
2023: N/A
2024: 8.6% (40th percentile)
2025: 9.9% (19th percentile)
Home Run Struggles: The 2025 campaign was really tough for Helsley, mostly due to the fact that he could not keep the ball in the park. Similar to Suárez, Helsley was in the seventh percentile in average exit velocity, and despite inducing more groundballs than years prior, he saw his HR/9 balloon to 1.29.
EMILIO PAGÁN (UPDATE: RE-SIGNED WITH REDS – TWO YEARS, $20 MILLION)
The final reliever we will be covering who could be viewed as a good fit in Baltimore is former Cincinnati Reds right-hander Emilio Pagán.
Last season was another strong year for Pagán, as the 34-year-old made 70 appearances, pitching to a 2.88 ERA and setting a new career-high in saves with 32.
Once again, Spotrac did not have a projection for Pagán, but reports seem to have a deal likely falling in the two-year, $16 million ($8M AAV) range.
Pagán is far from the flashy options mentioned prior, but here is why he could make sense for the O’s.
Workhorse: Pagán has been a staple for every pitching staff he has been apart of since his debut in 2017. Primarily a closer now, Pagán has also spent time working in middle relief and even made two starts in his career. The South Carolinian has also topped 50 appearances six times in his nine-year career, which would be invaluable to an Orioles bullpen that has turned into a revolving door.
Strikeouts: The biggest reason Pagán has been so successful is his ability to generate whiffs. He has a career K/9 of 10.3, and in 2025, excelled at every swing and miss metric.
Chase%: 32.6 (90th percentile)
Whiff%: 29.2 (78th percentile)
K%: 30.0% (89th percentile)
There is a lot to like about Pagán, but there is one fatal flaw he has not been able to escape in his entire career.
Home Runs: Pagán is one of the worst qualified pitchers at keeping the ball in the ballpark. He has a career GB% at just 29.7, and that has led to a staggering 1.51 HR/9, which can make him difficult to trust as a closer, especially in some of these AL East ballparks.
That will wrap up our offseason reliever guide. If the Orioles can land just one of these guys, it should be considered a success, given the current state of the bullpen.
Who do you want closing out games for the O’s in 2026? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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