Happy New Year, Birdland!
We are officially in the year 2026, meaning it’s time to leave 2025 in the past. But before we do that, we saw a lot happen in 2025 within the Baltimore Orioles organization each month that we should reflect upon.
Lets recap the year of 2025 by listing the best moment of each month.
January: Adam Jones joins the front office
January was not a month full of different changes and signings, so this choice was quite easy. On January 27, the Orioles announced that former outfielder and organizational Hall of Famer Adam Jones would join the front office as a special advisor.
This was a big deal at the time because the Orioles were being pretty active during free agency with the signings of Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sánchez and Tomoyuki Sugano. I even predicted that this was the start of the idea that Jones would become the GM of the Orioles in the near future.
February: Orioles sign Ramón Laureano
On February 4, the Orioles made what seemed to be a depth signing at the time, giving outfielder Ramón Laureano a one-year deal. Little did we know that Laureano would turn into a huge part of the Orioles’ offensive identity.
Laureano played in 82 games with the Orioles and slashed .290/.355/.529 with a .884 OPS, collecting 75 hits, 17 doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBIs while wearing the orange and black. Laureano finished the season having the highest OPS and batting average by an Orioles hitter, regardless of him being dealt to the San Diego Padres prior to the trade deadline.
March: Opening Day floodgates opened
On March 27, O’s fans got together to celebrate what is as close to a national holiday as sports fans celebrate, Opening Day. We saw huge promise, as just 10 pitches into the game, Adley Rutschman took a ball to deep right-center to hit the first home run of the season, and that was just the beginning.
Opening Day 2025 was full of fun surprises and records continuing on. Rutschman continued to be “Mr. Opening Day” by having a two-home-run game, when he also collected three RBIs with his three total hits. We also saw Tyler O’Neill continue his historic run, hitting a home run in his sixth straight Opening Day, dating back to the 2019 season. The Orioles went on to win 12-2, collecting 14 hits and getting a pitching gem of a game from Zach Eflin, Seranthony Domínguez, Keegan Akin and Bryan Baker.
April: MASN+ is announced
There were two options that could have been picked when it came to April, but I decided to go with the one that impacted the Orioles in a positive way. The organization announced a new way to watch games, as MASN+ was introduced so fans could watch games via streaming without blackouts, which as we know is a big deal within the MLB community.
When MASN+ was announced, we finally saw a time where fans who have steered away from cable have a way to watch their favorite team. For $19.99 a month/$89.99 a year, fans are now able to watch all MASN programming.
May: Orioles fire Brandon Hyde
After a tough 15-28 start to the 2025 season, the Orioles decided on May 17 that it was time to fire manager Brandon Hyde. This was something that was brewing up until this point and seemed like the right decision.
Hyde managed the Birds from 2019-2025 and compiled a 421-492 record, good for a .461 winning percentage. He managed the fifth most games in Orioles history (fourth most since the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954) at 913 games and was also one of just seven O’s managers to win the AL East division since 1901. Hyde was replaced by Tony Mansolino, who helped the Orioles go 60-59 since May 17 to finish at 75-87 on the year.
June: Orioles’ bats explode against Rays
June 27, 2025, was looking like another Orioles game. The Rays came to Camden Yards and went on a great run to start the game, taking a 6-0 lead after the top of the second. Little did we know that the Orioles were going to open the flood gates and score 22 runs, including a seven-run eighth inning.
This game had everything. Gary Sánchez went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, Cedric Mullins had a three-RBI game and Gunnar Henderson had a four-hit game with two RBIs. To top it off, Coby Mayo earned a four-RBI game, which included him hitting his first career home run, all be it off a position player.
July: O’s sell, sell, sell at the trade deadline
July had one major moment, and it was the Orioles building for the future by selling at the trade deadline. We saw a ton of players leave the organization, but the return from this deadline showed huge promise.
During this time, the Orioles traded nine players (Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez, Andrew Kittredge, Ramón Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, Charlie Morton, Cedric Mullins and Ramón Urías) to a total of eight different teams. In return, the Birds received 15 prospects (Slater de Brun via draft pick, Wellington Aracena, Cameron Foster, Juaron Watts-Brown, Wilfri De La Cruz, Boston Bateman, Brandon Butterworth, Victor Figueroa, Cobb Hightower, Tyson Neighbors, Tanner Smith, Micah Ashman, Raimon Gomez, Chandler Marsh, Anthony Nunez, Twine Palmer).
August: Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers arrive
Technically, this is a two in one, but it all ties together in the end. After the trade deadline, the Orioles made the decision in the middle of August to call-up two top prospects in Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo.
Both players had high and low moments, but they both showed promise on the field in different ways. Basallo would also agree to an extension for eight years, worth $67 million, which is the first long-term extension since Mike Elias was named GM in 2018.
September: The 2,131 anniversary game
On September 6, we saw history in many ways. First, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,131 game, and then we were given a game that we will see 20 years down the road on Orioles Classics.
The game started bleak, as Dodgers starter and future World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominated the Orioles, tossing 8.2 no-hit innings. Jackson Holliday broke the no-hitter with a two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth. Then, the Oriole bats would wake up, as despite being down 4-1 after the Holliday home run, the O’s would go on to score four runs and walk-off the Dodgers on an Emmanuel Rivera two-run single.
October: Craig Albernaz hired as new manager
The Orioles, in October, would name former Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz as the club’s next manager.
Albernaz immediately won the hearts of Oriole fans between having experience with young talent, as he was a former manager of multiple minor league teams in the Tampa Bay Rays system, and with his immaculate Boston accent and remarkable work ethic. Heading into the 2026 season, Albernaz is predicted to win 2026 AL Manager of the Year honors by MLB analysts.
November: Pitching changes for 2026
November was when the roster changes began for 2026, and they mostly involved the pitching staff. First, the Orioles would trade homegrown starter and former first-round pick Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward. Then, Andrew Kittredge was re-acquired from the Chicago Cubs.
As for free agency, the Orioles signed a bullpen piece in right-hander Ryan Helsley, who has been one of the best closers in the 2020s decade. Helsley, in his career, has a career 2.96 ERA in 297 games between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. In 2024, Helsley earned a career-high 49 saves and posted a 2.04 ERA in 66.1 innings.
December: Pete Alonso signs with Baltimore
December is usually a cold month in Maryland, so why not bring in a player whose nickname is an animal that really enjoys the cold weather? The Oriole made a huge move by signing 2019 NL Rookie of the Year winner, multiple-time Home Run Derby Champion and top free agent slugger, The Polar Bear, Pete Alonso.
Alonso was signed to a five-year, $155 million deal, the second highest contract in Orioles history behind Chris Davis’ deal in 2016. Alonso is arguably the best offensive first baseman in the league, as he already has hit 264 home runs in 1,008 games with a career OPS of .857.
What was your favorite moment of 2025? 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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