For years, Birdland fans have begged the Baltimore Orioles organization to do one thing: keep elite homegrown pitching in Charm City.
On Saturday, the Orioles did exactly that.
The club announced it has agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract extension with right-hander Kyle Bradish, ensuring one of baseball’s best starting pitchers will remain in orange and black for years to come.
Bradish’s Orioles story began long before he ever threw a pitch at Camden Yards.
Originally selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of New Mexico State, Bradish quickly established himself as one of the organization’s better pitching prospects. That changed in December 2019, when the Angels sent Bradish, Zach Peek, Isaac Mattson and Kyle Brnovich to Baltimore in exchange for Dylan Bundy.
At the time, the trade barely registered nationally. Bundy was viewed as the established major leaguer while the Orioles were adding pitching depth to a rebuilding farm system. Looking back today, it may go down as one of GM Mike Elias’ most impactful trades.
After the lost 2020 minor-league season, Bradish steadily climbed through Baltimore’s system before making his major-league debut in April 2022.
Bradish emerged as one of the American League’s premier starters in 2023, pairing an upper-90s fastball with one of baseball’s nastiest sliders. He became the ace Baltimore desperately needed during its rise back into contention, proving he could dominate elite lineups every fifth day.
Unfortunately, Tommy John Surgery cut short his 2024 campaign and forced him to miss the majority of 2025. He returned in the final month last season and showed encouraging signs before entering 2026 with expectations of leading Baltimore’s rotation once again.
Even while pitching under an expected workload management plan, Bradish has steadily looked more like the pitcher Orioles fans remember, highlighted recently by taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Kansas City.
The extension covers Bradish’s final two years of arbitration, plus three seasons of free agency, and makes him the highest-paid pitcher in Orioles history. It is the second long-term deal for a young Baltimore righty this season, as Shane Baz also inked a five-year extension during the first week of the regular season.
“Keeping players of Kyle’s caliber in an Orioles uniform is an important part of our long-term vision,” said Orioles Control Owner David Rubenstein. “We are grateful to Kyle for his commitment to our organization and to Baltimore. Thanks to Mike Elias and the entire baseball operations department for their dedication throughout this process.”
Bradish, 29, is 25-24 with a 3.50 ERA with 396 hits (48 HR), 192 total runs, 165 walks and 485 strikeouts in 86 career starts, all with the Orioles. He finished fourth in the 2023 American League Cy Young Award voting after helping the Birds to an AL-best 101 wins while posting a 2.83 ERA, the lowest by an Oriole since Mike Mussina’s 2.54 ERA in 1992.
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