Looking at the 2026 Baltimore Orioles, there are plenty of things fans believe the organization needs to address this offseason.
Some don’t like the front office, some don’t like Craig Albernaz’s managing and others question the offensive depth of the team. However, one major problem has been hiding in plain sight.
The Orioles need to address its left-handed relief situation.
The Orioles currently rank 25th in ERA among left-handed relievers with a 4.56 ERA. Just three years ago, in 2023, they ranked seventh. So, what happened, and how can the front office fix it?
The Orioles have used seven different left-handed relievers this season, with 31-year-old Josh Walker appearing to be the most reliable. Walker has pitched 22 innings with a 2.05 ERA and allowed just one earned run across 11 games in August.
Grant Wolfram has also been a primary lefty, but he has struggled with a 5.11 ERA this season and a 7.20 ERA in August. With Keegan Akin on the IL, the Orioles have been left with very few reliable options.
If this has been a problem all season, why talk about it now? Because of the Orioles’ September 1 game against the Colorado Rockies.
With the game tied entering the bottom of the seventh and lefties Mickey Moniak and TJ Rumfield due up, Albernaz wanted a left-hander in the game. Walker had just pitched the sixth and thrown 21 pitches, while Wolfram had been struggling. That left Luis De León, a 23-year-old left-hander who had recently moved to the bullpen and was making his MLB debut.
After an error by Jackson Holliday, De León allowed a two-run home run to Rumfield. The Rockies took the lead and eventually won the game.
The Orioles’ lack of another reliable left-handed reliever put them in a difficult position in a must-win game.
So, how do the Birds fix it?
Free agency and trades are the obvious answers. Brooks Raley and AJ Minter were available at this year’s trade deadline, but neither came to Baltimore. Minter will be a free agent this offseason, along with names such as former Oriole Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm and JoJo Romero.
The Orioles could also look internally, but that exposes another problem: depth.
Across its four minor-league affiliates, the Orioles have used 30 different left-handed relief pitchers this season. Five have MLB experience, leaving 25 who have yet to reach the majors. Combined, those 30 pitchers have posted a 4.32 ERA across roughly 566 innings.
There are some promising options. Micah Ashman, 24, has a 1.79 ERA in 45.1 innings with Double-A Chesapeake. Andrew Magno, 28, has a 1.47 ERA in 46 innings with Triple-A Norfolk, while Braeden Sloan, 23, has allowed just eight earned runs in 50.1 innings, reaching as far as High-A Frederick.
The key problem is how the Orioles are developing pitching.
The organization has used a system in which starters often have a fellow starter scheduled to follow them. We have seen the Seattle Mariners implement this system just this year instead of moving to a six-man rotation.
De León is one of those examples. He had a 4.53 ERA as a starter but a 9.82 ERA in four relief appearances before his call-up. Francisco Morao, 20, has a 9.69 ERA as a reliever compared to a 2.20 ERA as a starter, while Joseph Dzierwa, 22, has a 2.21 ERA as a starter and a 4.50 ERA as a reliever.
However, there are exceptions. Sebastian Gongora, 25, has a 1.71 ERA across five relief appearances and 21 innings. Ultimately, it depends on the player and their comfort level.
The Orioles need to decide early in players’ careers who can become reliable left-handed bullpen pieces. It is difficult to compete when seven different left-handers have been used in relief while the team ranks in the bottom five in ERA.
Finding a solution to this issue should be a top priority this offseason for Mike Elias and Co.
What are your thoughts on the O’s left-handed relief pitching issues? 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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