MLB Exec Says Orioles 'Only' MLB Team 'Willing to Open the Checkbook' in Free Agency

After a brutally disappointing 2025 MLB season, the Baltimore Orioles' ownership might be prepared to spend big on the payroll.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo cited Thursday one executive who said, "It seems the only team willing to open the checkbook right now is Baltimore."

The report said that "a top-of-the-rotation starter and veteran hitter are among the Orioles' targets" along with a closer despite bringing back Andrew Kittredge after his midseason trade to the Chicago Cubs.

Kittredge hasn't been a full-time closer across an entire season, and 2023 All-Star Félix Bautista is still recovering from the shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the start of next season.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias laid out his desire to bolster the bullpen.

"Ideally, we're going to acquire somebody who has closer experience, that's good against righties and lefties," he said, per The Athletic. "There are a few teams (trying to do) that. Maybe there's not enough to go around. But it's at the top of our list."

This is certainly what the fanbase wants to hear.

David Rubenstein's arrival as the majority owner was widely hailed in 2024. Toward the end of the Angelos family's tenure running the franchise, the Orioles regularly ran one of MLB's lowest payrolls. An ownership change brought the promise of something different.

But the goodwill toward Rubenstein quickly faded. His open desire for a salary cap in baseball didn't land well, and the organization generally didn't act like one that's trying to capitalize on a window for contention.

The result was a 75-87 record and a noticeable decline in attendance.

The Orioles can't afford to stand idle again, and they should have money to burn when FanGraphs projects them to have a $92 million payroll in 2026, down from $160 million to close out this past year.

The challenge before Elias is to identify the right additions and bring in the reinforcements.