'It's up to us now': How O's can make postseason run in 2026

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Entering the 2026 season, the Orioles firmly believe their window of contention is still wide open. They’re coming into the year with World Series championship aspirations and aiming to prove that ‘25 -- an injury-plagued campaign featuring a 75-87 record and a last-place finish in the American League East -- will be an anomaly amid a run of sustained success.

The O’s were aggressive throughout the offseason. They brought in a new franchise leader (Pete Alonso), more key position players (Taylor Ward and Blaze Alexander) and a flamethrowing closer (Ryan Helsley), while also building potentially the best and deepest starting rotation of the Mike Elias era (since November 2018).

“Our ownership and front office did a phenomenal job of accruing talent and personalities that know how to win,” said Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155 million deal on Dec. 11. “So it’s just up to us going and earning it over the course of 162 [games] and rolling the dice and winning games in October.

“It’s up to us now.”

What Needs to Go Right? Stay healthy

While this is true for every MLB team, the O’s can’t afford to have another year like 2025, when they used the injured list 39 times for 29 players.

It hasn’t been a great start on this front for Baltimore, which will begin the ‘26 campaign with second baseman Jackson Holliday (broken hamate bone in right hand), third baseman Jordan Westburg (partial right UCL tear) and setup man Andrew Kittredge (right shoulder inflammation) on the IL. It’s possible left-handed reliever Keegan Akin (adductor soreness) and outfielder Heston Kjerstad (right hamstring tightness) could be sidelined as well.

A season can quickly take a turn for the worse due to injuries in March and April, as the Orioles experienced firsthand last year. They can’t afford to be without a bunch of key players.

Great Unknown: The bullpen

Will new closer Helsley return to the elite form he showed earlier in his career? Who will emerge as the top high-leverage options? Is there enough MLB-quality depth in this unit to make the season a success? Those questions will all be answered over the next six months.

Baltimore’s bullpen could be really good, especially if relievers such as Tyler Wells, Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram can solidify the back end. Or the O’s could be in the market for ‘pen help by the time the Trade Deadline arrives on Aug. 3.

Team MVP Will Be ... Gunnar Henderson

It’s hard to pick anyone other than Henderson, who has led Orioles position players in Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference) each of the past three seasons. The 24-year-old had a bit of a “down” season in 2025, yet still finished with 5.3 bWAR after posting 34 doubles, 17 home runs, 30 stolen bases, a .274 batting average and a .787 OPS.

Henderson should again be a force in the top third of Baltimore’s lineup while also playing shortstop at a high level.

Team Cy Young Will Be ... Kyle Bradish

Opening Day starter Trevor Rogers received a fifth-place vote in American League Cy Young Award balloting last year. Shane Baz has the potential to develop into a Cy Young-caliber starter. Zach Eflin is healthier than he has been in quite some time and could be a sleeper pick.

But Bradish is the clear-cut choice here now that he’s fully healthy after returning from Tommy John surgery last August. The 29-year-old right-hander has a 2.78 ERA in 44 starts since the beginning of the 2023 season, a year in which he finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

Although the Orioles will be cautious with Bradish’s workload, he’ll be on the mound enough to put together another lights-out season (assuming he stays healthy).

Bold Prediction: The O’s will win their first postseason series since 2014

The AL East is always competitive, and this year should be no different. But the Orioles feel like a postseason-caliber team, with new manager Craig Albernaz seeming to have already helped establish a culture that could lead to success.

Baltimore has the talent to return to the postseason and play in October for the third time in four years. And this time, the O’s will make at least a little bit of noise after losing their past four playoff series (and previous 10 postseason games).