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 -- The Orioles’ farm system was again reloaded in 2026.
In June, Baltimore brought in another intriguing group of young players during the MLB Draft. Then, the O’s operated as sellers ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, using their moves to add even more highly regarded prospects to their Minor League ranks.
There are quite a few prospects currently in the system who could become key contributors for the Orioles in '27. Here’s a closer look at three of them.
LHP Luis De León (O’s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline)
Because the O’s remained in the postseason hunt until mid-September, they needed to bolster their bullpen in order to stay in the race. That led to De León -- a 23-year-old left-hander out of Barahona, Dominican Republic -- getting his first opportunity to pitch in the big leagues.
Though De León has been developed as a starter, he was converted into a reliever in late August, when Baltimore decided it may need him for its stretch run. The southpaw was promoted to the Majors when rosters expanded to 28 players on Sept. 1. De León pitched well for the O’s in eight appearances, recording a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings.
But the Orioles still view De León as a future starter.
“He did outstanding at the big league level in his first taste,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It's impressive how he handles himself, his demeanor, and obviously, the stuff stands out. It's elite stuff. We’re going to give him every avenue to be a starter.”
De León was a non-roster invitee to Baltimore’s big league camp this spring. In '27, he’ll have a legitimate opportunity to compete for a rotation spot.
RHP Michael Forret (O’s No. 10)
Another starting pitcher with a chance to crack the O’s rotation sometime early in '27 is Forret.
The 22-year-old has had an interesting career path to this point. Baltimore’s 14th-round Draft pick in '23, the right-hander was traded to Tampa Bay as one of the four prospects dealt in exchange for righty Shane Baz on Dec. 19. Then, the O’s reacquired Forret on Aug. 3 by sending righty Tyler Wells to the Rays.
When Forret returned to the Orioles’ system, president of baseball operations Mike Elias noted the youngster was “very close to Major League ready, like a phone call away.”
“We like where he’s at,” Elias said at the time.
Forret has logged 61 1/3 innings in 14 games (13 starts) at Triple-A, and while he has a 5.43 ERA in those outings, his stuff has looked impressive. Forret also had success at the lower levels of the Minors, so it may be only a matter of time before things start clicking for the righty.
OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (O’s No. 18)
Entering the '26 season, Bradfield seemed like a prime candidate to make his MLB debut at some point during the year. However, injuries limited the 24-year-old to 98 games, so he never got the callup from Triple-A.
But the 2023 first-round Draft pick should arrive in ‘27. His offensive numbers improved at Triple-A this past year, as he hit .263 with 12 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 33 RBIs and a .707 OPS. His speed also remains elite, as he went 36-for-41 on steal attempts.
Bradfield’s speed and defense will be an asset for the O’s whenever he arrives in Baltimore.
“I think Bradfield is somebody that we’ll see this coming year,” Elias said at his end-of-season press conference on Sept. 28.