Orioles already know one area of the team they won't need to address this offseason

While the 2026 season hasn't gone to plan for the Baltimore Orioles, they have found one unit that has put it all together. The offense has been spotty, the defense has been underwhelming, and the starting pitching has been a roller coaster, but the bullpen has been lockdown.

The Orioles bullpen ranks 12th in baseball with a 3.91 ERA, and the group's 1.27 WHIP ranks 10th in the majors. Even better, the unit has a 3.82 FIP, ranking fifth, and a 3.62 xERA, ranking fourth, suggesting the strong group has also gotten unlucky this season.

Since Aug. 1, O's relievers have even seen improvement in those numbers. They rank 12th in that span with a 3.75 ERA, a slight improvement on their overall numbers. The biggest shift has come in their FIP, down to 3.26.

In Monday night's game against the Mets, they showed that off. Starter Brandon Young pitched five innings of one-run ball, leaving the game tied. The Mets had gotten five hits and five walks off of Young, but the bullpen came in and shut their offense down. They went on to pitch the next four innings, allowing just one baserunner, a leadoff single in the eighth.

Baltimore has found a core of relievers they can trust headed into 2027

The bullpen has gotten excellent performances this season from multiple arms. Rico Garcia leads Orioles relievers with 63 2/3 innings pitched and has a 2.97 ERA. Yennier Cano has a 3.13 ERA in 64 appearances. Josh Walker has not allowed a run since Aug. 2 over 17 straight outings. Since being acquired from the Mariners, Alex Hoppe has allowed two earned runs in 15 games for Baltimore.

The only relievers who are guaranteed to be free agents this offseason are Keegin Akin, who hasn't pitched since June, and Andrew Kitteredge. Kitteredge has been really solid this season, posting a 3.74 ERA in 45 2/3 innings, but others who have stepped up can easily slide into his role. Ryan Helsley has a player option that he is likely to pick up.

The Orioles will also see the return of former All-Star closer Felix Bautista next season (and maybe late in this one). Both he and Helsley are on rehab assignments. Bautista would instantly slide back into his closer role next season, pushing everyone down one inning, which is only a good thing.

Even though relievers are the most inconsistent position group on a year-to-year basis, Baltimore has found a group of arms that they should trust headed into next season. They don't need to go into this offseason looking to make a big addition or find high-leverage arms. Instead, they can focus on making upgrades elsewhere and supplementing this group around the margins.

Having a really good bullpen is needed for any team that not only wants to make the postseason, but also make any sort of run deep into the playoffs. That's part of the reason why the Padres, Yankees, and Red Sox are teams that, in recent years, have gotten a lot of playoff hype, because everyone knows they have trustworthy bullpens. The Orioles look to already have the foundation of that, too.

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