Orioles insider correctly showed non-roster invitees could make or break the bullpen

Matt Weyrich is dead-on to frame the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen competition as “wide open,” because this isn’t one of those spring trainings where the relief pecking order is set and camp is just about shaking off rust. Baltimore invited a ton of arms to Sarasota on non-roster deals, an admission that the middle-to-late innings are still up for grabs. 

When you lean this hard on NRIs, you’re essentially betting that one or two fringe arms turn into dependable big-league relievers fast. That can feel like a spring training hack — or it can turn into April bullpen roulette. Two names in particular jump out as the type of invites who can actually swing the season outcome: Enoli Paredes and Josh Walker.

Orioles’ bullpen is daring two long-shot arms to become real answers fast

Paredes is the cleanest dart, mostly because he’s not a pure mystery box. He has legitimate pro experience, and that matters because Craig Albernaz isn’t trying to teach someone how to breathe with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. 

Even last season at Triple-A Gwinnett, he logged 57.1 innings with a 4.40 ERA and 72 strikeouts — the kind of workload and bat-missing track record that at least gives you a real baseline. If his stuff shows up crisp and his command isn’t a weekly adventure, he’s the type of right-hander who can force his way into a job quickly.

Walker is the other name worth circling because left-handed bullpen solutions are always more precious than teams want to admit. He’s logged parts of three big-league seasons (2023–2025) with the Mets and Blue Jays, and even with the ugly surface line — 27 appearances and a 6.59 career ERA — the appeal is still obvious. 

Big-bodied lefties who can create uncomfortable matchups on demand don’t grow on trees, and Baltimore’s invite list makes it clear they want real options on that side, not just vibes.

If one of these NRIs hits, the Orioles suddenly look deeper and more stable. If they miss, you’re staring at an early-season tax on the rest of the roster. Spring training won’t “solve” the bullpen. But it will reveal whether the Orioles found real outs on the margins — or just bodies.