Orioles insider’s wild free agent target would cause more problems than it solves

The agenda for the Baltimore Orioles' offseason seems pretty clear: hire a manager, hire a general manager to work under Mike Elias, and target legitimate upgrades to their starting rotation and bullpen. Anything else that happens outside of those things would be nice, but the fact remains that the Orioles have avoided doing the obvious for several years now, and that is why 2025 was an embarrassment.

That is also why any take that suggests the Orioles head in any other direction this offseason but addressing their rotation deserves to be second-guessed. In this case, we're talking about MASN's Roch Kubatko suggesting that the Orioles make impending New York Yankees' free agent Cody Bellinger a priority this offseason.

In a reality where it is always easier said than done for the Orioles, Kubatko feels that Bellinger would be an ideal fit to serve as an upgrade for the Orioles' starting lineup while also filling the leadership void in the clubhouse.

Orioles’ rumored free agent target would create chaos, not answers

We'll get to the offensive upgrade in a minute, but it feels lazy to assume that Bellinger can fill the leadership void in the Orioles' clubhouse. Nothing against the former National League MVP, but his reputation is closer to Shaggy from Scooby Doo than it is to a leader of a Major League clubhouse. Just because Bellinger has spent his career playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Yankees, it doesn't automatically make him a leader for an Orioles team that sounded broken last season.

Now for the offensive upgrade, yes, Bellinger had a resurgent 2025 season with the Yankees, hitting 29 home runs with a 125 wRC+. Bellinger is a bit of an interesting case, because of much he benefits from the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium. While that should deter some teams away from him this offseason, it shouldn't for the Orioles. If Bellinger played all of his games in Baltimore last season, he would have had 29 home runs. So, we'll grant Kubatko the benefit of acknowledging that Bellinger would be a nice offensive piece for the Orioles.

That said, we can't ignore that the Orioles already have Tyler O'Neil, Colten Cowser, and Dylan Beavers in their outfield. Sure, O'Neil's 2025 season was riddled with injuries, and Cowser regressed significantly, but replacing either feels like a level of urgency that Elias' front office has never shown.

Most importantly, however, is that assuming Bellinger does opt out of the $25MM he is owed next season, he will be looking to get paid on the open market. The Yankees almost certainly will be racing to bring him back, and a bidding war for any free agent can't be expected for the Orioles, considering David Rubenstein is already slightly regretting the Samuel Basall team-friendly contract extension.