Orioles make puzzling non-tender move that could reshape their offseason plans

The O's now have some more decisions to make.
Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan Mountcastle
Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan Mountcastle | Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

With Friday's non-tender deadline, the eyes of Baltimore Orioles fans were fixed on first baseman/ designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle. After struggling this past season, there were many Orioles fans who thought the slugger could become a roster casualty. Instead, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Mountcastle was tendered a contract meaning that he's still part of the Orioles roster (at least for now).

Mountcastle endured a difficult season in 2025. After slugging his way to a .271/.308/.425 slash line in 2024, the 28-year-old saw his numbers dip to .250/.286/.367. His wRC+ dropped to a career-worst 81, and Baltimore began to give his reps at first base to Coby Mayo.

Mountcastle is in line to receive a bump in pay from his $6.5 million salary this past season. MLB Trade Rumors predicts he'll take home $7.8 million in 2026 — a number the O's would probably prefer to reinvest elsewhere next season.

Orioles decide to keep Ryan Mountcastle for now, but could trade him later this winter

Baltimore recently added another big bat to their 2026 season with the acquisition of former Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward. Given that Tyler O'Neill's contract is virtually un-tradable, both he and Ward will likely be part of the Orioles starting lineup next season. Having those two on the roster will make it difficult to find adequate playing time for Mountcastle next season.

As such, Orioles fans should now expect to hear Mountcastle's name pop in trade rumors even more. The question, however, is whether or not another team wants to take on Mountcastle's salary for 2026, which could be a bit of a gamble given his downward turn this past season. Still, given the power potential he carries in his bat, there's bound to be at least one team who'll take a flier on him, even if the return could be deemed rather light.

The Orioles front office will now have several weeks to negotiate new deals for all their arbitration-eligible players. In addition to Mountcastle, Baltimore will need to work out new contracts for the likes of Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, and Gunnar Henderson.

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