The 2026 MLB season is set to begin this week. When it comes to predictions for the upcoming season, they are coming in fast. Several teams went through some changes this offseason and some surprising ones. One of those teams was the Baltimore Orioles.
Baltimore signed Pete Alonso in free agency, which was surprising. They won that battle over the Boston Red Sox and others. The Orioles also acquired Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels. One area that they didn’t make a splash in was around their starting pitching.
They were linked to some of the top names available, but fell short. Lucas Giolito is still available, but that is unlikely to happen after Baltimore signed former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. After all of those moves, the Orioles got a surprising prediction for the 2026 season.
Baltimore Orioles Get Surprising Prediction for 2026 Season
After finishing in the basement of the American League East last year, there is nowhere to go but up for the Orioles in 2026. Could they follow the Blue Jays and go from worst to first this season after a busy offseason? Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes so. He predicted they would go 93-69 and shatter their over/under win total of 85.5 wins.
“Following a miserable 75-87 campaign in 2025, president of baseball operations Mike Elias was very active this offseason, acquiring two run producers for the middle of his order in Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, who combined for 74 home runs and 229 RBI last season. Alonso and Ward will join a lineup led by superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson. With immense power at his disposal, Samuel Basallo looks like a strong AL Rookie of the Year candidate,” Kelly wrote.
There is no doubt that Baltimore has beefed up their order. Alonso and Ward are big additions to the lineup and should provide much-needed offensive firepower. As far as their pitching goes, they have added pieces, but they might not be done.
“Baltimore may not be a finished product in terms of their pitching, but re-signed Zach Eflin this winter, while acquiring Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt. If Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish are healthy in 2026, this rotation could be one of the better ones in the sport. Elias also added bounce-back candidate Ryan Helsley to be the team’s closer,” added Kelly.
On paper, the rotation and bullpen already look better than what they had last season. Bassitt could end up being a big under-the-radar addition if he remains healthy.
Orioles Facing Major Gauntlet in the AL East
Let’s face it, Mike Elias did what he had to do; he went out and made some big moves. He did so in both free agency and through trades. Landing Alonso was the biggest move he made, plucking him from the Mets in free agency.
The AL East is going to once again be the deepest division across MLB. Between the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles, it’s going to be a dogfight each night this season. If Baltimore was going to compete, it was an offseason that Elias needed. The easy part is done; now the hard part begins, competing on a nightly basis. A team looking to return to the playoffs is primed for a bounce-back season.
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