The Baltimore Orioles’ surplus of young talent has resulted in a positional player logjam, with insufficient lineup slots to go around.
As the organization works to incorporate newcomers Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers into an already strong hitting core that includes Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg, one Oriole may not be prioritized above the others.
Ryan Mountcastle, one of the guys who helped transform the organization from one of baseball’s worst to one of its most interesting, is now left without a clear role.
The 28-year-old missed substantial time in 2025 due to a Grade 2 right hamstring ailment, which limited him to only 89 games. Even when healthy, Mountcastle was not as prolific as in previous years, hitting.250/.286/.367 with only seven home runs and 35 RBIs.
Mountcastle is considered the “odd man out” of Baltimore’s lineup for a variety of reasons.
Mountcastle’s career began promisingly, with 73 home runs in his first three full seasons. However, injuries and inconsistencies have caught up with him. He has played fewer than 125 games in each of the previous two seasons and has struggled to make an impression after returning from injury this year. His.286 OBP,.367 SLG, and.653 OPS were all career lows, raising concerns as he enters a key contract year.
His financial position contributes to the uncertainty. Mountcastle earned just under $6.8 million in 2025, and he is expected to receive roughly $7.8 million in his last year of arbitration before becoming a free agency in 2027. That’s a high pay for a player whose production has declined, especially on a roster brimming with younger, cheaper options.
Following Mountcastle’s injury, one of those choices, Coby Mayo, was elevated to the starting lineup. Despite his problems, Mayo completed the season well, hitting.301/.393/.548 in September. His impressive final month demonstrated enormous optimism for the future, but it has only made Mountcastle’s situation worse.
Mountcastle may be on the outside looking in for a lineup that seeks to get younger and more consistent. Trading the 28-year-old infielder is highly likely, and his track record as a strong hitter will pique the interest of a few teams.
Even Mountcastle is uncertain about his future.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Mountcastle stated on September 25. “I would love to come back. If this is my final game, I had a lot of fun here. If not, I am quite excited. I love all of these men; they’re like family to me.”
It appears that no one, including Mountcastle himself, actually understands what is next for the Orioles’ former first-round pick from 2015.