# 2026 Baltimore Orioles season
The 2026 [Baltimore Orioles](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-orioles) season ended with a second consecutive last-place finish in the American League East and no postseason berth. StatPro records the season at 75–80, 5th in the division,[1](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/schedule) while Baseball-Reference's game log, current through its most recent recorded games, shows 72–78, 5th place, 18.5 games back.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) It was the first season under manager Craig Albernaz, hired after the club's fall from 101 wins in 2023 to a 91–71 winning season in 2024 and a 75-win losing season in 2025.[3](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html) • [20](https://apnews.com/article/7b5cf9a688513008ffc7f9d190d3bd3e)
| Fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Final record | 75–80, 5th AL East (StatPro);[1](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/schedule) 72–78 on Baseball-Reference's log through its last recorded game[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) |
| Manager | Craig Albernaz, first MLB managerial job[3](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html) |
| Runs | 672 scored, 707 allowed on the Baseball-Reference log; .480 winning percentage[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) |
| Payroll | $217,666,181, 6th in MLB[4](https://thebaseballcube.com/content/stats_mlb/2026~4) |
| Attendance | 1,738,799, 11th of 15 AL teams[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) |
| Top hitter | Pete Alonso: 27 home runs, .843 OPS, 137 OPS+ in 123 games[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) |
## Offseason and managerial change
The season followed a 2025 collapse in which the Orioles were 15 games under .500 by the end of May. The club fired manager Brandon Hyde seven weeks into that season; interim manager Tony Mansolino went 60–59 the rest of the way after Hyde's 15–28 start.[3](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html) For 2026 the Orioles hired Craig Albernaz, the 43-year-old Guardians associate manager long viewed as a manager in waiting, to his first MLB managerial job. Donnie Ecker came in as bench coach and Dustin Lind as hitting coach, while pitching coach Drew French returned for a third season.[3](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html)
The rotation was the offseason question: Baltimore had not replaced Corbin Burnes at the top of its staff and was tied to free-agent starters Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez as often as any team through the winter.[3](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html)
## Season summary
The season was defined by two stretches. Through late July the Orioles were in the race: a 15–8 July (.652) that included a seven-game winning streak from July 9 to 19, the team's longest of the year,[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) left them 54–58 but only 2.5 games from the third AL wild card at the trade deadline.[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline) A standings snapshot in early September had them at 74–73 (.503), 1.5 games from a playoff position.[7](https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/team/baltimore-orioles-73/2026)
September ended the pursuit. A six-game losing streak from September 1 to 6, including 1–0 and 5–0 shutout losses to Boston,[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) • [7](https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/team/baltimore-orioles-73/2026) dropped Baltimore four games from the final wild card, with Baseball-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) giving them a 4.4% postseason chance.[8](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/70397/the-2026-orioles-are-officially-a-failure) The month finished at 3–9 (.250).[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) By late September the club was 75–79 with eight games left and set to miss the postseason for a second straight year;[9](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/mike-elias-orioles-craig-albernaz-future-plans-QLTT5IDUINDARC6XJR4K5AVT24/) a 6–5, ten-inning loss to [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee) on September 18 had already dropped them to that mark.[10](https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/bal) The team went 36–39 at home and 36–39 on the road on the Baseball-Reference log, matching its 72–78 record there.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml)
## The trade deadline sell-off
Despite the wild-card proximity, the front office sold for a second consecutive July. [Adley Rutschman](https://www.edgepedia.org/adley-rutschman) went to the [Boston Red Sox](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-red-sox), Tyler Wells to the Rays, Dean Kremer to the Twins, and Taylor Ward to the Mariners.[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline) In the Rutschman deal, Baltimore received catcher [Carlos Narváez](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlos-narvaez), minor-league right-handed starters Anthony Eyanson (21) and Kyson Witherspoon (21), and outfielder Enddy Azocar (19), while sending catcher Jake Rogers and cash to Boston.[11](https://www.baltimorebaseball.com/sports/orioles-mlb/2026/08/03/report-orioles-trading-adley-rutschman-red-sox-richdubroff/) Rutschman, 28, was the first overall pick of the 2019 draft and Mike Elias's first selection as Orioles executive.[11](https://www.baltimorebaseball.com/sports/orioles-mlb/2026/08/03/report-orioles-trading-adley-rutschman-red-sox-richdubroff/) Rutschman, Wells, and Kremer were all eligible for free agency after 2027; Ward was on an expiring contract.[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline)
Elias said the Orioles were not dismantled and would keep playing for the postseason in 2026, retaining [Pete Alonso](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-alonso), Samuel Basallo, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Colton Cowser under long-term deals or club control.[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline)
## Roster and player performance
**Pete Alonso was the offensive anchor.** In his first Baltimore season the first baseman hit 27 home runs with a .843 OPS, a 137 OPS+, and 3.3 WAR in 123 games.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) Around him, the young core regressed. [Gunnar Henderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gunnar-henderson) batted .221/.303/.402 with 20 home runs in 122 games; [Jackson Holliday](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackson-holliday) hit .240/.339/.377 with 6 home runs in 71 games; Colton Cowser hit .214/.316/.351 with 10 home runs in 109 games.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) Samuel Basallo was a partial bright spot at .241/.305/.450 with 16 home runs in 86 games.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) Adley Rutschman hit .251/.331/.433 with 8 home runs in 67 games before the trade.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml)
**The pitching staff split cleanly.** The rotation emerged as a first-half strength despite injuries to Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, and Bassitt, with Shane Baz leading the team in quality starts (10) and stringing together five straight.[12](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/orioles-starting-rotation-analysis-first-half-2COBARRARZBIJJAGVD33HEDIHQ/) The bullpen was strong in aggregate, producing 5.0 fWAR (seventh in MLB) with top-10 rankings in ERA (3.91), xERA (3.65), and FIP (3.81),[8](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/70397/the-2026-orioles-are-officially-a-failure) but it failed at one specific job: Baltimore ranked 29th in MLB in left-handed reliever ERA, with opposing hitters slashing .286/.358/.439 against its lefty options, and the defense ranked among the league's worst by both DRS and OAA.[13](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/67818/why-are-the-orioles-losing-so-many-close-games-late) The club expects fully healthy Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley in 2027.[8](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/70397/the-2026-orioles-are-officially-a-failure)
## By the numbers
Baseball-Reference's log credits the team with 672 runs scored and 707 allowed and a .480 winning percentage,[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) with a team batting average of .234 and a 4.14 team ERA across 162 games on StatPro's log.[1](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/schedule) The offense ranked 15th in MLB in runs scored, 11th in home runs, 26th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging.[8](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/70397/the-2026-orioles-are-officially-a-failure) The team was shut out six times and compiled 32 comeback wins, 5 walkoff wins, and 6 walkoff losses.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml)
Close games cut both ways. The Orioles were 11–2 when leading after one inning, an .846 winning percentage that led the [American League](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-league) against a league average of .733.[14](https://www.si.com/mlb/orioles/onsi/scoring-early-means-everything-to-the-orioles-it-must-happen-more-frequently-01kvtjz644wz) Pythagorean snapshots moved with the season: an early 58–65 estimate on 553 runs scored and 587 allowed,[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) then 72–78 on 672/707,[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml) and 74–80 on 693/720 in the latest team-page snapshot,[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) meaning the record tracked run differential closely by season's end even though it had outrun it early. The payroll of $217,666,181 ranked 6th in MLB,[4](https://thebaseballcube.com/content/stats_mlb/2026~4) a top-six spend that produced a last-place finish.[9](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/mike-elias-orioles-craig-albernaz-future-plans-QLTT5IDUINDARC6XJR4K5AVT24/)
## Attendance and the Camden Yards wall
Final home attendance was 1,738,799, 11th of 15 AL teams.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml) The ballpark itself changed again in the period. The expanded left-field wall of 2022–24, nicknamed "Walltimore," erased 137 potential home runs over three seasons, an average of 46 per year, with Ryan Mountcastle losing the most at 11.[15](https://www.mlb.com/news/effect-of-camden-yards-new-dimensions-for-2025) In November 2024 the Orioles announced the wall would move in 9 to 20 feet and be shortened by 3 to 6 feet for 2025.[15](https://www.mlb.com/news/effect-of-camden-yards-new-dimensions-for-2025) The current listed dimensions run 333 feet down the left-field line, 363 in left field, 376 in left-center, and 410 in center.[16](https://www.feverbaseball.com/ballparks/oriole-park-at-camden-yards-2) In 2026 the park indexed at 100 for runs and 106 for home runs, with a 110 home-run index for left-handed batters versus 102 for right-handed batters,[16](https://www.feverbaseball.com/ballparks/oriole-park-at-camden-yards-2) and Baseball-Reference's one-year park factors were 98 batting and 96 pitching, slightly below the neutral 100.[5](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml)
## How it compares: the fall from the 2023–24 window
The 2026 season completed a four-year slide. The Orioles won 101 games and the AL East in 2023 but were swept in the ALDS, won 91 games and a wild card in 2024 and were swept again, then fell to 75–87 and last place in 2025.[17](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/adley-rutschman-trade-orioles-failed-rebuild/) StatPro's year-by-year record shows the same arc: 101–61 (.623) in 2023, 91–71 (.562) in 2024, 75–87 (.463) in 2025, and roughly .488 in 2026.[18](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/history) Even this low was far above the rebuild trough of 47–115 in 2018, 54–108 in 2019, and 52–110 in 2021,[18](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/history) but the 2025 and 2026 clubs sold at consecutive deadlines, the 2025 club 50–59 and 7.5 games from the third wild card on July 31,[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline) and the 2026 club within 2.5 games when it sold anyway.[6](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline) By mid-July 2026 the team was 39–48 after a 9–3 loss to the White Sox, and Elias acknowledged the club was in "year two" of the decline.[19](https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-orioles-mike-elias-1978e0e931714f79991d0b2f825d6842)
## References
1. [2026 Baltimore Orioles Schedule & Results | StatPro](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/schedule)
2. [2026 Baltimore Orioles Schedule | Baseball-Reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026-schedule-scores.shtml)
3. [Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles - MLB Trade Rumors](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-17.html)
4. [2026 Baltimore Orioles - The Baseball Cube](https://thebaseballcube.com/content/stats_mlb/2026~4)
5. [2026 Baltimore Orioles Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/2026.shtml)
6. [Mike Elias discusses Adley Rutschman, Orioles' Trade Deadline - MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-elias-discusses-adley-rutschman-orioles-trade-deadline)
7. [Baltimore Orioles 2026 Scores, Stats, Schedule, Standings | StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/team/baltimore-orioles-73/2026)
8. [The 2026 Orioles are officially a failure | Camden Chat](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/70397/the-2026-orioles-are-officially-a-failure)
9. [Mike Elias anticipates returning at helm of Orioles, Craig Albernaz will remain for 2027 - The Baltimore Banner](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/mike-elias-orioles-craig-albernaz-future-plans-QLTT5IDUINDARC6XJR4K5AVT24/)
10. [Baltimore Orioles 2026 2nd Half MLB Schedule - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/bal)
11. [Orioles trade Adley Rutschman to Red Sox - BaltimoreBaseball.com](https://www.baltimorebaseball.com/sports/orioles-mlb/2026/08/03/report-orioles-trading-adley-rutschman-red-sox-richdubroff/)
12. [The Orioles' rotation is emerging as a strength as the first half ends - The Banner](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/orioles-starting-rotation-analysis-first-half-2COBARRARZBIJJAGVD33HEDIHQ/)
13. [Why are the Orioles losing so many close games late? | Camden Chat](https://www.camdenchat.com/baltimore-orioles-analysis/67818/why-are-the-orioles-losing-so-many-close-games-late)
14. [Scoring Early Means Everything To The Orioles - Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/mlb/orioles/onsi/scoring-early-means-everything-to-the-orioles-it-must-happen-more-frequently-01kvtjz644wz)
15. [Camden Yards new 2025 dimensions analysis - MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/effect-of-camden-yards-new-dimensions-for-2025)
16. [Oriole Park at Camden Yards · Fever Baseball](https://www.feverbaseball.com/ballparks/oriole-park-at-camden-yards-2)
17. [With Adley Rutschman trade, Orioles wave the white flag on a failed rebuild - CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/adley-rutschman-trade-orioles-failed-rebuild/)
18. [2026 Baltimore Orioles Franchise History | StatPro](https://www.statpro.io/reference/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles/2026/history)
19. [AL keeping Orioles in contention, but the fun hasn't returned to Baltimore - AP News](https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-orioles-mike-elias-1978e0e931714f79991d0b2f825d6842)
20. [apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/7b5cf9a688513008ffc7f9d190d3bd3e)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Baseball and related bat sports › Professional baseball in the Americas › MLB seasons and year-in-baseball chronology*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license