Orioles’ decision to tender Ryan Mountcastle The arbitration agreement was a surprise in November. The already odd fit became even more so when the O’s signed Pete Alonso five-year agreement at the Winter Meetings. Mountcastle hasn’t had a real run of form since that signing, yet he remains on Baltimore’s roster.
The first release would have been for the O’s to move forward with an arbitration hearing, then release Mountcastle during Spring Training. Arbitration salaries decided on the court are not fully guaranteed until Opening Day (whether the player wins or loses). Teams can release those players during Spring Training with a 30- or 45-day severance payment, depending on when they do it.
It wouldn’t be a good sequence to drop Mountcastle for more than $1MM, but that situation is unprecedented. The Giants’ decision to release JD Davis in Spring Training two years ago was encouraged by the Matt Chapman signing, which didn’t happen until they gave Davis an arbitration contract.
It seems the Mountcastle camp learned from Davis’s example. Mediation to hear salaries are not fully guaranteed during the spring season, however residential areas they are closed at the time of signing. Mountcastle and the Orioles reached an agreement in mid-January on a $6.787MM deal through 2026, with a $7.5MM club option for the ’27 season. Mountcastle’s salary for ’26 is exactly the same as last year.
That’s a smart move by his representatives, who were clearly aware of the possibility of a termination fee. Arbitration salaries don’t actually decrease from year to year, so the $6.787MM number would have been lower had he gone to court, but it wouldn’t have been locked in until Opening Day. With stability, he ensured that the money was fully guaranteed. In the trade, the Orioles picked up a club option that gives them free agent control for up to a year. They do the same with Ryan O’Hearn a few seasons ago and was rewarded when O’Hearn played well enough to make the $8MM club option an absolute fine.
None of this is talking about roster glut, though. It’s honestly hard to see a way where Mountcastle is worth close-to-$7MM to the Orioles over the next two years. Alonso never takes a day off, so Mountcastle won’t get the first backers unless Polar Bear is injured. They may split most of the DH’s playing time between their two catchers and/or Tyler O’Neill.
Holding Mountcastle as a bat on the bench is not good for anyone. It’s a roster spot that they can choose to use for a professional soccer player. They would be better off shedding salary and using more salary flexibility at the deadline. The player is entering a walk-off year and should welcome the opportunity to get more at-bats than will be on the table in Baltimore.
All of which makes it no surprise that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in mid-February that the O’s were still open to trades involving Mountcastle and Coby Mayo. There is little urgency in the recent exchange, who can fill the third place with Jordan Westburg facing an uncertain timeline due to an elbow injury. Mayo also has a minor league option remaining and could be sent down to Triple-A if the field gets too crowded. IO’s don’t have that luxury with Mountcastle.
Most of the trade activity is behind us, but we may still see a deal or two involving notable players before Opening Day. Mountcastle is among the most successful players known to be available. He is coming off a bad season where he hit .250/.286/.367 while missing two months with a strained hamstring. He was an above-average hitter in his first four and a half seasons in the big leagues. Mountcastle has never been a star, but he is usually reliable in winning 1-2 more than his replacement. He is a career .263/.312/.438 hitter in nearly 2700 trips to the plate.
Which teams might still be in contact with O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias?
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