Overview
- On Friday the Orioles declined Eflin’s $25 million mutual option for 2027 and will pay him a $2 million buyout, making the 32-year-old right-hander a free agent.
- Eflin left his March 31 season debut with right-elbow trouble and underwent Tommy John surgery on April 8, a procedure that ended his 2026 season and reduced his near-term availability.
- Baltimore also re-signed outfielder Rece Hinds to a one-year major-league deal while several pitchers including Trevor Rogers, Keegan Akin, Chris Bassitt and Andrew Kittredge moved into free agency.
- The club still must decide on team options for Luis Robert Jr. and Ryan Mountcastle before the November 2 deadline, and the loss of Eflin and other starters makes adding rotation depth a top offseason priority.
- The buyout and other low-cost moves reflect the Orioles balancing payroll risk on injured players with the procedural need to resolve options and qualifying-offer plans ahead of the league deadline.