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The Baltimore Orioles have signed outfielder Ramon Laureano to a one-year contract with a club option for 2026, the team announced on Tuesday.
Laureano will make $4 million this season with an additional $6.5 million to come if Baltimore exercises his option.
The outfielder comes to the Orioles from the Atlanta Braves where he spent the back half of 2024. The Braves could have held onto him for a projected $6.1 million in arbitration but Atlanta elected to non-tender him.
In 67 games for the Braves, Laureano hit .296 with 10 home runs and an .832 OPS — all major steps up from what he showed in 72 games with the Cleveland Guardians spanning the last two seasons. Those numbers are more on line with what Laureano showed earlier in his career with the Oakland Athletics before his PED suspension in August 2021. It should also be noted, however, that Laureano hit .380 on balls in play during his Braves tenure, well above the league average, as Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors points out.
On the other hand, his sweet spot percentage, per Baseball Savant, was 38.7% in 2024, the highest mark of his career. That coincides with a hard-hit rate of 40.8%, also a career best unless you count his abbreviated 2018 rookie season.
Ramon Laureano joins a crowded Orioles outfield
Even after losing Anthony Santander to free agency, the Orioles have a plethora of outfielders to choose from in 2025, even before adding Laureano.
The righty, however, does add some balance to a lefty-heavy lineup. Laureano has played more than 105 games in a season just once in his career. He is used to a platoon role, which could be how Brandon Hyde elects to use him.
The Orioles also added Tyler O'Neill to join an outfield corps that includes Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Carlson and Cedric Mullins. Prospects Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian are also knocking on the doors of the Big Leagues.
That type of depth, while a blessing for the Orioles, isn't necessarily sustainable longterm. Jake Rill of MLB.com speculated that the Orioles could use that depth in the waning weeks of the offseason to acquire additional pitching. Baltimore lost ace Corbin Burnes in free agency and certainly has the position player and farm system depth to swing a trade for a big name.
It should be noted that just last week, Orioles GM Mike Elias said the team is still “targeting improvements” to the roster.
