The Baltimore Orioles stole the spotlight from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings, and that contrast says everything about how far the franchise has come. Los Angeles still had a strong showing, signing elite closer Edwin Diaz to address its most obvious weakness and reinforce a roster chasing a third consecutive World Series title. But while the Dodgers focused on polishing perfection, the Orioles rebuilt their identity from the ground up. After landing in last place in the AL East to close the 2025 season, Baltimore left Orlando as the offseason’s true winner.
The Orioles didn’t just tweak their roster. They transformed it. After two straight postseason appearances in 2023 and 2024, Baltimore suffered a steep and jarring collapse in 2025. A team that won the AL East with 101 victories in 2023 and followed with a 91-win Wild Card season in 2024 fell to a 75-87 record last year, finishing last in the AL East and missing the postseason entirely. The drop left the Orioles a staggering 19 games behind the division-winning Toronto Blue Jays and triggered an aggressive response from owner David Rubenstein and the front office.
The shift began with the Pete Alonso signing, a five-year, 155 million dollar deal with no opt-outs or deferrals, the largest free-agent commitment in franchise history. Alonso hit .272 with 38 home runs and 41 doubles last season for the New York Mets, giving Baltimore a lineup-shaping power presence it has lacked for years. The message was unmistakable. The rebuild is over.
Next came the Taylor Ward trade, which sent injured pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels. Ward is a veteran right-handed power bat who just posted a career-high 36 home runs in 2025, and his arrival immediately reshapes how opponents attack the Orioles lineup. With Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman hitting primarily from the left side, Ward gives the Orioles a right-handed presence that disrupts late-inning matchup strategies and limits bullpen advantages. Even with Camden Yards’ deeper left field, Baltimore now has balance and thump, the type of offense built to withstand playoff-level pitching.
Then came the finishing piece, the Ryan Helsley contract. The right-hander joined on a two-year, 28 million dollar deal after finishing the 2025 season with the New York Mets. With Felix Bautista recovering from elbow surgery and not expected back until late 2026, Helsley gives the Orioles a proven ninth-inning option and allows Brandon Hyde to structure late innings with clarity rather than urgency. It is a quieter move that stabilizes the entire roster.
In comparison, the Dodgers’ MLB Winter Meetings story was about enhancement, not transformation. Yes, Diaz fills the late-inning gap that lingered through back-to-back championship runs. But Los Angeles was fixing an already dominant machine. The Orioles, by contrast, shifted from broken to dangerous in a matter of days. Context makes their week historic.
Still, the story is not without risk. Trading Rodriguez left the rotation thin, and the AL East remains ruthless. Baltimore’s path to October will depend on finding another starter — perhaps by dealing Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo, who now face crowded roles. But this front office has clearly changed its tone. The Orioles are done waiting.
The Dodgers won the week for efficiency. The Orioles won it for courage. And after the 2025 collapse, that’s exactly what Baltimore needed most.
