Baltimore Orioles Urged to Pursue These Top Free Agent Relief Pitchers

The Baltimore Orioles are being urged to look into three intriguing free agent relief pitchers this offseason.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes throws a pitch. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The MLB offseason is underway, but free agency has not started heating up just yet. Many expect to see the market start moving in the near future and the Baltimore Orioles are expected to be one of the teams looking to make moves.

After a strong regular season, the Orioles fell apart in the playoffs. They ended up getting swept and knocked out of the playoffs without winning a single postseason game.

Obviously, that is a sign that some kind of changes need to be made.

Looking at the areas that need some attention, Baltimore could use help in the bullpen, with catching depth, and in the starting rotation. All three of those areas need to be looked at in free agency.

Specifically taking a closer look at the relief pitching side of things, there are a lot of quality pitchers available. If the Orioles truly want to add an impact reliever, they'll have plenty of chances to do so.

Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports has suggested a few names that Baltimore should consider. She believes that the Orioles should target names like Tanner Scott, Clay Holmes, and Carlos Estevez.

"The O's can make a statement by signing high-leverage reliever Tanner Scott, who will have a surplus of pursuers in his free agency, with righties Clay Holmes and Carlos Estévez serving as other targets."

Scott would obviously be the top bullpen target that Baltimore could pursue. He is coming off of a big season in 2024, appearing in 72 games and compiling a 9-6 record to go along with a 1.75 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, 84 strikeouts, 36 walks, 22 saves in 24 opportunities, and 11 holds.

Holmes would be a great pickup and would also see them steal him from the division rival New York Yankees. He pitched in 67 games in 2024, racking up a 3-5 record, a 3.14 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, a 3.1 K/BB ratio, 30 saves, two holds, and 13 blown saves.

Obviously, he blew a lot of saves which would be a major concern.

Finally, Estevez was a quality bullpen arm last season as well. He pitched in 54 games with a 4-5 record, a 2.45 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, 50 strikeouts, 12 walks, and 26 saves in 31 opportunities.

If money isn't the biggest factor, Scott would be the obvious target. Estevez would likely be the best value player.

All of that being said, these are just a few of the options that Baltimore could pursue. Any of them would be a nice addition.

Expect to hear a ton of rumors surrounding the Orioles in the coming days. It's very likely that they will look to make a move in the bullpen and one of these names could end up being the answer to that search.