Reviewing Oriole options for a Basallo backup

During the early part of the 2026 season, the idea that the Orioles would be searching for another catcher in the offseason was laughable. The team seemed perfectly content with the combination of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo.

As the Orioles failed to become serious contenders, and the inability to sign Rutschman to an extension became obvious, they pivoted, and sent their overall No. 1 draft pick to the Boston Red Sox.

At the time of the August 3^rd deal, both Basallo and Rutschman were on the injured list. President of baseball operations Mike Elias said that he didn’t necessarily view Basallo, whom he signed to an eight-year, $67 million extension less than a year before, as a full-time catcher.

Part of the package the Orioles received was Carlos Narváez, who had finished sixth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2025. Narváez was a huge disappointment, hitting only .104 in 33 games.

Basallo, who caught 62 games, was fine in the first half of the season, hitting .248 with a .772 OPS, 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He suffered a right shoulder injury in the third game after the All-Star break, missed a month, and then underperformed. A concussion ended his season a week early.

In the second half, Basallo hit only .140 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

While Basallo has great promise and performed well for a 21-year-old in the first half, the Orioles need help behind the plate.

Let’s go over some options:

Run it back with Narváez

The Orioles have too many players who fit into the “wishing and hoping” for better results. Narváez’s offense (8-for-77 with one double and no RBIs) was alarmingly bad.

In his rookie year with the Red Sox, Narváez hit .241 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs and a .726 OPS. If he approached those numbers in 2027 with the Orioles, that would be acceptable.

Narváez’s defense wasn’t bad. He finished 22^nd of 56 catchers in framing pitches. Basallo was 52^nd, Rutschman was fifth. With the Orioles, Narváez threw out four of 18 runners attempting to steal (22.2 percent), which is nearly identical to the league average of 22.7. Basallo threw out 26.1 percent of base-stealers.

Internal options

The Orioles released Yohel Pozo, who rarely played in the two months he was with the team. Pozo hit .259 in 19 games, but he had only 27 at-bats. He threw out three of nine runners attempting to steal.

While releasing Pozo, the Orioles claimed Zach Morgan off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Morgan, a seventh-round pick in 2022, hit .248 in 52 games for Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento in 2026, with three home runs and 27 RBIs.

The 26-year-old threw out only four of 22 runners attempting to steal (18 percent) and has played 56 games in Triple-A without reaching the majors.

A year from now, it’s possible that Ethan Anderson projects as the Orioles’ backup catcher.

Anderson, a second-round pick by the Orioles in 2022, hit .288 with a .919 OPS, 24 home runs and 55 RBIs in 93 games at High-A Frederick, Double-A Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk. The 16^th ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline threw out 22 percent of runners attempting to steal with the Baysox.

Fan favorite Creed Willems, the 28^th-ranked prospect, hit .260 with 21 home runs and 72 RBIs with a .784 OPS in 113 games at Norfolk and Frederick. Willems wasn’t protected ahead of last year’s Rule 5 draft but wasn’t taken. Anderson doesn’t need to be protected until a year from now.

Free agents

There are three free-agent catchers among MLBTradeRumors.com’s top 50.

Ryan Jeffers is the ninth-ranked free agent with a predicted price tag of four years, $75 million.

Carson Kelly, who’s 33^rd on their list, could get a two-year, $20 million contract.

Tyler Stephenson, the 40^th highest-rated free agent, could get a two-year, $15 million deal.

It would be out of character for Elias to bid on an expensive catcher like Jeffers while Stephenson is considered an offensive-first catcher.

Perhaps Kelly would be in the Orioles’ sights.

There are other familiar names on the free-agent list. James McCann, who was Rutschman’s backup in 2023 and 2024, is again a free agent, but the Orioles haven’t shown interest in re-engaging with him the last two years. The 36-year-old McCann missed about six weeks with a right quad strain with Arizona this past season, and hit .282 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 51 games.

Gary Sánchez played just 29 games for the Orioles in 2025, and was William Contreras’ backup with the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

Jake Rogers spent a weekend with the Orioles before heading off to Boston with Rutschman.

Neither Rogers nor Sánchez, whom the Orioles paid $8.5 million in 2025, is expected to interest the Orioles.

One name who could interest manager Craig Albernaz is longtime Cleveland backup Austin Hedges, who has the reputation of a strong clubhouse guy. Hedges, a strong defensive catcher, hit .247, his highest average, in 78 games for the Guardians, but he threw out just three of 45 runners (6.7 percent) attempting to steal.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com