The Orioles already have experienced catchers Samuel Basallo, Carlos Narváez and Yohel Pozo on their 40-man roster, but they may not settle on that trio in 2027. The O’s are “likely” to look for someone with higher offensive upside than Narváez and Pozo, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
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Baltimore started seven different catchers, including Adley Rutschman, this season. Although Rutschman earned his third All-Star selection, the Orioles dealt the 2019 No. 1 overall pick to the AL East rival Red Sox for a package that included a four-prospect haul and Narváez at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
With Rutschman set to enter his last year of team control in 2027, the Orioles clearly didn’t believe he would be around for the long haul. Conversely, they have Basallo under wraps through 2033 (with an option for 2034) on the eight-year, $67MM pact they gave him in August 2025. Then considered one of the game’s best prospects, Basallo inked his deal just a few days after he made his major league debut. Basallo went on to record a woeful 56 wRC+ over 118 plate appearances last year, but the number jumped to 95 (four points better than the average catcher) with a .222/.291/.406 line and 18 home runs in 399 trips to the plate this season.
The Orioles surely expect Basallo, who is just 22 years old, to continue taking steps forward offensively. At the time of his promotion, there were questions as to whether the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Basallo would eventually shift to first base. That probably isn’t going to happen any time soon, though, considering the Orioles paid a high price for first baseman Pete Alonso last winter. The star slugger excelled during the first season of a five-year, $155MM deal. Meanwhile, Basallo – who made 63 appearances at catcher, 34 at DH and 12 at first – was a mixed bag behind the plate. He threw out 26.1% of would-be base thieves, easily clearing the league-average mark of 22.7. Basallo was also credited with 1 Defensive Run Saved, and he held his own in terms of pop time (67th percentile) and blocking (73rd percentile). On the other hand, he finished in the ninth percentile as a framer, was worth minus-3 Fielding Run Value, and ranked 101st among 107 catchers with minus-1.9 Runs Above Average in ABS challenges.
Like Basallo, both Narváez and Pozo are controllable for a while. Neither player is on track to become eligible for arbitration until after next season, but it’s possible neither will make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. Both Narváez and Pozo have minor league options left, meaning the Orioles could send them down without having to run them through waivers.
Narváez put together a surprisingly decent offensive season as a 26-year-old rookie with Boston in 2025, when he hit .241/.306/.419 (99 wRC+) and swatted 15 long balls in 446 plate appearances. But he nosedived to .161/.241/.226 with three homers in 285 PA this season, and his output was especially poor after the trade (.104/.198/.117). That added up to a 33 wRC+, which ranked last among 318 hitters who amassed at least 250 PA in 2026.
Pozo, whom the Orioles claimed off waivers from the Cardinals in late July, only totaled 62 trips to the plate this year. Between the two teams, he batted .250/.258/.317 with one HR and a lackluster wRC+ of 58. The 29-year-old has a nonthreatening 76 wRC+ in 205 career PA at the game’s highest level. While Pozo has hit a far superior .316/.338/.536 over 1,450 PA in Triple-A ball, that production is juiced to some extent from his time in the offensively charged Pacific Coast League with the Rangers and Athletics organizations.
If Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias wants a better hitter to pair with Basallo next year, he will have some options in free agency. Ryan Jeffers will be the top catcher on the open market, though he’s going to be expensive on a multiyear deal and will likely come with a qualifying offer attached. Signing a player who rejects a qualifying offer would cost the Orioles their third-highest selection in next year’s draft. Cheaper and more realistic free agent possibilities with offensive credibility could include Tyler Stephenson, Carson Kelly, Kyle Higashioka, and former Orioles James McCann and Gary Sánchez. The Rockies’ Hunter Goodman and the A’s Shea Langeliers are big-hitting backstops who are sure to come up in trade rumors, but their teams are going to hold out for significant returns if other clubs come calling.
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