The Baltimore Orioles have officially extended frontline right-handed starter Kyle Bradish to a 5-year, $90 million deal that will run through 2031.
Orioles Lock Down Bradish for the Next Five Seasons
This deal marks a new era for Orioles baseball, one that consists of opening up the checkbook and locking down guys on the roster for the foreseeable future. It started with the Samuel Basallo extension a season ago, continued through the offseason with Pete Alonso, and is now into this season with the extensions of starting pitchers Shane Baz and now Bradish.
General Manager Mike Elias has been heavily criticized in past seasons for his unwillingness to pay free agents and especially his stubbornness to extend guys currently having success in an O’ uniform.
A few years ago the Orioles had one of the greatest farm systems ever seen, and with most of these players graduated to the big league roster, Elias was forced with the decision to strategically lock up Baltimore’s young stars, and what better time to do it considering the lack of free agents available this offseason.
Bradish’s Orioles Tenure
In his fifth season in Baltimore, Bradish is slowly rounding into form that had him top five in American League Cy Young voting back in 2023. The New Mexico State Aggie debuted for the O’s back in 2022, where he got off to a rocky start, posting a 4.90 ERA in 23 starts.
The next season is where Bradish really took that leap that turns average pitchers into elite arms and allows them to sign extensions such as this one. Across 30 starts, the right-hander pitched to a 2.83 ERA in 163.2 innings pitched, accumulating 4.8 WAR and 12 wins, while posting a strikeout/walk ratio of 3.82 and a WHIP of just 1.043.
It all came to a screeching halt in June of 2024, when Bradish suffered a UCL injury, one that would require season-ending Tommy John surgery and cut his continued success short. Although he made just eight starts, Bradish had a 2.75 ERA and had already accumulated over one WAR.
The former 4th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft wouldn’t return to the Baltimore rotation until late August of the following season, but he once again showed promise, pitching to a 2.53 ERA in six starts.
2026 At a Glance
Fans and media were expecting Bradish to have an immense role in the O’s starting rotation for 2026, and it looked as if it might be rough sledding in his first full season back after an April with an ERA of 4.26 and a June at 4.55.
But over the last 30 days, Bradish has lowered that number down to a 2.39 spanning four starts and has been a big reason the Orioles have recently clawed back into the AL Wild Card race.
Most importantly, the home splits look much better for someone who will be making half of his starts in Oriole Park at Camden Yards until at least 2031. At home, Bradish has a 3.20 ERA and is holding opponents to a batting average of just .187.
The Future of Big Deals in Baltimore
I am willing to bet that this is not the last of the long-term extensions that O’s fans would like to see the team offer up, and it should offer optimism to a fanbase so regularly disappointed with the lack of spending.
With Basallo, Alonso, Baz, and now Bradish signed through at least 2030, it’s now or never for Baltimore to kick it into high gear and be consistent contenders for the pennant they are striving to win for the first time since 1983.
Main Image Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
