Bob Nightengale reported Thursday evening that the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with right-handed starter Kyle Bradish on a five-year contract extension. The deal, confirmed by MASN Sports, was announced by the club shortly after Nightengale’s post on Bluesky.
Financial terms were not immediately disclosed. The extension locks in a key piece of Baltimore’s rotation as the organization navigates a 2026 season that has fallen well short of the expectations the club carried into spring.
Bradish, a right-hander, has been a fixture in the Orioles’ starting staff since debuting in 2022. He broke out the following year, posting a 2.83 ERA across 30 starts and emerging as the ace of a young rotation that helped Baltimore run away with the American League East. His 2024 campaign was derailed by an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, limiting him to a handful of starts before he was shut down. He returned to the mound in 2025 and has been working back toward the form that made him the staff’s most reliable arm.
The extension arrives at a moment when the Orioles need stability more than anything. The first half of 2026 was, by the club’s own admission, a letdown. Baltimore came into the year with a roster featuring Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Samuel Basallo, supplemented by veteran additions Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward — a lineup that looked potent on paper. Results have been inconsistent. The rotation has taken hits: Chris Bassitt landed on the 60-day injured list with lower back discomfort, and left-hander Keegan Akin underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-July, performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington.
Securing Bradish for five years gives the Orioles cost certainty and a rotation anchor they can build around as they sort through the turbulence of a frustrating season. The deal also signals that the front office is still investing in its core despite the first-half stumble, rather than pivoting toward a sell-off ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Nightengale, a longtime MLB columnist for USA Today, broke the news on Bluesky. MASN Sports corroborated the announcement with its own report that the Orioles had agreed to terms with Bradish on a five-year extension.
Details on the total value, structure, and any options or opt-outs were not available as of Thursday night.