The Orioles locked up Kyle Bradish on a five-year, $90 million extension that runs through the 2031 season, according to a wave of reports from Jeff Passan, Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman and Mark Feinsand that all landed within minutes of each other on Saturday night.
Right-hander Kyle Bradish and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a five-year, $90 million contract extension, a source tells ESPN. Orioles lock up their best starter and buy out three years of free agency.
Passan had the framework first, and the rest of the beat fell in line fast. Rosenthal confirmed the money, Feinsand backed up the years and dollars, and Heyman noted the team itself had announced the deal was done. When four national insiders converge on the same number that quickly, it's as close to official as it gets before the ink is dry and the physical is cleared.
Source confirms: Deal is for five years, $90M. First with money: @JeffPassan
This is a bet on a pitcher who's already answered the question everyone was asking. Bradish finished 4th in AL Cy Young voting back in 2023 on the strength of a 2.83 ERA, then blew out his elbow the following year and had Tommy John surgery. He didn't get back on a big-league mound until August 2025, and this season marks his first full year back. The results have been solid, not spectacular, but the flashes of the guy who was a legitimate ace two years ago are clearly there, and Baltimore decided that was enough to commit through 2031.
The structure of the deal is the real story. It buys out Bradish's last two years of arbitration and then covers what would've been his first three years of free agency, meaning the Orioles are paying now to avoid a bidding war down the road for a pitcher who, health permitting, has front-of-rotation upside. It's the same logic that's driven Baltimore's recent extension spree, following deals with catcher Samuel Basallo and righty Shane Baz within the past year.
The #Orioles locked down Kyle Bradish with a five-year extension t.co/tWG5NEaJqB
For a franchise that's leaned on a stockpile of young talent to build a contender, this is a shift in approach: instead of just churning through cheap, controllable years and letting arms walk in free agency, the Orioles are now paying to keep the ones who matter. Bradish getting hurt right after his breakout season is exactly the kind of risk that usually scares teams off long-term deals for pitchers. Baltimore looked at the medicals, the early returns post-surgery, and decided the reward outweighed it.
The next thing to watch is whether this is the first domino or the last for a while. Baltimore's front office has shown it's willing to write nine-figure checks to keep its core together, and with Bradish now under contract through 2031, the rest of that young rotation and lineup knows exactly what kind of commitment is on the table if they perform.