Orioles Decline Mountcastle's $7.5M Option as Former First-Rounder Hits Free Agency

The Baltimore Orioles have declined the $7.5 million team option on first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, ending — for now, at least — the tenure of one of the club's longest-serving homegrown players. Mountcastle, a first-round pick in 2015 and now 29, becomes a free agent for the first time, though a return to Baltimore in free agency has not been ruled out. His 2026 season was wrecked by injury: a left foot fracture in April limited him to just eight games, in which he hit .286 with a single RBI. That followed a 2025 campaign in which a right hamstring strain restricted him to 89 games. The Orioles also released outfielder Heston Kjerstad after he cleared outright waivers, as part of a series of moves ahead of Monday's contract-option deadline. Baltimore had already declined outfielder Luis Robert Jr.'s $20 million option on Saturday, paying a $2 million buyout, while right-hander Zach Eflin's $25 million mutual option was declined on Friday as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The moves underline how much of Baltimore's roster is in flux after a 79-82 season that missed the postseason.