Orioles' Star Pitcher Wins Salary Arbitration Case

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish has already picked up his first win of 2026.

It was announced on Tuesday that the O's right-hander, who is represented by All Bases Covered, has won his arbitration hearing against the club and will earn $3.55 million this season instead of the $2.875 million that Baltimore initially filed back on January 8.

Bradish is the first of two Orioles who were slated for salary arbitration hearings this month, with left-hander Keegan Akin also needing to settle his arbitration case with the team.

Kyle Bradish won his arbitration case against the Orioles, per source, as Associated Press first reported. He’ll earn $3.55 million in 2026. The Orioles filed at $2.875 million
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) February 3, 2026

The Orioles reached agreements with nine of the 11 players who were eligible for arbitration just last month. Among the players who already signed, the most notable were shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, and newly acquired outfielder Taylor Ward.

Bradish is expected to be an important part of the Orioles rotation this season, which was decimated by injuries last year. The 29-year-old was no exception, as he missed almost all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery; Bradish underwent the procedure in June 2024, which limited him to eight starts that year.

The right-hander, however, returned towards the end of the 2025 campaign, making his season debut on August 26 against the Chicago White Sox. In six starts, Bradish posted a 2.53 ERA with an impressive 47 strikeouts and 1.03 WHIP across 32 innings pitched.

Bradish is just one of several starting pitchers for the Orioles who endured injury-plagued seasons in 2025; Trevor Rogers was limited to just 18 starts last year after partially tearing his right kneecap, Zach Eflin made just 14 starts due to shoulder and back problems and Tyler Wells only made four starts towards the end of 2025 after undergoing UCL surgery that cut his 2024 season short.

As already mentioned, Keegan Akin was the other Oriole who failed to reach an agreement before the pre-arbitration deadline on January 9. Akin initially filed $3.375 million back in January while the O's countered the lefty with $2.975 million. A resolution has yet to be reported.

Despite all those talented arms returning from their respective injuries this season, Baltimore is still in the market for an ace for their rotation, with left-hander Framber Valdez still on the open market. Even though he remains unsigned with the start of spring training just weeks away, the expectation is that Valdez will sign with the Orioles at some point.

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