The Orioles added further outfield competition by agreeing to a one-year deal with Dylan Carlson, the club announced Monday. The deal could lead to an intriguing battle during spring training next month for a fourth outfield spot.
The one-year deal, which is a guaranteed major league contract, is worth $975,000, two sources with direct knowledge told The Baltimore Banner. It includes a $25,000 bonus should Carlson reach 200 plate appearances. The New York Post first reported the details of Carlson’s contract.
Carlson still has minor-league options, according to one of the sources, but the deal is not a split contract in which he would receive a different salary if he’s sent down.
The 26-year-old played 96 games last season between the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays. The switch-hitter batted .209 between the teams and showed limited power with a .563 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He can play all three outfield positions, which makes him a potentially valuable bench option or depth signing.
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To make room on the 40-man roster for Carlson, the Orioles designated infielder Jacob Amaya for assignment. Baltimore now has six true outfielders on its 40-man roster, and at least three of them can consider their place on the opening day roster safe: Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill. The other three are in for a competition for their place: Carlson, Heston Kjerstad and Daz Cameron. Ryan O’Hearn, who is primarily a first baseman, can also play in the corner outfield. Middle infielder Jorge Mateo is also an outfield possibility.
The Orioles signed O’Neill this winter in part to help replace Anthony Santander, who departed in free agency and signed last week for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mullins is one year away from free agency, and Cowser is coming off a breakout rookie season. Kjerstad, at 25, is still seen as a high-potential prospect who can play in the corner outfield. He’s not a traditional fourth outfield option, considering he can’t play in center field, but Mateo, Cowser and O’Neill can all rotate with Mullins in center if necessary.
Still, adding Carlson gives Baltimore a more traditional fourth outfielder if he does well in spring training. He finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 after posting a .266 average and .780 OPS. But Carlson has struggled to find that level of consistency at the plate since, and his defensive work last season left something to be desired. According to Statcast, Carlson ranked in the sixth percentile for his range, recording negative-7 outs above average. His average sprint speed is league average.
Carlson, a former first-round pick in 2016, hasn’t been an above-average hitter since 2021. Since then, his OPS+ (a metric in which 100 is league average for offensive productivity) has been 99 in 2022, 78 in 2023 and 61 in 2024.
Because of Carlson’s options, he’s a low-risk addition with a potentially high ceiling. Carlson does particularly well against left-handed pitchers, with a career batting average of .285 when facing them. He regressed in that territory in 2024, however, with a .212 average against southpaws.
In 2021, when he was a rookie of the year finalist (behind second-place finisher Trevor Rogers, who also plays for Baltimore now), Carlson showed strong plate discipline. He chased on balls outside the zone 23.9% of the time (74th percentile) and his launch angle was in the sweet spot — when the ball leaves his bat between 8 degrees and 32 degrees — 40.6% of the time, which ranks in the 96th percentile.
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