The Orioles opted to keep several of their veteran players Monday by exercising the options in their contracts for the 2025 season. In doing so, Baltimore kept one of its most reliable middle-of-the-order bats as well as two key bullpen arms.

They made one surprising decision, however, by declining the $4 million option for left-hander Danny Coulombe. Even though his season was shortened by an elbow injury, Coulombe was one of the most reliable southpaws in baseball. He finished with a 2.12 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 33 games. By declining the option, the 35-year-old will become a free agent; he could still re-sign with the Orioles.

Baltimore did elect to pick up the options for first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, left-hander Cionel Pérez and right-hander Seranthony Domínguez. O’Hearn and Domínguez will each earn $8 million in 2025 and for Pérez, his $2.2 million deal avoids arbitration. O’Hearn and Domínguez would have been free agents.

The Orioles made one option decision Saturday, declining the $16.5 million contract for designated hitter Eloy Jiménez in favor of a $3 million buyout. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Jiménez arrived ahead of the trade deadline from the Chicago White Sox in a deal that included cash to cover part of his remaining salary while in Baltimore. He never regained the slugging success of earlier in his career and finished his stint with the Orioles with a .586 OPS.

The four remaining option decisions were less clear-cut but brought contributors back to the club. While Pérez’s ERA elevated to 4.53 in 2024, he didn’t allow a home run in his 53 2/3 innings. Pérez is still under team control through 2027.

O’Hearn has experienced a major career turnaround in Baltimore. The Orioles acquired O’Hearn ahead of the 2023 season, and despite not making the opening day roster, O’Hearn quickly found a place in the majors that he wouldn’t lose. Over the last two seasons, O’Hearn is hitting .275 with a .779 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He launched 15 homers in 2024 with 59 RBIs.

When the Orioles added Domínguez at the trade deadline from the Philadelphia Phillies, a benefit was that he had previous closing experience and would be under team control for an additional year. As right-hander Craig Kimbrel struggled down the stretch, Domínguez filled in and earned 10 saves. The 29-year-old posted a 3.97 ERA in Baltimore.

But to waive Coulombe is an eyebrow-raiser. Since arriving with the Orioles in 2023, Coulombe has pitched 81 innings with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He is, however, coming off a season in which he missed significant time because of an elbow surgery in mid-June to remove bone chips.

The Orioles also extended qualifying offers worth $21.05 million to right-hander Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander.

Santander and Burnes have until Nov. 19 to decide whether to accept or decline the offer, which is worth $21.05 million for one year. Should they decline the offer, it doesn’t preclude them from returning to Baltimore as a free agent signing.

Waiver claims

During a busy day to determine whether to keep players in the organization, the Orioles also looked elsewhere for additions. Baltimore announced it had claimed catcher René Pinto from the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Thaddeus Ward from the Washington Nationals.

Meanwhile, right-hander Matt Bowman elected to become a free agent rather than accept his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. The late-season addition pitched well in his brief time for the Orioles, with a 3.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.

Pinto has appeared in 82 games for Tampa Bay across three seasons, with a combined .231 average and 10 homers. Ward, a former Rule 5 draft pick for Washington, struggled in 35 1/3 innings in 2023, with a 6.37 ERA. He held a 5.64 ERA at Triple-A Rochester this season across 28 starts.