As the hot stove heats up, we’re going position by position to preview the 2025-26 class of free agents. We began Wednesday with catchers.

Are the Orioles done upgrading the outfield? Don’t be too sure.

On the surface, the Nov. 18 trade for Taylor Ward would seem to satisfy the O’s need for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, and perhaps absolve the failure of the Tyler O’Neill signing. But it leaves Baltimore with only two real center fielders: Colton Cowser, coming off an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, and Leody Taveras, who signed a $2 million deal at the start of free agency.

Dylan Beavers impressed in his introduction to the big leagues, but he may be more valuable as a trade piece to acquire a starting pitcher. And, if the O’s felt they couldn’t trust Grayson Rodriguez to stay healthy in 2026, how must they feel about O’Neill, who appeared in just 54 games last season?

Even if we remove Kyle Schwarber — he played just eight games in the field for the Phillies in 2025 — this crop of free-agent outfielders could yield more than one nine-figure signing. Here are five the Orioles could add.

Kyle Tucker, 29

It seemed like a pipe dream until The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal connected the Orioles to the four-time All-Star. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias was part of the Houston Astros’ front office that selected Tucker fifth overall in 2015, but is his affinity for his former high school draft pick enough to convince him to shell out hundreds of millions? Tucker’s left-handed swing, which has produced 134 home runs over the last five seasons, would be a good fit for Camden Yards. Still, this doesn’t seem likely. ESPN projected an 11-year, $418 million deal for Tucker. Elias has never even approached $100 million on a free-agent contract.

Harrison Bader, 32

Before the O’s swung a deal for Ward, Bader seemed like an obvious target. The 31-year-old wildly outperformed the one-year, $6.25 million deal he signed with the Minnesota Twins last offseason. Bader carded a .796 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and became one of the top trade deadline acquisitions for a Philadelphia Phillies team that reached the National League divisional series. The underlying metrics suggest he got a tad lucky — Statcast put him in the 10th percentile in expected batting average — but his defense in center remained elite.

Having a true center fielder could take the pressure off Cowser, who played through broken ribs for much of last season. But what would make Bader valuable for Baltimore is also what would make him valuable for most other teams. If the O’s want him, they’ll have to pay.

Cody Bellinger, 30

Bellinger, like Bader, made himself money in 2025. The 2019 NL Most Valuable Player was the latest lefty power hitter to benefit from the short porch in Yankee Stadium’s right field, mashing 29 home runs in his first season in the Bronx. Bellinger played all three outfield spots for the Yankees and played them well. He finished in the 91st percentile in fielding run value, per Statcast. Some team will surely break the bank for his services.

Adolis García, 33

García helped the Rangers win a World Series in 2023, crushing 39 homers in his age-30 season, but hasn’t been the same player since. Texas looked at his projected $12.1 million deal and his poor plate discipline — he posted an abysmal 5.1% walk rate — and chose to nontender him. But García still hits the ball hard, is a solid baserunner and defender in right, and won’t cost nearly as much as Tucker, Bader or Bellinger. If the O’s move off of O’Neill, maybe they could hand García some the money they’d be saving.

Rob Refsnyder, 35

This one is a wild card. Refsnyder, who will turn 35 in March, is a corner outfielder who has never played more than 93 games in a season. But he crushes lefties, registering an .826 OPS against southpaws in his 10-year career. The O’s attempted to solve their chronic issues against left-handed pitching last offseason, signing O’Neill, Gary Sánchez and Ramón Laureano. It failed: Baltimore’s .661 OPS vs. lefties was 22nd in baseball. But that doesn’t mean Elias will stop trying.