Félix

Bautista

This move was inevitable, as the 30-year-old hurler is expected to miss most of the 2026 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. It was done now though to free up a spot on the O’s 40-man roster for the addition of Bryan Ramos.

The deal is now official. Helsley, who can opt-out and re-enter the market next winter, takes over as Baltimore’s closer with Félix Bautista expected to miss nearly all of next season recovering from shoulder surgery. The flame-throwing 31-year-old stopper holds a sparkling 2.96 ERA and has converted 105 of 132 save opportunities over 319 2/3 innings since 2019. The move provides a significant boost to his immediate fantasy value as he faces zero competition for saves with the Orioles and boasts a lengthy track record of success in the ninth inning. He’s a borderline top-10 closer for fantasy purposes heading into drafts next spring.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo adds that the deal is for $28 million and includes an opt-out after the 2026 season. Helsley immediately takes over as Baltimore’s closer with Félix Bautista slated to miss most of next season recovering from shoulder surgery. The hard-throwing 31-year-old stopper has compiled a stellar 2.96 ERA and racked up 105 saves across 319 2/3 innings since 2019, and reportedly drew interest from numerous teams as a potential starter this offseason. Instead, he’ll remain in a high-leverage role with the Orioles. The move exponentially increases his short-term fantasy appeal as he faces little competition for saves in Baltimore and could re-enter the market next winter in pursuit of a longer, more lucrative deal. He profiles as a borderline top-10 closer for fantasy purposes heading into drafts next spring.

Bautista is not going to be an option for the Orioles until the second half of 2026 at the earliest due to his shoulder issues, but the right-hander is one of the most effective relievers in baseball when he’s been healthy enough to show it.

Elias also noted there’s a chance Bautista could miss the entirety of 2026 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. Elias noted that the Orioles are expected to target high-leverage options in the bullpen because of how much time Bautista will miss. When healthy he’s among the best relievers in the sport, but there’s no real reason to count on Bautista in 2026 from a fantasy perspective.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Baltimore’s 40-man roster. Bautista underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum earlier this week and will likely miss the entire 2026 season.

It was determined last week that Bautista had a “significant” shoulder injury, but this is beyond significant. The right-hander is expected to miss 12 months, which means that it’s likely that the 30-year-old reliever will miss all of 2026 along with the remainder of this year. It’s likely Baltimore will need to address the closer position in the offseason.

We’d pretty much written off Bautista for the rest of 2025, but a “significant shoulder injury” sounds like something that could be a problem in 2026, too. Before getting hurt last month, Bautista had a 2.60 ERA and 19 saves in his return from Tommy John surgery. The Orioles are using Keegan Akin as their primary closer right now, though that’s a role that could be in flux the rest of the way.

Bautista will undergo an MRI next week to determine the status of his recovery from shoulder inflammation that put him on the shelf back in late July. The 30-year-old closer could potentially be cleared to resume a throwing program, but he’s going to be racing the clock to make it back to Baltimore before the regular season wraps up. Keegan Akin remains the logical choice to continue handling the closing duties for the Orioles until further notice.

The trade is now official. Domínguez remains one of the more reliable setup arms in baseball and will bolster Toronto’s high-leverage mix in front of closer Jeff Hoffman. The hard-throwing 30-year-old has posted an impressive 3.24 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 54/24 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings (43 appearances) this season. His exit from Baltimore likely pushes Andrew Kittredge and Yennier Cano into the ninth-inning mix while Félix Bautista (shoulder) remains on the injured list.