
Plenty of fans have given up on the 2026 Orioles, but the other American League wild card contenders have done their best to keep hope alive. There are only a few good teams in the American League, and they all happen to play baseball in the AL East. The Orioles are not one of those teams.
The Orioles ended last night four games below .500 and no less than three games back from the third Wild Card. It’s difficult to believe that this team is even somewhat close to .500. It feels like they lose almost every night. The whiplash of giving up on the team, only to get sucked back in by the obtainable wild card spot, is enough to drive any fan crazy. Losing Adley Rutschman, watching Gunnar Henderson struggle, and getting dominated by Dean Kremer is enough to make any fan start focusing more on the NFL or college football.
I want to look on the bright side, but I can’t recycle the same narrative about this team’s postseason chances. We’ve officially reached the point of the season when I’m dreaming on the potential of fringe relievers. August of 2019 called, and they want their storylines back.
Enter Cam Sanders. Sanders is a 29-year-old with 12 major league games under his belt. The right-hander was drafted in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs all the way back in 2018. He signed with Pittsburgh as a minor-league free agent before last season and worked his way up from Double-A Altoona to the majors. He made six MLB appearances and allowed six earned runs in 2025.
Sanders pitched to a 2.96 over 22 appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, but he failed to break through with the Bucs. Sanders made nine appearances for the Pirates and allowed nine earned runs. He was designated for assignment in early July and traded to Baltimore for cash considerations a few days later.
Baltimore identified Sanders as a classic high strikeout/high walk reliever. His high 90s fastball and impressive slider led to plenty of whiffs, but Sanders struggled to locate pitches consistently. The Pirates bullpen woes have been a big story in Pittsburgh, but Sanders couldn’t hang with former Oriole Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana. Sanders still holds two minor-league options, but the Pirates declined to keep him on the 40-man roster.
The Orioles activated Sanders and immediately threw him to the fire. Sanders responded by picking up his first MLB win and first big league save in his first two appearances. Sanders recorded a pair of outs in Baltimore’s 3-2 win over Houston and closed out a wild 4-2 win in 11 innings the next day. His reward? The Orioles optioned Sanders and recalled third catcher Sam Huff.
Sanders had pitched on consecutive days, and the Orioles needed another catcher on the roster. The move said less about Sanders and more about the current state of the team. The Birds would summon Sanders back to Baltimore less than one month later.
The Birds recalled Sanders prior to the Minnesota series and used him right away. Trevor Rogers did not have his best stuff, and Craig Albernaz pulled the starter after only four innings. Sanders entered and kept the Orioles in the game with two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, struck out one, and did not walk a batter. Sanders did not issue a walk in any of his three appearances for the Orioles.
Sanders averages just over 96 MPH with his four-seam fastball and sinker. His slider checks in just under 87 MPH. Opponents have hit just .143 off the fastball and .160 off his slider this season, but Sanders has yet to establish a third pitch. The sinker took the place of his sweeper from last year, and he’s mixed in a changeup against lefties, but neither pitch has yielded much success. There’s a place for relievers that only possess two legitimate pitches, but the Orioles would love to see Sanders develop a more reliable third option.
The Orioles kept Sanders around after he tossed two innings on Monday, and the team should give him an extended look down the stretch. Sanders joins a group of optionable relievers beyond this season that includes Anthony Nunez, Alex Hoppe, Yaramil Hiraldo, and Grant Wolfram. Yennier Cano will carry an option into 2027, but the team certainly hopes that the 32-year-old will remain with the big league club.
Cano’s age is a reminder that it can take relievers a few years to find their footing. Cano made it to the All-Star game during his rookie year at age 29. Sanders will turn 30 in December, but there’s little doubt that his best baseball is still ahead.









