O's closer Bautista to undergo Tommy John surgery

BALTIMORE -- Félix Bautista will not pitch for the Orioles again in 2023 -- and he's unlikely to in the ‘24 season, either.

On Saturday, Baltimore general manager Mike Elias announced that Bautista is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister during the first week or two of October in Dallas. The All-Star closer is expected to be sidelined until the start of the 2025 campaign.

Bautista partially tore the UCL in his right elbow on Aug. 25 during the ninth inning of a win vs. Colorado. Initially, the Orioles maintained hope the 28-year-old right-hander could pitch again this year, as he threw multiple bullpen sessions earlier this month and a 25-pitch simulated appearance against a hitter on Tuesday. No further damage was done to the ligament, but Baltimore didn’t feel comfortable pushing Bautista into high-stakes action.

“We just ran out of time for this to be a feasible and successful option for the postseason, and it’s not making sense,” Elias said prior to Saturday's 5-2 win over the Red Sox at Camden Yards. “It became evident to us that this wasn’t going to get to where it needed to go in terms of his buildup and restoration of skill to go out and pitch in the playoffs for it to be worth losing more time.”

What this means for Bautista
Elias also announced that the Orioles have agreed to a guaranteed deal with Bautista for the next two seasons. He would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2025, but he has now already signed a contract that takes him through that year.

This will allow Bautista to focus solely on his recovery from Tommy John surgery and put himself in a position to return at full strength -- and back to elite form -- at the beginning of the ‘25 campaign. Baltimore did the same thing with left-hander John Means, who underwent Tommy John in April 2022, before returning this September.

Other than when Bautista gets the surgery, he’ll spend the rest of the season with the American League East champion Orioles, who are preparing for their first postseason appearance since 2016. He got to be with the team when it celebrated clinching a berth on Sept. 17, and again after it captured the division crown on Thursday.

“He deserves it. He’s a huge reason why we were celebrating,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “An enormous reason why we were celebrating.”

What this means for the Orioles’ postseason run
It hasn’t been easy for Baltimore to navigate the late innings of games without Bautista for the past month-plus. Over his first two big league seasons, he has emerged as one of baseball’s elite closers:

2022: 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 15 saves, 88 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings over 65 appearances
2023: 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 33 saves, 110 strikeouts in 61 innings over 56 appearances

“It’s a lot different when you have the best closer in the game, on the top of his game. You build your bullpen around that,” Elias said. “And we don’t have that anymore.”

The Orioles, who have gone 21-12 since Bautista’s injury, will continue to mix and match their late-inning arms based on situations and opposing lineups. They still have numerous high-quality relievers, including All-Star righty Yennier Cano and a trio of lefties -- Danny Coulombe, Cionel Pérez and DL Hall.

Baltimore also has converted starters Tyler Wells (a former closer) and Jack Flaherty to utilize as well.

“Obviously, losing Félix was a big hit for us. We knew we were going to have to fill that puzzle piece together,” Hall said. “It wasn’t going to be just one guy. Félix is a big part of us. We collectively came together and we knew we were going to have to fill that void, and I feel like we’ve done a great job doing that.”

Now, the O’s will have to continue doing so in order to make a deep run through October.

What this means for the Orioles’ offseason
Not only did Baltimore lose Bautista for the postseason, but it likely won’t have his electric arm available for all of 2024. Elias said the club is “not going to want to rush him” and is eyeing a ‘25 return.

Could the Orioles now be in the market for a closer this offseason in order to acquire a short-term boost for 2024?

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about that in the back of my mind,” Elias said, “but we’re so focused on preparing for the playoffs right now, it’s not something we’ve had meetings about or starting to look at that stuff. We’re laser focused on this playoff run.”

But when the postseason is over, Baltimore will need to seriously consider whether it wants to sign a free-agent closer to a one-year deal or find a potential trade partner. The bullpen is already solid, but there’s room for improvement to help offset Bautista’s absence.

As for 2025, the Orioles are confident who will be closing games for them that year.

“He should be back to being Félix Bautista in Spring Training 2025. So we’ll be in good shape there long term,” Elias said. “He’s going to get through this. He’s got very good health and work ethic otherwise. But, obviously, we’re going to miss the hell out of the guy.”