BALTIMORE -- On Friday afternoon, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias’ busy offseason of wheeling and dealing finally brought him a way to upgrade what has continued to be the team’s biggest need: starting pitching.
In acquiring right-hander Shane Baz in a trade with Tampa Bay, Baltimore added a 26-year-old starter with three years of team control and a ton of upside. It’s a move that should not only help the O’s rotation for 2026, but for multiple seasons to come.
But does Elias view it as the big move for a frontline, top-of-the-rotation starter that he had publicly declared as a top priority on multiple occasions?
“I think our rotation is a lot better than it was before we made the trade, but I view it as a move in this offseason,” Elias said during a Zoom call with reporters on Saturday afternoon. “We’ve been looking for moves and when we find one that we like, we’ve been doing it, and we’ll continue to take that approach the rest of the way here. We still have like a month and a half to go [before Spring Training], so we’re going to stay hard at work.”
Elias’ answer seems to indicate the Orioles aren’t done pursuing starting pitchers, which feels like the right decision. Their rotation is shaping up well, but there’s certainly room to make it even better.
Here’s how Baltimore’s starting-pitching landscape stands:
- RHP Kyle Bradish
- LHP Trevor Rogers
- RHP Shane Baz
- RHP Dean Kremer
- RHP Tyler Wells
Depth: LHP Cade Povich, RHP Albert Suárez, RHP Brandon Young
Is Baz the caliber of a No. 3 starter? He could be. He may even turn into a No. 2 or possibly an ace, if he continues to develop the way the O’s are expecting him to from here.
After an injury-plagued start to his MLB career -- including Tommy John surgery in September 2022, which sidelined him for all of ‘23 -- Baz stayed healthy and put together a full season for the first time with the Rays in ‘25. He had a 4.87 ERA in 31 starts, but his stuff (including a four-seam fastball that can hit triple digits) suggests he’ll only get better.
Baz was also much better on the road this past season (a 3.86 ERA in 15 starts) than he was at hitter-friendly George M. Steinbrenner Field. He had a 5.90 ERA in 16 outings at the Yankees’ Spring Training ballpark that served as the Rays’ temporary home, allowing 18 of his 26 home runs there as well.
“I think he’s kind of a perfect fit for us in our rotation and our team right now,” Elias said. “We see a lot of underlying information in his statistics and his performance this year to suggest that he had bad luck. ... I think he’s somebody that hasn’t fully tapped into his ceiling yet.
“So we see him as a front-end-of-the-rotation starter. I think he has a ceiling to tap into being a top-of-the-rotation starter. We’re not necessarily asking that of him in 2026, but he has that potential. He’s got probably one of the best starting pitcher arms in the Major Leagues, and he’s got really elite stuff.”
It’s undeniable, however, that the Orioles’ rotation would become more daunting if they still acquired a frontline arm to group near the top with Bradish and Rogers, making Baz the No. 4 starter and allowing Kremer and Wells to compete for the No. 5 spot. Baltimore also understands the importance of depth coming off a 2025 season ravaged by injuries.
The O’s have been linked to free-agent starters still available such as left-handers Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez. Pitchers such as Miami’s Edward Cabrera, Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Washington’s MacKenzie Gore have been tabbed as potential trade candidates.
The Orioles dealt four ranked prospects in the Baz deal, but their farm system still has trade chips after it was replenished via the 2025 MLB Draft and ensuing Trade Deadline.
Another added wrinkle: free-agent starters Valdez, Suárez and Zac Gallen declined qualifying offers, meaning the team that signs them will have to give up its third-highest 2026 Draft pick. For the O’s, that would have been the No. 46 overall selection, but they sent their Competitive Balance Round A pick (No. 33) to the Rays in the Baz trade.
Now, the Orioles’ third-highest pick is No. 83, which isn’t nearly as high of a cost. So perhaps that would make them more likely to pursue a starter with a QO attached.
It seems pretty clear that Baltimore’s aggressive offseason -- one that has featured the acquisitions of Baz, sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward and more -- isn’t over. The O’s could soon make yet another big splash.
“I don’t think the roster is a finished product,” Elias said. “We’re going to keep working.”