BALTIMORE -- When Shane Baz throws his first pitch to Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman early in Spring Training next month, it won’t be the first time they’ve been paired as batterymates. The new Baltimore teammates have a history -- a successful, albeit brief, one.
On July 11, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver, Rutschman caught Baz in the second inning of that year’s MLB All-Star Futures Game. At the time, it was a pair of future American League East rivals -- Rutschman with the O’s, Baz with the Rays -- working in tandem in a sizable spotlight.
Baz enjoyed the experience -- mostly because he notched two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning.
“It went really well,” Baz said with a grin while recalling the memory during a Zoom call with Baltimore media on Friday afternoon. “So, I'm excited to pick up from there. It was like five years ago. But I feel like just in that one inning, I could tell the kind of guy [Rutschman] is, and he's just really working with you and busting his butt.”
Baz and Rutschman became teammates on Dec. 19, when the former was traded from the Rays to the Orioles in exchange for four prospects and a Competitive Balance Round A pick (No. 33 overall) in the 2026 MLB Draft. It was one of several win-now moves made by Baltimore thus far during its aggressive offseason.
It wasn’t the first time Baz has been traded, though it had been a while. He was only a 19-year-old Rookie ball pitcher when he became the player to be named later in the trade that sent Chris Archer from the Rays to the Pirates in the summer of 2018.
That experience didn’t help Baz too much this time around, as he wasn’t necessarily thinking he’d be dealt by Tampa Bay with three years of team control remaining on his contract.
“It’s always kind of surprising,” the 26-year-old Baz said. “You’re never really expecting it. I didn’t have any insight on it or anything like that. But I think the excitement took over of just being able to join such a good team, and I think what the front office is doing is really exciting. The coaching staff seems really great.
“And yeah, just the excitement took over, and I’m kind of just excited to get to work now.”
Before the O’s traded for Baz to bolster their rotation, they had swung deals for setup man Andrew Kittredge (Cubs) and slugging corner outfielder Taylor Ward (Angels). Baltimore has been active in free agency as well, inking deals with slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, closer Ryan Helsley, returning starter Zach Eflin and outfielder Leody Taveras.
The Orioles are expecting to quickly rebound from their 75-87 showing and last-place finish in the AL East last year, and Baz believes he’s joining a team capable of doing so.
“I think it’s just a team with a ton of firepower really all over the place,” Baz said. “I think it’s a really, really good opportunity this year to have a good team.”
Baz has a chance to be an integral part of Baltimore’s pitching staff not only in 2026 but in ‘27 and ‘28 as well. The righty stayed healthy and put together a complete season for the first time in ‘25, recording a 4.87 ERA in 166 1/3 innings over 31 starts.
The O’s believe Baz hasn’t yet reached his full potential. His high-octane fastball (which can hit 100-plus mph) is part of a five-pitch mix that offers reason for optimism in the future.
Baz’s home/road splits are also a key component of his 2025 numbers. He posted a 5.90 ERA in 16 starts at George M. Steinbrenner Field -- the Yankees’ hitter-friendly Spring Training ballpark that served as the Rays’ temporary home -- and had a 3.86 ERA in 15 road outings.
“I’m never going to make an excuse, and I’ll never blame my performance on something or blame a bad game on something,” Baz said. “I just had a few rough starts there, and I think that was kind of it. It’s going to be really, really cool to have Camden [Yards] and calling that my home park. Not just the park, but the fans and the history there and stuff like that, I think, is going to be really, really cool.”