SARASOTA, Fla. -- Manager Craig Albernaz won't be naming the Orioles' Opening Day starter in mid-February. The new skipper is having an open competition for the assignment, one that is likely to be won by either Kyle Bradish or Trevor Rogers, the expected 1-2 punch atop the rotation.
"Are they the 1-2? ... Yeah, probably," Albernaz said with a wry smile on Sunday morning at O's camp.
Baltimore never signed or traded for an established ace this offseason. Shane Baz, who was acquired from the Rays on Dec. 19, has that type of upside, but the 26-year-old right-hander hasn't reached that level yet. Recent signee Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin (who re-signed with the O's on Dec. 28) and Dean Kremer are quality arms expected to round out the rotation, which could feature either five or six starters.
Maybe it would have been beneficial for the Orioles to acquire a frontline starting pitcher.
Maybe the O's didn't necessarily need to because of the potent duo of Bradish and Rogers.
Both Bradish and Rogers have looked sharp in early camp sessions, but the latter has been the talk of camp this weekend. After a comeback season that earned him the 2025 Most Valuable Oriole Award and a ninth-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting, Rogers picked up where he left off during his first live batting practice on Saturday afternoon.
Rogers faced 10 Orioles batters and struck out seven (five swinging). The 28-year-old southpaw's penultimate pitch induced a whiff of Heston Kjerstad, who was heard turning to catcher Samuel Basallo and saying how "nasty" Rogers' stuff looked. (Rogers then finished the session by getting Kjerstad to swing and miss again for a punchout.)
"Very deceptive. I wasn't ready for that," said a smiling Colton Cowser, who struck out once against Rogers. "He looked really good."
Bradish may even be ready to cede the friendly battle for the Opening Day assignment.
"I don’t know how much of a competition it is after that performance," Bradish said with a grin, as Rogers (who was sitting nearby at the time) smiled and shook his head.
Rogers struggled after being traded from Miami to Baltimore at the 2024 Trade Deadline, recording a 7.11 ERA in four starts for the O's and then getting optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. At that time, few could have expected what happened in '25, especially after he returned to Triple-A to open last season.
Yet, Rogers put together a remarkable campaign, posting a 1.81 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 109 2/3 innings over 18 starts to solidify himself as either the No. 1 or No. 2 starter on the Orioles' staff. Now, he'll be aiming to produce similar results in 2026.
"It would be easy to fall into that kind of [thought] pattern this year, just with the year that I had last year. It’s really not my focus," Rogers said. "I had a really good year, but anything that I can do to continue to be consistent for this team and help this team win, I’m willing to do. I just want to do my job well."
Bradish has always had the same mindset. It's led to plenty of success for the 29-year-old right-hander, who has a 3.47 ERA in 67 career starts (including a 2.78 ERA in 44 outings over the past three seasons).
But Bradish has made only 14 starts over the past two years, due to the Tommy John surgery he underwent in June 2024. So the O's will want to be cautious with the righty who has been their best starter (when healthy) in recent seasons.
"I think there’s going to be some innings limit, but as of right now, I’m full go," Bradish said. "It’s nice to feel like a normal player [in camp]."
"That’s where his feedback is going to be the biggest thing, the biggest driver," Albernaz added. "To me, it’s all about how KB is feeling and what our medical team and strength team is seeing."
In the past week, Albernaz has lauded the rotation depth assembled by Baltimore's front office. The first-year manager believes it's a group that could mesh well and get even better as it becomes more of a unit, which should happen as the starters push each other throughout the spring.
Whether it ends up being Bradish first in turn and Rogers second or vice versa, the Orioles' rotation could be powered by these co-aces, with a potential trickle-down effect on the staff.
"Man, I would put this starting rotation up against anybody in the league and we’re going to have success," Rogers said. "It’s scary. It’s scary how good this team can be, and I’m really fired up for this year."