The Baltimore Orioles pulled off a trade for pitching help but they shouldn’t be finished in this area.
The Baltimore Orioles have a chance to do something special in 2026 after adding Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, Taylor Ward and now Shane Baz.
Following back-to-back postseason appearances, the Orioles missed out on October last season due to injuries and inconsistencies, which saw manager Brandon Hyde get fired in May.
Now, Craig Albernaz has taken over the managerial role and is ready to lead Baltimore back to the playoffs and beyond this season.
On Friday, the Orioles pulled off a trade for Baz, where they sent three top 15 prospects in their farm system to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Baz joins an Orioles’ rotation that features Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich. But the team is still in need of a true ace to complement Rogers and Bradish at the top of the unit.
And Baltimore shouldn’t stop there despite Baz being a solid move.
The Orioles missed out on right-handed starting pitcher Michael King, who re-signed with the San Diego Padres on Thursday evening. However, Ranger Suarez and Framber Valdez are still available on the free agent market and Baltimore should be all over them.
The Orioles have been linked to both Suarez and Valdez for most of the offseason whose markets could potentially drop to shorter term deals if they continue to linger on. With Baz in the mix, the Orioles should pounce on one of Suarez or Valdez to create a stacked rotation.
Suarez, a southpaw, is coming off a season in which he went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 151 strikeouts and a 4.7 bWAR in 26 starts (157.1 innings).
As for Valdez, the left-hander posted a 13-11 record with a 3.66 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 187 strikeouts and a 3.8 bWAR in 31 starts (192 innings).
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias has built a solid rotation, but there’s still work left to be done in acquiring a true No. 1 starter to lead the group.
Baltimore is loaded with position players in Alonso, Ward, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo. So much so that they have room to trade a bat or two with Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo coming to mind.
With the Orioles fully stocked on offense, it gives them more runway to focus on continuing to upgrade the pitching staff this offseason.
