January 6: Both Framber Valdez again Guard Suarez remains a consideration for the Orioles, reports Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. The O’s have already been reported to be interested in both agencies, but that was before their latest stable of pitching purchases and before their $155MM signing of Alonso, so it’s notable that they’re still buying on the free agent end even after spending a combined $195MM in free agency and picking up another $26MM in trades.
January 5: The Orioles have made a few moves in the rotation in recent weeks but that doesn’t mean they’re done. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported today that the club is still looking for another starting pitcher, possibly through free agency or the trade market.
Adding to the rotation has been an obvious goal for a long time. Baltimore’s starters posted a 4.65 earned run average in 2025, which was better than six other clubs in the majors. At the end of the season, Tomoyuki Sugano again Zach Eflin they became free people, and continued to reduce the group.
Therefore, the O’s have been linked to a wide number of free agents and potential trades this winter. They made a significant move a few weeks ago, sending four prospects and a draft pick to the Rays Shane Baz. Last week, they brought back Eflin on a one-year, $10MM deal with a 2027 option.
If the season started today, the rotation would appear Kyle Bradish, Trevor RogersBaz and Eflin in four spots. Dean Kremer It can be a favorite last slot. Boys love it Tyler Wells, Chayce McDermott, Kade Povich again Brandon Young and on the list but have options and can be sent to children if everyone is healthy. Albert Suárez he’s back with a minor league deal and hope Trey Gibson it also hides as another non-program option.
That’s a decent team, and a team source describes it as “adequate” for Athletic. For a team looking to bounce back from a nightmare season, it’s understandable that they still want more. That is especially true given that it is difficult to rely on this arsenal.
Bradish recently returned from Tommy John surgery late last year and has only played six games. He started just eight games in 2024 before the surgery, so that’s 14 starts and 77 1/3 innings over the last two years. Wells is the same, having started just seven games over the past two years due to elbow surgery. Rogers was good last year but ended up with only 18 because of a knee injury. Due to a number of problems in his career, he never went past 133 innings in a major league season. Baz took the ball 31 times in 2025 and pitched 166 1/3 frames but that was the first time he had gone over 14 starts and the first time he hit the 80 inning mark. Eflin had surgery back in August. He recently said he hopes to be ready by Opening Day but that doesn’t seem to be the key.
Adding another arm would make things difficult if everyone else is healthy, but that’s great, considering the team’s overall record. Given the number of depth options, the O’s will likely be looking to look up other rotation additions.
Rosenthal and Samson are talking Framber Valdez, Guard Suárez again Zac Gallen as free agent prospects, in addition to trade candidates Edward Cabrera, Freddy Peralta again MacKenzie Gore. That appears to be a list of the best pitchers still available, rather than reporting to whoever the O’s are targeting, though the club has been linked to free agents and Cabrera and Gore earlier in the season.
RosterResource projects the O’s to be paid $147MM next year. They open 2025 at $165MM, per Cot’s baseball contracts. Signing one of the Valdez/Suárez/Gallen trio would likely require the O’s to pay $20 to $30MM per year. That will involve exceeding last year’s spending but not by much. It’s also possible that they can save themselves a few bucks if they trade Ryan Mountcastlenow that Pete Alonso signing takes him out. Mountcastle is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make $7.8MM this year.
Those who will trade will be less expensive financially. Peralta will make $8MM next year. Gore and Cabrera are worth $4.7MM and $3.7MM respectively. However, the O’s would have to send something of value to those other clubs in a trade. As mentioned, the O’s recently sent a large package of prospects to the Baz deal, which may reduce their desire to continue destroying the farm system with another big trade.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
