With pitchers and catchers set to report in less than two weeks, one of the biggest offseason mysteries in baseball remains unresolved: the Baltimore Orioles still have not acquired a proven front-line starter.
Teams across Major League Baseball have already made their marquee moves, including the Toronto Blue Jays locking up Dylan Cease in a blockbuster deal. Yet Baltimore’s pursuit of an ace remains painfully stalled.
While the Orioles have quietly been linked to middle-of-the-rotation alternatives, the absence of a clear No. 1 starter has triggered frustration among a fan base that had hoped this winter’s activity would push the club from contender to bona fide championship threat.
At first glance, the Orioles’ predicament looks like a simple case of sitting on the sidelines too long. However, the reality is more complicated.
This year’s pitching market has evolved into something of a free agent twilight zone, where even highly-respected arms are unsigned as spring nears.
Framber Valdez, arguably the prize of the free agent market, remains on the board, alongside other notable names such as Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito, Chris Bassitt and even future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
This is not because teams do not want pitching; it is because every team wants pitching, and the market for premium starters is extremely volatile.
Valdez and the Orioles have been linked for months, but the former All-Star appears to be holding out for a deal closer to what market projections set last winter, potentially in the neighborhood of six years and near $190 million.
Signing either Valdez or Gallen carries draft pick costs as well. Because both pitchers declined qualifying offers, any club that signs them must forfeit draft compensation, which could be a deterrent, especially for clubs trying to balance long-term roster construction with short-term contention goals.
Regardless, Baltimore’s rotation is not lacking talent. Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers provide legitimate high-end upside, but the club’s injury history and the underperformance of arms last season underscore why adding a front-line starter should be priority numero uno.
The Orioles’ brass seems to be weighing a shorter-term, higher upside approach. That strategy is why they have surfaced with interest in Giolito and others who may be available at a more reasonable cost.
Although those names would certainly make the O’s rotation better, they still would not be the needle-mover fans in Birdland have been clamoring for all offseason.
This freeze in the pitching market has a cascade effect. Teams wait to make an offer until they see others commit, agents hold out for competing bids and clubs with similar interests circle one another. It is a standoff that, until resolved, leaves the Orioles, and others, in limbo.
Opening Day is near, and every day without a top-of-the-rotation arm entrenches a narrative that the Orioles almost but did not quite get the big one.
What are your thoughts? Do you think the Orioles will acquire a front-line starter prior to the start of spring training. Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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