Baltimore Orioles Ace Pegged As Top Available Pitcher in Free Agency

The Baltimore Orioles may need to open the purse strings if they intend on keeping their ace through free agency this year.

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If there is one thing that the Baltimore Orioles have been known for throughout the history of their organization, it is pitching.

From Jim Palmer to Mike Mussina and even Zack Britton out of the bullpen, pitching is what comes to mind when one thinks of the Orioles, perhaps only second to Cal Ripken and his iron man abilities.

While Baltimore's ace this season may not be on the same level as Palmer or Mussina (yet), especially with only one year with the team, Corbin Burnes has proved time and time again that he is the quintessential ace that can front any rotation.

Burnes is entering free agency this offseason for the first time in his career, and it is a stacked free agency class that the ace finds himself in, though more on the offensive side.

For pitching, the class is rather top-heavy before seeing a massive drop off, but that does not change the fact that Burnes is the best available starter on the market, with Keith Law of The Athletic saying as much in his rankings of the top 50 available free agents this year, ranking Burnes third and as the first starter.

"Among MLB free agents," writes Law, "he’s the only one with a case to be considered or valued as a No. 1 starter, even with some decline in his strikeout rate since his two peak years in 2021-22."

Burnes did not have the greatest of beginnings to his time in MLB, pitching to a 6.10 ERA across 87 innings in 62 games (four starts) for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 and 2019, but the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign sparked the onset of Burnes as a top-tier starting pitcher.

The ace carried a 2.88 ERA across 816 2/3 innings with 946 strikeouts and a 142 ERA+ in 137 games (134 starts) from the beginning of the 2020 season through the end of 2024, earning All-Star nods in each of the last four years and winning the National League Cy Young in 2021.

Though 2024 was not all sunshine and butterflies for Burnes on the mound with the Orioles, he did still finish the year with a 2.92 ERA across 194 1/3 innings with 181 strikeouts and a 128 ERA+ in 32 starts.

The ace proved yet again that he is more than capable of fronting the rotation of any contender, and will be quite the prize for one lucky team willing to part with their owner's hard-earned cash.