Baltimore Orioles, Ace Starting Pitcher Could Be Reunited in Free Agency

The Orioles are expected to spend on starting pitching this offseason and a reunion with last season's staff ace would make a ton of sense.

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The Baltimore Orioles are entering one of the most important offseasons in recent memory, and the possibility of reuniting with their ace from last season would be a step in the right direction. 

The Orioles, who recently changed hands to new ownership led by David Rubenstein, will be heading into new territory — a front office that is looking to spend to make sure Baltimore is a World Series contender. Although teams aren’t build overnight, the speed in which the Orioles are looking to ensure they meet their improvements will surprise many. 

With the team stepping into a new era, optimism around the ball club has never been higher. The new owner has gone on record to say he wants to "speed up the efforts" to bring a championship to Baltimore. As it heads into free agency, that means one thing — spending money. 

With MLB free agency open and the winter meetings less than a month away, the first big move could come down the pipeline soon. Could it be the Orioles that make the first big spash? If so, could it be a familiar face back in Camden Yards? 

Star pitcher Corbin Burnes, who Baltimore acquired at the beginning of last season from the Milwaukee Brewers has hit free agency. After a great year with the Orioles, bringing him back to lead the rotation seems like a logical and smart choice. 

Earlier this week, the Athletic listed nine potential fits for the right-hander as he enters his first free agency. The Scott Boras client will most certainly weigh all his options before making a decision and will definitely have plenty of offers. According to Chad Jennings and Sam Blum, the Orioles should definitely keep their hat in the race. 

“With their relatively cheap core of young position players, and their rotation thinned by injuries, the Orioles are obvious candidates to re-sign Burnes,” writes the Athletic staff. “Getting it done might be a matter of money, but general manager Mike Elias has said he has money to spend in the team’s first offseason under new ownership. He’s also said he’s in the market for a pitcher who can “lead” the rotation. Burnes certainly fits.

There is no doubt Burnes fits with the Orioles. He led the team back to the postseason, a second straight appearance for the franchise after being a 110-loss team in 2021. 

Burnes finished 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA. He recorded 181 strikeouts over 194.1 innings and was named to his fourth straight All-Star game. Although he wasn’t named a finalist, he will undoubtedly receive downvotes for the American League Cy Young Award. 

Even though the 30-year-old hit the market this winter, it doesn’t mean a reunion was ruled out. The Orioles have one of the best young cores in baseball and dealt with plenty of injuries across their pitching staff, with two projected starters set to miss part of next season due to elbow injuries.

Bringing back Burnes would help solidify the top of a rotation that could include some combination of Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Albert Suárez, and Trevor Rogers. Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are recovering from elbow surgeries.

None, with the exception of a healthy Rodriguez, has what it takes to be the ace of the staff in 2025. The Orioles' trade deadline this past summer turned out to be a disaster.

The team traded some of its top prospects to the Miami Marlins for Rogers but ended up sending him to Triple-A Norfolk due to poor performance. He could be in for a rebound year, but it would be as a back-of-the-rotation starter. 

With the Orioles willing to spend and Elias preparing to “cast a wide net” this offseason for starting pitching, bringing back Burnes would be a solid choice for the organization.