Baltimore Orioles Could Pursue Cy Young Winner Predicted to Hit Open Market

The Baltimore Orioles could go big-game hunting again this offseason by going after one of the best pitchers in the MLB.

Aug 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Oracle Park / John Hefti-Imagn Images

This past winter, the Baltimore Orioles knew they had to add a true ace to this staff.

Kyle Bradish proved to be a potential elite starter down the line and Grayson Rodriguez flashed late, but with those two young pitchers leading the way, the Orioles were overwhelmed in the playoffs en route to getting swept out of the NLDS.

So, they landed Corbin Burnes in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, and even though there was tons of celebrating going around, there was also the looming free agency that the 2021 NL Cy Young winner would have during the offseason.

In the past, there wasn't even a remote thought that Baltimore could offer a player close to $200 million-plus, but with David Rubenstein now the owner of this franchise, there is some hope the billionaire will give this team every opportunity to compete financially with other contenders around Major League Baseball.

If that's the case, then they very well might prioritize re-signing Burnes to a lucrative deal that would keep him with this team during their open World Series window.

However, they could also go after one of the best starting pitchers in the league.

Blake Snell is expected to opt-out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants after putting together a strong back-half of the year, hitting free agency again in search of a megadeal of his own.

Coming off winning his second Cy Young Award in 2023, there's no question the star left-hander is a better pitcher than Burnes right now, so with an open checkbook, the Orioles should also have Snell at the top of their wish list since all signs point to both players getting a contract in a similar range regarding price and years.

Of course, everything is going to come down to how willing Rubenstein and his group are to spending money on a high payroll with a couple of their young stars looking like extension candidates, and their slugger Anthony Santander also hitting the open market after this season.

That makes this a very interesting winter for Baltimore.

They have a ready-made roster that has been on the verge of taking the next step into being true World Series contenders, but there are also clear needs the front office has to address.

Adding Snell, or another high-profile free agent, would certainly help with that, but it all comes down to the finances like it has so often for the Orioles.