Baltimore Orioles' Need For Elite Starting Pitcher Amplified by Injury News

The Baltimore Orioles may be in the position to have to pursue starting pitching well before the trade deadline this season.

Jul 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (30) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

With spring training underway for the Baltimore Orioles, they haven’t received good news on the injury front with the start of the season right around the corner. 

This winter, the starting rotation for the Orioles has been highly talked about. Baltimore lost their ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency, and the team really didn’t address the need to replace him. 

The former Cy Young award winner was very good for Baltimore last year, totaling a 15-9 record with a 2.92 ERA. That time of production from the leader of the staff is hard to find, and the two signings made by the Orioles simply aren’t going to get the job done. 

While Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are fine veteran pitchers, they aren’t aces of the staff. 

Now, due to the recent injury to Grayson Rodriguez, this rotation is looking really worrisome heading into the new campaign. 

Likely due to the potential of the young right-hander, the Orioles might have thought that they could get away with being able to replace Burnes with depth and veterans rather than spending big on a star pitcher. 

However, that decision didn’t appear great at the time, and it certainly doesn’t now with Rodriguez starting the season on the injured list. 

While the 25-year-old right-hander has shown signs of being able to be a great pitcher, he is still very young and is having a hard time staying healthy so far. 

In 2024, he was off to an excellent start to the campaign before his year ended early. Last season, he had a 13-4 record with a 3.86 ERA. It was a really nice step forward for the talented right-hander, but not reaching the 120 innings mark wasn’t ideal. 

With Rodriguez out, the team is going to be relying on Zach Eflin to be the ace of the staff, which they might have been even if he was healthy.  

The 30-year-old was superb after Baltimore acquired him last year, totaling a 5-2 record and 2.60 ERA. However, he has a lifetime ERA of 4.17 and wouldn’t be considered an ace, and maybe is a boardline front-end starter. 

With Rodriguez hurt, it will only further increase the need for a front-end starter in the rotation for the Orioles. 

Even though the free agency market has dried up in that area, there are numerous trade options that they can consider. 

If Baltimore wants to contend in the American League, upgrading the rotation has become even more of a need due to the injury to their young right-hander. 

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