Baltimore Orioles Not Replacing Ace Was Massive Surprise This Offseason

Was the Batlimore Orioles not replacing their ace the biggest surprise of the offseason?

Nick Ziegler | Feb 27, 2025

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes throws to the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning of a spring training game on Feb. 26, 2025, in Scottsdale at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have kicked off spring training and are looking forward to the start of a new campaign.

Last year, it was another successful regular season for the Orioles, however, they once again fell short of where they want to be in the playoffs.

This winter, there was a lot of pressure on the franchise to address the holes on their roster. Fortunately, new ownership opened up their wallets and allowed the front office to land some high-profile players, but they weren't quite able to bring in a star.

While the lineup might still be alright heading into 2025 without Anthony Santander, there is a looming concern about the starting rotation.

Baltimore has added some depth to their rotation, but hasn’t addressed their most significant need.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com recently spoke about the most surprising decision of the offseason for the Orioles being their lack of a true replacement for Corbin Burnes.

Losing Burnes is arguably one of the most massive departures this winter from any team in the league.

Baltimore made a great trade to acquire the ace in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers last winter.

In 2024 with the Orioles, he had a 15-9 record, 2.92 ERA and was the ace that the staff needed.

Now, without him or a true replacement in the mix, there is reason to be concerned about that heading into the year.

The American League East is shaping up to be one of the best divisions in baseball, and there are a couple of great pitchers within the division.

For Baltimore, in games against teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, they will be behind the eight-ball in terms of pitching matchups.

While the Orioles might not have replaced Burnes just yet, there is still time for them to get something done before the trade deadline that takes place in the late-summer.

Grayson Rodriguez is also someone who has to step up for the team.

The talented right-hander has shown stretches of excellence, but he will need to stay healthy and put together a full campaign of work.

In the trade market, there still seems to be a plethora of options that could be upgrades for Baltimore. As the season begins to shake out, the Orioles will be linked to any starter pitcher who becomes available.

Baltimore didn't panic this offseason when they lost their ace, however, if they want to win in October, they will likely need to find a front-end pitcher.

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