Baltimore Orioles Should Keep Eye On This All-Star After Shane Bieber’s Injury

The Baltimore Orioles should take a look at this right-handed pitcher after Shane Bieber's injury.

Mar 29, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have had an impressive start to the season, especially when factoring in that John Means and Kyle Bradish are out of the rotation for the time being.

Entering the year, there was a clear need for an ace-caliber pitcher, and the front office delivered on that, trading for right-hander Corbin Burnes. Landing Burnes put the Orioles in a different tier, perhaps making them the best team in the American League.

Given the prospects that Baltimore has, there's a chance they'll be interested in another arm prior to the trade deadline. One the potential names was Shane Bieber, a right-handed pitcher who won a Cy Young in 2020.

Bieber, unfortunately, will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the season, a devastating blow to one of the best pitchers in baseball.

For the Orioles, they won't have an opportunity to trade for one of their top targets, but there could be other options on the market over the next few months.

One name to watch out for is Freddy Peralta, a right-handed pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers and Baltimore already did business this past offseason, so it wouldn't be surprising to see another deal happen.

Milwaukee has played well in the early stages of the season, going 6-2. However, they're expected to be a below-average team this season, and if that's the case, moving Peralta could be the right thing to do.

Peralta, 27 years old, will hit the free agent market in 2025, making it an even better time to trade him. He was an All-Star in 2021 and is coming off an impressive season that saw him pitch 165 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 210 strikeouts.