Early Baltimore Orioles Lineup Projection Sees Team Landing Veteran Ace

The Batlimore Orioles need an ace to lead their rotation, and the first lineup projection for next year has them landing one.

Oct 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried (54) throws during the first inning of game two in the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles stand in a precarious position with the way that their roster is currently constructed.

The offense is one of the best in Major League Baseball and looks to only get better as their young core takes another step forward in their development for 2025. But pitching staff is in dire need of an upgrade, especially if the club does not re-sign starter Corbin Burnes.

The Orioles are in luck this winter, as there are other aces on the market, though it is a top-heavy position.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter projected the 2025 Opening Day lineups for each team, and he has Baltimore landing one of the aces that are available on the market.

Here is how Reuter's lineup projection looks:

CF Cedric Mullins
C Adley Rutschman
SS Gunnar Henderson
1B Ryan Mountcastle
DH Ryan O'Hearn
3B Jordan Westburg
LF Colton Cowser
RF Heston Kjerstad
2B Jackson Holliday
SP Max Fried

"The O's will have a ton of competition in their pursuit to re-sign ace Corbin Burnes, and if they are unable to bring him back, they will need to move quickly to find a suitable replacement to anchor the staff," writes Reuter. "Max Fried, Blake Snell, Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea and Nathan Eovaldi are among the other top-of-the-rotation-caliber arms on the market."

While Reuter is much more optimistic in his view of the pitching market and how many top of the rotation arms are available, that could be seen as good news for the Orioles, especialy when it comes acquiring Fried.

The veteran's profile is a spectacular fit for Orioles Park at Camden Yards, and he does not break the bank in the process.

Fried's success throughout his career has flown under the radar so much that Spotrac projects the ace to land a deal around six-years, $163 million for an AAV of $22.7 million, when he is worth much more than that.

Fried has pitched to a 3.07 ERA across 884 1/3 innings in his career with 863 strikeouts and a 140 ERA+ in 168 games (151 starts).

What the veteran lacks in strikeout ability, he more than makes up for in his ground ball-inducing repertoire with a 53.7 percent ground ball rate across his career, and a 58.1 percent rate across the last two seasons.

Fried would be a fantastic fit atop Baltimore's rotation, helping incumbents Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, and Dean Kremer by taking some of the pressure off of them and becoming one of the more consistent rotations in the sport. Baltimore has two other starters that won't be back until sometime in 2025 due to elbow surgery. A move like this would keep the Orioles, and those pitchers, from trying to push too fast to get back.