Insider Claims Reunion Between Baltimore Orioles and Former Pitcher Is Unlikely

The Baltimore Orioles have been seen as a contender to bring back a former pitcher who is now a free agent, but one insider says don't count on it.

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The Baltimore Orioles are in major need of starting pitching help at the top of the rotation following the departure of Corbin Burnes on a $200 million+ deal to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While Burnes was with the Orioles for just one year after being acquired via trade last offseason, he immediately became the ace they needed, and a power vacuum exists in his place now that he's gone.

Baltimore has some solid players on the staff including Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, and new signee, Japanese legend Tomoyuki Sugano. However, there's no true ace in the role that Burnes fit so seamlessly.

With most of the elite free agents off the board, the Orioles would likely have to turn to the trade market in order to land a legitimate bonafide ace, but the strategy of instead simply adding another quality arm makes sense as well.

Numerous folks have linked Baltimore to a potential reunion with Jack Flaherty after he spent the back end of the 2023 season with the team following a deadline deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Despite the reports, Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball said during an appearance on Foul Territory that he doesn't see it happening.

"I would actually be surprised if Flaherty came back to the Orioles," Dubroff said when asked about the team poking around on a possible reunion. "He didn't have a good time there. He was there for the last two months of [2023] and he didn't pitch well. If he's asking for a five-year deal, I don't know if that's something they're gonna be interested in, I think they'd rather go the trade route."

Dubroff is certainly not wrong in pointing out how Flaherty struggled during his time with the Orioles. After the Cardinals trade, Flaherty made 9 appearances and 7 starts down the stretch, posting a 1-3 record with a 6.75, a WHIP of 1.673, and an ERA+ of 61, all numbers that would have been the worst marks of his career extrapolated over an entire season.

Flaherty's tough run with Baltimore forced him to take a one-year prove it deal with the Detroit Tigers and he quickly became the hottest commodity at the trade deadline, ending up with the Los Angeles Dodgers and contributing heavily to their World Series run.

Now looking for what is a more long term and lucrative type deal than last year, there should be some hesitation from teams when deciding what they're willing to offer the veteran.

The fit between Flaherty and the Orioles is another question. The argument could be made that the last thing this rotation needs is another good, but not great, right-handed arm who has never shown the ability to be a true ace.

When it comes to Flaherty, Baltimore would likely be best served looking elsewhere.