Loss of Baltimore Orioles Ace Could be Free-Agent All-Star's Gain

If the Baltimore Orioles lose Corbin Burnes in free agency, this National League All-Star could be seen as a suitable replacement.

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. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have a lot of important decisions to make this offseason after another successful regular season in 2024. 

Coming into free agency, the Orioles knew that they were going to have two of the best players from their team on the open market. Both Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander had excellent seasons for Baltimore in 2024, and they are set to make a lot of money this offseason. 

While losing Santander would have a big impact on the offense because of the 44 home runs he hit, this is still a deep and talented young lineup that is still improving. Even though they might not replace him with a power hitter of that caliber, they will have some in-house options, and can always explore the trade market. 

Losing their ace would be a much more difficult hurdle for the Orioles. After coming over from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, Burnes totaled a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA with Baltimore. He certainly lived up to expectations, but he might be a one and done player for the Orioles. 

As a free agent, the right-hander could make north of $200 million this offseason and be out of the price range of Baltimore. 

With losing their ace being a real possibility, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com recently wrote about the Orioles being a potential landing spot for left-hander Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves. 

Feinsand sees Fried as a solid replacement in the event that Baltimore loses Burnes. The left-hander doesn't have a major pitching award like Burnes, who won a Cy Young in 2021 with Milwaukee. But, Fried has been to All-Star Games and is a well-regarded pitce of Atlanta's rotation.

Despite being a good pitcher, Fried seems to be flying under the radar in free agency this offseason with pitchers like Burnes and Blake Snell getting most of the attention. The left-hander has been a quality pitcher throughout his career. 

With a 3.07 lifetime ERA, replacing Burnes with Fried wouldn’t be a bad trade-off for Baltimore if it saved them some money. 

Since it is a strong possibility that the Orioles will lose their current ace, having a few backup plans to replace him will be important. Baltimore must have an ace on its staff if they hope to compete in the American League East, and Fried fits that description.