Should Baltimore Orioles Pursue New York Yankees Hurler Via Trade?

The Baltimore Orioles could prove to be a nice trade fit for a starting pitcher from one of their rivals.

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

It's no secret the Baltimore Orioles are after starting pitching to try to shore up the rotation following the departure of their ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Burnes leaves with a massive power vacuum at the top of the rotation in his wake, and while the Orioles have made a couple of moves to address the need, more help could still be needed.

The high profile acquisitions for Baltimore both came from the free agency market with the signings of Japanese legend Tomoyuki Sugano for what will be his first MLB season at the age of 35 and 41-year-old veteran Charlie Morton coming off another decent season.

It's safe to say that neither Sugano nor Morton will fully make up for the loss of Burnes, but perhaps the Orioles can get away with an ace by committee situation rather than making a huge signing or trade.

Baltimore has been linked heavily to Dylan Cease, but what it would take in a trade package with the San Diego Padres, combined with the fact that he will be a free agent next year makes a deal for the righty come with a fair amount of risk. Perhaps instead the Orioles can add a quality arm for much cheaper on the trade market.

In a column this week, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the New York Yankees are "actively trying to deal" right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman and his $18 million contract. While the price is a bit steep for Stroman, it's a salary dump for the Yankees and the cost to acquire him would certainly be less than it would be to acquire Cease.

Stroman had a solid but unremarkable year in his first season with New York in 2024. Making 29 starts, he posted an ERA of 4.31 with a 10-9 record in 154.2 innings pitched.

This was coming off a surprising opt-out decision from his contract with the Chicago Cubs. In the 2023 season with the Cubs, Stroman was named an All-Star for the second time in his career after posting a 2.28 ERA over the first 16 starts of the season.

But things took a nasty turn in the second half with injuries limiting him to a 8.29 ERA in his final 11 appearances of the year. Seeing him return to health with the Yankees and the ceiling that he displayed less than two years ago makes him at the least intriguing if the Orioles are intent on adding more starting pitching and not giving up premiere prospects to do so.

Keep an eye on Stroman's market and whether or not Baltimore could get involved as New York continues to shop him around.