Why Baltimore Orioles Should Look to Sign Quality Free Agent Reliever

The Baltimore Orioles have been having some troubles with their bullpen to start the year, and there may be an option on the market who could help right away.

Jeremy Trottier | Apr 5, 2025

Aug 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have had a hit-or-miss start to the season, with a 3-3 record through their first six games, and a mix of strong performances to tough ones.

This mixed bag can be expected from a pitching staff that was the oldest starting rotation by average age to open the season, and a relatively young batting lineup with players still working on development.

This has made for some fun games to watch like a 12-2 Opening Day win over the Toronto Blue Jays, but also some brutal ones to watch such as a 3-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

While the bullpen as a whole has been pretty strong, there have been some not-great performances, such as Felix Bautista giving up two runs and three walks in two innings pitched, and Cionel Perez giving up three runs and five walks in 2.2 innings pitched.

While the sample size is exceptionally small, it is something to keep an eye on as the team gets more reps in and is able to develop an understanding of who is worthy of remaining and who may need to be rotated out of the bullpen down the stretch.

Injuries can also affect this, as with many of their relief arms being 30 years old or above, they may suffer some setbacks if utilized too often in the middle months of the season.

So, it may be worth looking into a free agent acquisition who has a proven track record as a high-quality relief arm such as David Robertson. A 16-year veteran, Robertson has spent much of his career on different teams proving his value time and time again, and yet he remains unsigned for the 2025 season.

Whether it's a desire to only some of the season at nearly 40 years old, or he just has not been given an opportunity, it remains true that he is available either way.

In 2024 he saw no regression, as in 72.0 innings pitched he would produce a 3.00 ERA, 1.111 WHIP, 99 strikeouts to 27 walks (3.67 SO/BB), and only allowed five home runs across 68 appearances. For those who value wins above replacement, it was a 1.7 WAR campaign for him, and in his career he has accrued 21.7 with nearly all of his seasons being a positive value.

While adding him now may not be likely given it has been only a short period of time since opening day, he could be someone they look to add closer to May if they continue to have gaps in their bullpen.

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