SARASOTA, Fla. — The Orioles have not closed the door on additional acquisitions as pitchers and catchers reported to Florida on Tuesday, but president of baseball operations Mike Elias was noncommittal on that possibility and expressed confidence in the current group in camp.

During a video conference call with members of the media, Elias reinforced his belief in the pitching staff despite Baltimore so far falling short of his stated offseason goal of adding a top-end starter. When asked whether Elias would consider missing out on Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez, among others, as a disappointment, Elias demurred.

“No, I wouldn’t. I think we’ve put together a really strong rotation as it stands right now,” he said. Elias was particularly bullish about right-handers Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz and left-hander Trevor Rogers, but he did concede that Baltimore would remain open to supplementing the pitching staff in the days ahead.

“I think it’s a really strong group,” Elias said. “We’re staying plugged in with both the trade and free agent markets, as all teams are here as we ease into camp, so there’s still a possibility for external [additions], but I think our rotation is very strong and very talented.”

The best starter still on the free agent market is right-hander Zac Gallen, who has drawn interest from the Orioles this offseason. Right-handers Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt are also available. None of the three fits into an ace category, but each could boost the depth and raise the floor of the rotation.

There are as many questions surrounding the bullpen, particularly after the Orioles traded right-hander Kade Strowd to the Arizona Diamondbacks for utilityman Blaze Alexander. Elias said the Orioles were in need of Alexander’s defensive versatility, which made him a “very good roster fit for us.”

The benefit of having Alexander on the roster outweighed the cost of losing Strowd, Elias said, despite Strowd posting a 1.71 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings last year. Strowd was anticipated to be part of a Baltimore bullpen that performed poorly in 2025, with a 4.57 ERA (25th in baseball).

The Orioles added closer Ryan Helsley and reacquired right-hander Andrew Kittredge, but at this point, those are the lone introductions to a bullpen that will be without right-hander Félix Bautista for most, if not all, of 2026 due to shoulder surgery.

“I think we’ve got a very strong bullpen,” Elias said, “and I think we have a demonstrated ability with our pitching program and our pitching coaches to bring in guys from the outside, hopefully coach them up a little bit, and continue to improve players. So, I think the bullpen’s going to be very good.”

Projection systems are less optimistic. For as strong as FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projections deem the Orioles offense (31 WAR, third best), the pitching staff is projected to combine for 14.4 WAR, which is the lowest in the American League East. The bullpen’s total projection is 2.8 WAR, which is also the lowest in their division.

When the Orioles traded for Baz earlier this winter, they were excited about how he might look in the future rather than immediately in 2026. Baz underwent elbow surgery and missed all of the 2023 season, but he returned to pitch a full 2025 campaign and showed promise despite an elevated 4.87 ERA.

Baltimore appeared to place more weight at Baz’s feet Tuesday without the addition of a clear front-line pitcher. Elias called Baz an “incredibly talented pitcher” whose “stuff is as good as it gets,” and manager Craig Albernaz added that Baz’s potential upside is as a Cy Young Award candidate.

Bradish and Rogers are central figures, too. But Bradish has combined to throw 71 1/3 innings the last two years due to elbow surgery, and the demands of his first full season back will be something to watch. And Rogers, who wowed with a 1.81 ERA, will face the challenge of replicating that dominance.

Despite those questions, Elias’ public stance is one of confidence in the team he has assembled.

“I think this rotation looks good,” Elias said. “I think this bullpen looks good. And I think we have a really talented position player core and this is a team that is very capable of going where we want to go, which is deep in the playoffs.”