The Baltimore Orioles prioritized their pitching staff during the 2026 offseason, making several moves both in their rotation and the bullpen.

Baltimore first signed closer Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $14 million deal in late November to replace the injured Felix Bautista. The Orioles also snagged bullpen anchor Andrew Kittredge for a reunion from the Chicago Cubs. Their big-time rotation acquisition came in the form of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Shane Baz, costing them three prospects, including outfielder Slater de Brun.

One piece that doesn’t get talked about too much is the return of Kyle Bradish. The 28-year-old is gearing up for his first full season after Tommy John surgery, making his debut late in 2025. His return could be the reason why the Orioles go back to the playoffs.

Bradish Is Already Established as a Reliable Pitcher

The Los Angeles Angels first drafted Bradish in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB draft. He pitched one season in high-A with the Angels, going 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA. Later in the offseason, Bradish found himself in a package to Baltimore in exchange for Dylan Bundy.

Bradish quickly worked his way up the ranks in 2021, tossing a 3.68 ERA across double-A and triple-A with 131 strikeouts. His metrics improved across four starts at Norfolk in 2022, with a 1.95 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 28 innings. That alone earned him a promotion to the Major Leagues at the end of April that year.

The right-handed pitcher really made his mark in 2023, pitching to a 12-7 record with a 2.83 ERA. His walk rate improved to 2.3 per nine innings, while only surrendering 14 home runs in 168.2 innings. While his strikeout numbers were average at nine per nine innings, he earned fourth place in Cy Young voting.

Kyle Bradish’s last 17 starts:

102 IP
2.64 ERA
96 Ks
1.02 WHIP

Kyle Bradish has been pitching like a bona fide Ace since May 12th… pic.twitter.com/SuGiL8y0DP

— Zach Bollinger (@zachbollinger18) August 13, 2023

Bradish took a big step in 2024 despite opening the season on the injured list. He had struck out 53 batters in 39.1 innings and only surrendered two home runs with a 1.068 WHIP. His season ended after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of that year. He made his debut at the end of last year, continuing his dominant stretch.

The 28-year-old is facing his first full season in the big leagues since 2023, barring any injuries. He’s currently listed as the second starting pitcher behind Trevor Rogers and in front of Baz per Fangraphs.

What Makes Bradish So Good?

Early scouting reports from 2019 for Bradish found that he didn’t really stand out aside from his curveball, which graded slightly above average. Scouts noted the vertical movement, but were skeptical of his flat fastball and command.

Sentiment changed in 2023, when he was ranked seventh in the Orioles’ farm system on Fangraphs and 10th on MLB Pipeline.

“Bradish is an imposing presence on the mound with a max-effort delivery that creates natural deception and an uncomfortable look, especially for right-handed hitters,” Pipeline wrote at the time, noting his changeup’s improvement and high 80s cutter.

Bradish’s success fell on his slider-curveball combination in 2023. Both pitches had batting averages under .200 and made up 70% of his strikeouts. His fastball was a problem, however, holding a .362 average with a slugging average just south of .600. Still, the combination acted as his put-away pitches.

Daily MLB tjStuff+ Leaders
2024-05-02
(Min. 50 Pitches)

1) Kyle Bradish – 107
2) Carlos Rodón – 106
3) Ben Brown – 105
4) Edward Cabrera – 104
5) Peter Lambert – 102 pic.twitter.com/cJjBEabDih

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 3, 2024

Between 2024 and 2025, his curveball did run into issues, jumping to a .429 average in 2025 but still generated 45% whiffs. His four-seam fastball was still ineffective, but he saw major improvement on his sinker, which held a .188 average. Despite having a lower break than average on the sinker, he still found strong success.

Even though it’s a small sample size, he does need to rebound on his groundball/airball ratio, with his groundball percentage falling to 34% in 2025. Weak contact is also a priority, only hitting 3% in 2025. The good news is that the movement of his pitches and location allows enough room to rebound without too much drama. A healthy mix of pitches, with his curve sitting at 13% and four-seam at 23%, also could also be strengthened if his fastball improves.

How Valuable Is Bradish to the Rotation?

The 28-year-old provides immense value to the rotation when healthy and could be a hero in 2026. There’s also a chance that he could be the unquestioned ace if Rogers begins to struggle. Still, he needs to work on developing his four-seamer into an effective pitch.

With the addition of Bradish back into the rotation full-time, the Orioles now have three ready starting pitchers for 2026. Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer are here until the team finds another suitable pitcher. Still, these three put them in at least discussion for another postseason run.

 

Main Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports