Good morning Birdland,<\/p>\n
There has been a whole lotta smoke around the Orioles\u2019 hunt for a starting pitcher this week.<\/p>\n
A few days ago, Jon Heyman described the O\u2019s as \u201cin\u201d on Zac Gallen<\/a>, alongside the Cubs and the Diamondbacks. On Friday, Heyman reported that the Orioles are also keeping tabs on Lucas Giolito<\/a>. All of this is happening while many in the industry still believe that Framber Valdez ends up in Baltimore<\/a>. And don\u2019t forget Ken Rosenthal\u2019s report from earlier in the month<\/a> that said Justin Verlander was an option for the team as well.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n All of this would seem to indicate two thing:<\/p>\n The Orioles are going to get at least one more major league arm in the near future, whether it is one of the names mentioned, or someone else entirely.<\/p>\n They want each of these pitchers (or maybe Valdez, in particular) to know that they have other options, so let\u2019s get this thing moving.<\/p>\n It is ideal for both the players and the team to have a deal in place prior to the start of spring training. Then they can have a full, normal preseason rather than playing catchup later on. Players that get into camp later often struggle out of the gate. Look no further than Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery in 2024. That could be the reason for the renewed urgency the last few days.<\/p>\n Valdez still feels like the far and away preference here. But there are worries. The 32-year-old is also going to be the most expensive, comes with draft pick compensation, and has some character worries after he seemingly intentionally crossed up his catcher Cesar Salazar last year<\/a>. And if he is holding out for some offer that isn\u2019t going to come, the Orioles may have to move on.<\/p>\n Gallen will also cost a draft pick, and he is coming off of a poor season. The argument for him would be that, other than 2025, he has a great track record and might still have enough in the tank to bounce back in a big way. It\u2019s a risk though.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Verlander is probably the most predictable of the bunch. You know what you\u2019re gonna get, and it\u2019s not bad! He\u2019s a veteran pitcher that knows how to compete. But he isn\u2019t the ace he once was, and there are injury concerns with an aging arm.<\/p>\n Giolito feels like a fallback plan. His 3.41 ERA last year over 145 innings looks solid, but his 4.99 xERA and 7.51 K\/9 are scary. Most of his metrics paint him as a below-average big league starter in 2025. So he probably isn\u2019t the \u201cplayoff starter\u201d the Orioles would hope to add.<\/p>\n All of these guys have warts. If the Orioles want someone with more upside and less risk, they probably need to look for a trade. But it\u2019s a tough time of year to do that. Spring training is nearly here. Most teams want to start thinking about the start of the season. They don\u2019t want to go looking for an addition to their rotation if they don\u2019t have to. So any big trades will probably need to wait until July.<\/p>\n Links<\/p>\n Rogers reflects on magical 2025 season | Roch Kubatko<\/a> Advertisement<\/p>\n Orioles Interested In Lucas Giolito | MLB Trade Rumors<\/a>
The Orioles\u2019 continued search for upgrades to their rotation won\u2019t matter much if Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish perform to the best of their ability. They have the potential to be the best duo in baseball. We just haven\u2019t seen them together for extended periods of time yet.<\/p>\n
Here is a bit more on the Giolito connection as well as the Orioles payroll situation. In short: they have flexibility to do something big. Giolito would not exactly fit that definition.<\/p>\n