Can the Orioles Compete Without a Strong Rotation?
It’s no secret that when looking at the Baltimore Orioles roster, the strength comes from their young and talented lineup. Whether it’s former number one overall prospect Gunnar Henderson, who is coming off of a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him finish fourth in the American League MVP Voting. Or two-time all-star Adley Rutschman, who is looking to bounce back after a down year, but is still a consensus top-five catcher in the league with a promising 2025 season around the corner. From top-to-bottom, the Orioles lineup is not one to sleep on. The same, however, cannot be said for the Orioles starting rotation. This makes fans wonder if the Orioles can make a deep playoff run with their current rotation.
Mike Elias is entering his seventh year as general manager for the Orioles and has been a key part of his team's recent resurgence. However, after back-to-back playoff appearances with zero postseason wins to show for it, fans are questioning whether Elias and his apparent refusal to spend big on arms will ever result in postseason success. Heading into the 2025 offseason, the Orioles had a clear position group that needed improvement. Pitching. With that in mind, Mike Elias’s offseason has been lackluster to say the very least.
In the 2024 offseason, the Orioles acquired their first true ace in years when they traded for Corbin Burnes. Burnes had one of the best seasons of his career in 2024 when he made his fourth all-star game appearance, along with finishing fifth in the AL Cy Young voting. The only problem? Corbin Burnes was in a contract year. Fast forward to the 2025 offseason and the Orioles have lost their ace. Burnes put pen to paper on a lucrative six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This was a major blow to the Orioles rotation.
With Corbin Burnes gone, the Orioles are without a real ace again. This offseason, the Orioles’ biggest addition to their rotation came with the signing of 17-year veteran, Charlie Morton. Morton, who is coming off an average season with the Atlanta Braves, signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Orioles. At best, Morton provides a veteran arm that has experience pitching in the postseason. At worst, this is the year that 41-year-old Morton starts to show his age. Other notable names joining Charlie Morton in the Orioles starting rotation include Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, and MLB newcomer from Japan, Tomoyuki Sugano.
When you look at the Orioles projected rotation, nobody stands out as a pure, top-of-the-rotation guy. Zach Eflin, who was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2024 season will, in all likelihood, be the Opening Day starter. Eflin was solid in the nine games he started for the Orioles, going from a 4.09 ERA with the Rays to a 2.60 ERA after he was traded. Grayson Rodriguez will be the main pitcher to watch for the Orioles 2025 season. Rodriguez, in just his third season in the MLB, will be looking for a true breakout season. There’s no doubt that Rodriguez has raw, top-of-the-rotation skills, but he has not been able to put it all together yet. Hopefully, 2025 could be the year that we see Rodriguez bud into the ace that he was promised to be. The rest of the rotation is rather weak. Dean Kremer will provide a good amount of innings each start, but that’s about it. There is also no way of knowing what to expect from Tomoyuki Sugano. Sugano is entering his first season in the MLB after playing 12 seasons in Japan.
The Orioles are hoping for a third straight playoff berth. Anything less than that and the season will be considered a failure. The Orioles have built his team almost purely through the draft. However, the young core that has been assembled is only getting closer to free agency, and the Orioles World Series window needs to be capitalized on now. Going deep into the postseason can be challenging, if not impossible, without a strong rotation leader. The good news is Mike Elias has a stacked farm system to pull from if he is looking to acquire an ace through a trade, akin to the Corbin Burnes trade. Every pitcher in the Orioles rotation will need to step up this season, especially when competing in the formidable American League East.
