Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Improved Pitching Staff Has Been One of Baseball's Best

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB and are finally getting healthy.

Dylan Sanders

Apr 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch
Apr 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles made a big swing this offseason when they traded for a new ace and, so far, it has worked out.

As Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly looked around the MLB to find the best pitching duos, Baltimore's Corbin Burnes and Kyle Bradish found themselves in second place.

The Orioles traded DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and a compensatory draft pick for Burnes back in February. In the former Cy Young winner's first six starts for the team, he's sitting at a 2.55 ERA

The 29-year-old is firmly in the running for his second Cy Young award and first in the American League. While he is currently set to enter free agency after this season, Baltimore should make extending him a priority.

Bradish has yet to pitch this season, but is coming off of a very solid 2023. After dealing with an elbow injury, he's ready to make his return to the majors.

He led the team in pretty much every pitching category a year ago, finishing with a 2.83 ERA. Through the 27-year-olds three rehab starts this season, he had a 3.97 ERA.

The now deep Orioles pitching staff has these two on the forefront, but two more starting pitchers that would be fighting for ace status on some other clubs.

Grayson Rodriguez continues to improve in year two. John Means has a lot of potential if he can come back and finally have a healthy stretch after a couple of injury riddled seasons following his 2019 All-Star bid.

Means is set to enter free agency with Burnes, but the new ace is likely to take priority. Baltimore should be able to keep three of these guys together for a couple of years as they try to take advantage of their stellar offense.

When healthy, they clearly have one of the top staffs in baseball.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders