Baltimore Orioles Should Trade for Former World Series Champ to Help Rotation

Here's why the Baltimore Orioles should trade for a former World Series champion to help their starting rotation.

Apr 17, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (45) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

As the Baltimore Orioles continue to struggle, the franchise must look to make some moves in order to right the ship.

This winter, the Orioles were heavily criticized for some of their decisions. With two marquee free agents in Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes, the franchise finally spent money this offseason, but how it was spent likely wasn’t the best.

Baltimore lost both of these talented players to other teams, and their replacements so far haven’t lived up to expectations for the most part.

Aside from Tomoyuki Sugano so far, the winter hasn’t looked very good early on, and the starting rotation has been a massive problem.

What has made matters worse for the Orioles is that their top two pitchers are on the injured list. Both Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez have been out for a while now and the team simply hasn’t had players step up in their place.

Furthermore, veteran Charlie Morton has been dreadful this campaign, and he might end up being one of the worst free agent signings of the year.

Even though the record isn’t great, and the team is struggling, there is still a lot to like about how the bullpen has performed and the potential of the lineup.

With that being said, the time to bring in some external help feels like it is here with bad performances from starting pitchers piling up.

The trade market does appear like it will have some solid options, and one who might not be a front-end starter, but will help provide depth is Andrew Heaney of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The left-hander is having a strong year for the Pirates, totaling a 2,13 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and 2.76 FIP so far this season.

Pittsburgh will certainly be sellers once again this campaign with the team lacking talent, especially on offense.

This could make them an appealing trade partner with the Orioles, who have numerous tradable assets on offense.

Even though Heaney might not be a front-end starter to replace the production of an ace, he can go out every five days and give Baltimore a chance to win.

The southpaw also has playoff experience of late, helping the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023.

Overall, due to Heaney not being an ace and on just a one-year contract, the price shouldn’t be ridiculous for the Orioles to pull off a deal.

Depending on the health of their two top pitchers, more might be needed to fix the team than just Heaney, but he would be a solid start.