Can Baltimore Orioles Starting Rotation Compete With Rest of AL East Contenders?

The Baltimore Orioles starting rotation should be motivated by all of their doubters.

Aug 9, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (24) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles’ organizational philosophy for years has been to focus on position players early in the draft and stockpile arms later on, hoping that some of the lottery tickets will develop and hit.

It has provided them with some incredible depth for their lineup. The Orioles are overflowing with young, talented hitters who will be the foundation of the team for years to come, headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo provide even more young star power for the team to build around.

On the mound, that kind of high-upside potential is lacking.

Baltimore will be relying on Grayson Rodriguez to live up to his top prospect billing, as he will be taking over as the ace of the staff in 2025.

With Corbin Burnes moving on in free agency, agreeing to a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team no longer has a prototypical No. 1 leading the way.

Right now, that is the top storyline heading into spring training in the opinion of Jake Rill of MLB.com.

Atop the rotation with Rodriguez is deadline acquisition Zach Eflin.

It is going to be a tall task for that duo to compete with the aces in the American League.

In the AL East alone the New York Yankees signed Max Fried in free agency to join Gerrit Cole, and the Boston Red Sox beat out the Orioles for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

The Orioles did spend money on their staff by signing Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano for a combined $28 million this winter. But they are going to function more as complementary pieces, not staff anchors.

They are joining a very deep group that also includes holdovers from 2024 in Dean Kremer, Albert Suarez and Cade Povich. Trevor Rogers, who was also acquired ahead of last summer’s deadline, will be in the mix as well along with Chayce McDermott, the team’s No. 5 prospect at the end of the 2024 campaign.

At some point during the summer, the hope is Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish will return from injury and provide even more options for manager Brandon Hyde.

That kind of depth will certainly set Baltimore apart since not many teams have double-digit starting pitchers with legitimate cases to earning a spot in the big league rotation.

But, only time will tell if that strategy will work without a true ace.

If the Orioles are struggling to keep up with other contenders in the AL, expect the front office to get aggressive on the trade market.

Their surplus of bats can be used to put together a competitive offer to bring in an ace to anchor this staff.

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