Former MLB Executive Doesn't Foresee Orioles Making Blockbuster Pitching Acquisition

Despite the major need, a former MLB executive doesn't believe the Baltimore Orioles are going to make a blockbuster trade for a pitcher.

Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias talks on the set of MLB Network at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The start of the 2025 MLB regular season has been a mixed bag for the Baltimore Orioles, who have already experienced a roller-coaster ride.

Their offensive inconsistencies have reared its ugly head.

In their five wins, they have scored at least five runs in each contest, scoring 8 or more in four of them. During their six losses, the team has scored a combined 10 runs.

That is certainly not going to cut it, especially when the team is struggling to find consistency on the mound.

Coming into the year, the Orioles' strategy with their starting rotation was questioned by plenty of fans and analysts. Opting to go with depth over bringing in a bona fide ace to replace Corbin Burnes was a risky decision.

Given how many elite starters there are in the American League to compete with, relying on Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin to fill that role atop the rotation was not the right plan in the opinion of many.

Instead of pursuing Max Fried or Blake Snell in free agency, pushing more aggressively to retain Burnes or making a trade for Garrett Crochet, Baltimore signed Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and Kyle Gibson for $15 million, $13 million and $5.25 million, respectively.

Morton has an ERA of 8.78 through his first 13.1 innings of work. Tomoyuki has been good through his first starts, exhibiting the same pinpoint control he did as a star in Japan. Gibson has yet to make his debut as he is building up his arm strength.

With Rodriguez starting the year on the injured list and Eflin getting hurt in his third start, the team’s depth is really going to be tested.

As if the need for a starting pitcher wasn’t already large enough, it is an even more pressing need to address.

However, don’t expect the Orioles to dip into their impressive stable of young position players to address the need, in the opinion of Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required).

“I don’t think the Orioles have the appetite to trade any of their top minor-league talent; instead, their organizational blueprint is to keep those players long term and remain competitive for years to come,” the former MLB executive wrote.

Given the team’s recent track record and how they stack up against other contenders in the league, maybe it is time for the organizational blueprint to be adjusted slightly.

As currently constructed, Baltimore is not going to compete with other World Series contenders in the American League.

Their starting pitching just doesn’t stack up, especially with their offense not performing consistently.

It would be a huge mistake not to take from their surplus of positional players to upgrade on the mound, especially since some of those young players don’t have a clear path to playing time at the Major League level.