Injured Young Ace Deemed X-Factor For Baltimore Orioles This Season

Who will be an X-factor for the Baltimore Orioles this season?

Jul 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (30) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

As the start of the regular season gets closer for the Baltimore Orioles, the starting rotation continues to be under a microscope. 

This winter, the Orioles knew their top priority was going to be either re-signing Corbin Burnes or bringing in an adequate replacement for the former NL Cy Young winner. 

However, neither of those things happened for Baltimore, and it has caused a bit of a concern about the state of the starting staff. 

With the main two signings to replace Burnes being Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles are currently lacking an ace. 

For a team that is trying to not only make the playoffs for the third straight year, but also have success in October, this is worrisome. 

With the offseason nearly complete, the starting rotation for Baltimore is likely set with what they currently have. If that’s the case, they will need some pitchers to step up. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez being the X-factor for the team in 2025. 

“My rationale, though, is that Baltimore doesn't have another in-house starter with No. 1 upside comparable to that of the now-departed Burnes. A healthy Rodriguez is their only halfway-decent bet in this regard, so they'd better cross their fingers.”

When looking at the rotation, the argument can certainly be made that Rodriguez is going to be the most important pitcher on the staff. 

The 25-year-old has shown signs of being able to be a front-end starter, but staying healthy has been an issue. 

Last season, Rodriguez missed a good chunk of the latter part of the campaign, which contributed to some of the struggles for the team.

Now, he will be starting this year on the injured list as well. 

Considering the type of talent he is, the Orioles need him to be healthy and in the starting rotation, especially after the loss of Burnes. 

Last year, the right-hander totaled a 13-4 record with an ERA of 3.86, while averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Baltimore was relying on him to take that next step forward in 2025 based on their moves this winter, something that seems to have backfired early on with him already dealing with a concerning injury. 

With front-end starting pitching being a concern, Rodriguez certainly makes sense as the X-factor for the team, especially with his health being something that needs to be monitored once again.