Orioles Predicted to Land Star Pitcher at Trade Deadline This Year
The Baltimore Orioles shocked the baseball world when they landed Corbin Burnes earlier this offseason.
For a while, it looked like the front office wasn't going to be able to accomplish their goal of adding an elite starting pitcher to their rotation.
Instead, they got a former Cy Young winner to pair with two of their burgeoning star pitchers.
Excitement has waned a little bit for the Orioles after it was announced Kyle Bradish is dealing with a concerning elbow injury that forced him onto the injured list and will likely cause him to miss time early in the year.
This prompted their starting rotation to be completely snubbed in preseason rankings.
Other pitchers will have to step up in the absence of Bradish, and it looks like one of their veterans is up to the task so far.
Still, with a long year ahead, Baltimore will likely try to make another upgrade for what they hope is a deep playoff run in 2024.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report thinks they land a premier starting pitcher once again when they acquire Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins ahead of the trade deadline.
The left-hander is coming off the best season of his career in 2023 when he posted an ERA of 3.58 across 32 starts, with 208 strikeouts over 178 2/3 innings pitched, and an ERA+ of 125.
It would take a lot for the Orioles to land Luzardo.
They'd get roughly two-and-a-half years of service out of him before he's scheduled to hit free agency after the 2026 season.
The good thing for Baltimore is they have tons of elite talent they can trade away that wouldn't completely cripple their farm system for years to come.
And while general manager Mike Elias doesn't like to move many of their talented prospects, the front office will also get a good opportunity this season to see who might actually factor into the roster going forward.
At some point, they have to break up the crop of position players waiting for an MLB spot.
Getting Luzardo in return would not be a bad way to do that.
