Baltimore Orioles Encouraged to Trade for All-Star Starting Pitcher

The Baltimore Orioles could use a veteran starting pitcher with the kind of credentials of this three-time All-Star.

Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) points to the crowd as he walks to the dugout after he was removed from the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

With spring training moving along for the Baltimore Orioles, the team will be hoping that moves made this offseason will be enough to keep them as a contender in the American League. 

This winter, the Orioles underwent quite a bit of change in both their lineup and their pitching staff. 

In the batting order, Baltimore saw star slugger Anthony Santander sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. As their leading slugger in 2024 with 44 home runs, the Orioles signed Tyler O’Neill and Gary Sanchez to help replace that power production. 

Along with some of their young talent continuing to improve in the lineup, Baltimore should be able to survive the loss of Santander. 

However, the loss of their ace, Corbin Burnes, is a much different story. To replace the former Cy Young award winner, the Orioles signed veterans Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano.

While Morton has had a nice career in the Majors and Sugano has pitched well in Japan, neither are likely to replace the production of Burnes. 

Even though good options in free agency have dried up in the starting pitching department, there are going to be opportunities for Baltimore to improve via trade. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray as a player that the Orioles should be pursuing in the trade market. 

Gray is a really appealing target for Baltimore considering the amount of success that he has had throughout the course of his career. 

The three-time All-Star is coming off a good season, but likely a bit of a disappointment by his standards with the Cardinals. In 2024, he totaled a 13-9 record with a 3.84 ERA in his first season with St. Louis.

However, he was coming off an All-Star campaign in 2023 with the Minnesota Twins, in which he had an ERA under 3.00.

While Gray would be an upgrade for the rotation with his ability to be a front-end starter, he is still owed a lot of money on his contract. Over the next two seasons, the right-hander is set to make $25 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026. 

Those are some big numbers and any potential deal that the Cardinals make for Gray, they will surely be eating some of that contract. 

For a team like Baltimore, who is showing a willingness to spend a bit more, the former All-Star would be an upgrade. 

While Baltimore will likely go into the season with what they currently have in the rotation, they potentially could make a move during the season. If that ends up being the case, Gray makes a lot of sense.