Baltimore Orioles in on another top free agent starter

After missing out on top starting pitcher Ranger Suárez, who signed with the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles are reportedly in the mix for another top starter still on the free agent market.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Friday that the Orioles are in on right-handed starting pitcher Zac Gallen after being runner-ups in the Suárez sweepstakes. Nightengale also added that Baltimore is still interested in fellow starting pitcher Framber Valdez.

MLB's furious week of free agent contracts flips the script. What's next? https://t.co/f7jxrjgUFt
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 16, 2026

Gallen remains one of the top starters, along with the aforementioned Valdez, still on the open market as the O's look to continue bolstering their starting rotation after it plagued them much of last season.

Gallen is coming off a disappointing season last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks; in 33 starts, the righty hurler logged a 13-15 record with a career-worst 4.83 ERA, 175 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.26 across 192 innings pitched. The 30-year-old, however, has recorded 10 or more wins in each of the last four seasons and is nearly three years removed from a strong 2023 campaign, posting a 17-9 record in 33 starts with a 3.42 ERA and a career-best 220 strikeouts in 210 innings.

The Orioles have been very busy this offseason, addressing key needs after finishing in last place in the AL East for the first time since 2021. Their struggling, injury-plagued rotation was one of the main reasons they fell well short of expectations as their starting staff posted a 4.60 ERA, which ranked fifth-worst in Major League Baseball last year.

While they were able to add key bats to their lineup by trading for outfielder Taylor Ward and signing slugging first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal, the O's have also added some arms to their beleaguered starting staff. Baltimore re-signed veteran right-hander Zach Eflin to a one-year deal and also traded for fellow righty starter Shane Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays.

As things currently stand, the current starting pitchers on the Orioles' roster consist of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, Dean Kremer, Brandon Young, Cade Povich, Baz and Eflin. Despite the plethora of options for their rotation, a majority of them are coming off injured-shortened seasons, resulting in the O's being heavily involved in the starting pitching market throughout the winter.

Zac Gallen can now be a name to be on the lookout for between now and the start of the regular season for the Orioles. Throughout his seven seasons in the major leagues thus far, Gallen owns a 176-176 record with a 3.58 ERA, 1,060 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.16 across 1,007.1 innings of work.

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