Orioles emerge as 'serious threat' to sign top starting pitcher

The Baltimore Orioles are major players to sign one of the best free agent pitchers available.

May 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Ever since Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias made it clear that his team intends to acquire a frontline starting pitcher this offseason, there has been a lot of interest about which free agents available would make the most sense for Baltimore, and who they're most likely to pursue.

While Dylan Cease is no longer on the market, since he signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Orioles' AL East rival, the Toronto Blue Jays, every other ace-caliber starter is still available. And the good news is that Baltimore likely won't need to pay $200 million for any of them, given that they're all expected to sign shorter-term contracts than Cease agreed to with the Blue Jays.

Read more: Insider admits when Orioles 'might need' to trade Ryan Mountcastle

The top five free agent starting pitchers are considered to be Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez, Michael King, and Zac Gallen. All five of these pitchers would seem to make sense for the Orioles, and would pair well with Trevor Rogers at the top of the rotation headed into 2026.

However, it seems that the Orioles have narrowed their sights down to several of these arms in recent days, ahead of the annual winter meetings that are taking place next week.

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. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Baltimore Orioles Called 'Serious Threat' to Sign Ranger Suarez

On December 4, MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand published an article speaking about the five aforementioned free agent starting pitchers and noted several potential fits for each of them.

When it came to Ranger Suarez, Feinsand wrote, "The 30-year-old threw a career-high 157 1/3 innings in 2025, only the third time he has topped the 150-inning mark during his career. But Suárez has appeared in the postseason with the Phillies in each of the past four seasons, going 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 11 appearances (eight starts).

"A number of clubs have been attached to Suárez in recent weeks, with sources tabbing the Astros, Cubs and Orioles as the most serious threats to sign him away from the Phillies," he added.

Dylan Cease kick-started the free-agent pitching market. Who’s next? A look at the top 5 starters on the market and where things stand with them: https://t.co/QrmJ6uEPR8

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 5, 2025

It's also worth noting that Feinsand called the Orioles a "favorite" to sign Framber Valdez, and also listed them for the other three starting pitchers. In other words, the Orioles appear to be in play for all of these intriguing arms, but seem to be the most serious for Suarez and Valdez.

This is interesting, since both of these guys are lefties, as is Trevor Rogers. But that clearly isn't a concern for Baltimore's front office.

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