Star lefty called best match for Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles would make a lot of sense for this standout southpaw pitcher.

Jun 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) looks on before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The final piece of the Baltimore Orioles' already successful offseason will likely be adding a frontline starting pitcher.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias made it clear at the beginning of the offseason that adding an ace-caliber arm to pair with Trevor Rogers will be one of the team's top priorities. Since then, Baltimore has made several huge moves to improve their offense (acquiring Taylor Ward in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels and signing Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal in free agency) while also adding Ryan Helsley to be the club's closer.

Read more: Orioles face bidding war with AL East rivals for top free agent

All of this makes Baltimore's hiring of Craig Albernaz to be their new manager feel like a distant memory.

Yet, the Orioles haven't secured a starting pitcher. This isn't necessarily concerning, as every top starter available is still available aside from Dylan Cease (who signed a $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays) and Merrill Kelly, who returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-year, $40 million contract.

Nov 4, 2025; Baltimore, MD, USA; President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias introduces Craig Albernaz as the Baltimore Orioles new Manager at Warehouse Bar. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

This means that the Orioles can afford to sit tight and see how the rest of the market shakes out. But they'll need to act quickly if and when the five best starters still on the market (Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez, Michael King, Zac Gallen, and Ranger Suarez) begin signing deals.

Orioles Called Top Fit for Ranger Suarez

The Athletic's MLB insider Jim Bowden seems to believe one of these pitchers is a better fit for Baltimore than the rest, as he called the Orioles Ranger Suarez's top potential fit in a December 17 article. The other two teams listed as fits for Suarez were the Astros and the Phillies.

The reason why Suarez seems to make sense for Baltimore is that he has relatively low mileage on his arm compared to the other starters. Since the Orioles could desperately use a workhorse who can eat up innings and hopefully remain healthy, Suarez (who has made at least 22 starts in each of the past four seasons) would fit that bill.

Ranger Suarez was dominant against the Orioles! His final line from Baltimore:

6.2 IP | 6 H | 1 ER | 2 BB | 6 Kpic.twitter.com/87mpqd0FoO

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 15, 2024

Suarez is coming off a 2025 campaign where he went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched. He followed that up by giving up just 1 earned run in 5 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

Suarez is reportedly seeking a deal of longer than five years, which means the Orioles might have to commit more than they're comfortable with to sign him. However, having a reliable arm like Suarez in the rotation could make it well worth Baltimore's while.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.