5 Pitching Targets the Baltimore Orioles Need to Consider
Every team could use more pitching, and that includes the Baltimore Orioles.
Last season, the Orioles didn't have quite enough of it, which is why they didn't win a single postseason game. They were unable to tame the hot-hitting Texas Rangers and got swept out of the ALDS, yielding 21 runs in three games.
Fortunately, Baltimore has a chance to fix that this winter. The Orioles just lost 15-game winner Kyle Gibson in free agency, but there are still more than enough arms on the market to replace him and upgrade the starting rotation elsewhere.
On Wednesday, MLB Network identified five starting pitchers who could be good fits for Baltimore: Michael Lorenzen, Martin Perez, Mike Clevinger, Wade Miley and Sean Manaea. All are veteran hurlers who are in the Orioles' price range and will likely sign affordable one or two-year deals.
As the MLB Network crew mentioned, the most important attribute of all five of those guys is that they are durable inning-eaters. Every single one of them surpassed 115 innings in 2023 despite being over 30 years old.
Given that Gibson logged a team-leading 192 innings for Baltimore last season, replacing those frames will be critical.
Taking their ages and track records into account, Perez might be the safest bet. He's still relatively young at 32, was an All-Star in 2022 and tossed 141 2/3 innings last year despite shifting to the bullpen during the second half of the season. The veteran southpaw also just helped the Rangers win the World Series and has experience pitching in the AL East after spending the 2020 and 2021 campaigns with the Boston Red Sox.
Looking at the rest of, them, they all have their pros and cons.
Lorenzen was an All-Star last year and pitched a no-hitter, so he might have the highest ceiling. He faded down the stretch for the Philadelphia Phillies, however, and only has one season with more than 115 innings on his resume.
Clevinger pitched well last year (9-9, 3.77 ERA) for the Chicago White Sox but hasn't been the most durable, topping 25 starts just once in his career.
Miley has been remarkably consistent and effective over the last three years, but he's getting up there in age (37) and hasn't completed 100 innings in back-to-back seasons since 2016-17.
Manaea hasn't quite lived up to the hype as a former first-round draft pick, but he's still been pretty solid throughout his career. He finished last season strong with a 3.43 ERA in the second half and is fairly young at 31, making him an intriguing arm to consider.
DL Hall could be a good internal replacement for Gibson, but he only has one career MLB start to his name. The Orioles would be better off signing at least one of these guys as a depth option in case Hall doesn't pan out.
If he does, Perez, Lorenzen and Manaea all pitched extensively in relief last year and could end up being useful bullpen arms at the very least.
