The Baltimore Orioles are currently dealing with an unusual but potentially advantageous situation on their pitching staff. Rather than scrambling to fill out a thin rotation, the club finds itself with more starting pitchers than available spots. This surplus gives the organization options as it continues preparing for the upcoming season, but it also creates a challenge in determining how best to allocate innings among a crowded group of arms.
During the offseason, Baltimore made a series of moves designed to strengthen its pitching depth. One of the most notable transactions was a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that brought promising right-hander Shane Baz to the Orioles. Baz, who has shown flashes of high-end potential throughout his young career, adds another intriguing piece to Baltimore’s rotation puzzle.
His combination of velocity and strikeout ability makes him an appealing option, though the team will still want to carefully manage his workload as he continues to establish himself as a reliable major league starter.
The Orioles didn’t stop there when addressing their pitching needs. They also turned to the free-agent market to add two experienced veterans who could provide stability and leadership for the staff. The first of those signings was right-hander Chris Bassitt, a pitcher known for his durability and ability to log significant innings each season. Bassitt has built a reputation as a dependable rotation piece who can keep his team competitive every time he takes the mound.
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Baltimore also secured the services of another veteran starter, Zach Eflin. Eflin brings a slightly different profile than Bassitt but offers similar reliability. Over the past several seasons, he has developed into a steady mid-rotation arm capable of limiting walks while keeping opposing hitters off balance. By adding both Bassitt and Eflin, the Orioles reinforced their rotation with experienced pitchers who can handle pressure situations and help guide younger arms on the staff.
Despite these offseason additions, the team’s hopes for a successful pitching campaign still hinge heavily on the health and performance of their top two starters. Baltimore is counting on strong seasons from Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, who are widely viewed as the anchors of the rotation when they are at their best.
Rogers, a left-hander with significant upside, has demonstrated the ability to dominate opposing lineups when everything is working properly. His mix of pitches and ability to miss bats make him a key component of the Orioles’ plans. If he can deliver a full season of consistent outings, he could play a major role in determining how competitive Baltimore’s pitching staff ultimately becomes.
Bradish’s situation is somewhat more complicated. The right-hander has been limited by injuries in recent years, and the team has not seen him fully healthy for an extended period. Over the past two seasons combined, Bradish has managed only 14 starts, largely because of the recovery process following Tommy John surgery that he underwent two summers ago. That procedure, while common among pitchers, requires a lengthy rehabilitation period, and returning to peak form can take time.
The Orioles remain optimistic that Bradish will finally enjoy a complete and productive season now that he is further removed from surgery. If he can stay healthy and regain the effectiveness he displayed earlier in his career, Baltimore’s rotation could quickly transform from simply deep to legitimately formidable.
Even with the current roster construction, the Orioles may not be finished making adjustments before the regular season begins. Major League Baseball’s offseason activity often extends right up until Opening Day, and front offices frequently explore last-minute opportunities to upgrade their teams or balance their rosters.
One potential avenue for Baltimore to consider involves turning its pitching surplus into help elsewhere. According to Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias might benefit from contacting the Miami Marlins to explore a possible trade scenario.
The logic behind such a suggestion is relatively straightforward. While Baltimore appears to have more starting pitchers than it can easily accommodate, another team could be dealing with the opposite problem. The Marlins, for instance, have experienced significant roster turnover in recent seasons and could potentially be looking for pitching help as they reshape their roster.
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If the two organizations were to find common ground, the Orioles might be able to move one of their surplus starters in exchange for a player who fills a more pressing need elsewhere on the roster. Deals of this nature are fairly common late in the offseason, particularly when teams are evaluating how their spring training competitions are unfolding.
From Baltimore’s perspective, the key question is determining which pitchers are truly essential to their long-term plans and which ones might be expendable under the right circumstances. Younger arms with high ceilings are often more difficult to part with, while veterans on shorter contracts sometimes become logical trade candidates if the team believes it can replace their production internally.
Ultimately, having too many capable starting pitchers is a far more manageable problem than having too few. The Orioles’ current situation reflects a deliberate effort by the front office to build depth and protect the team against injuries or unexpected performance declines.
As the start of the season approaches, Baltimore will continue evaluating its options, whether that means entering the year with a crowded rotation or leveraging its surplus to strengthen another area of the roster.
Trade idea sends RHP Dean Kremer and 3B/1B Coby Mayo to Marlins
For the past several seasons, the name of former National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara has consistently surfaced in trade speculation around Major League Baseball. Despite the steady stream of rumors and interest from multiple clubs, the Miami Marlins have repeatedly chosen to keep their ace rather than move him in a deal.
Miami’s front office has largely viewed Alcantara as a foundational piece of the franchise, valuing his ability to anchor a starting rotation and provide stability to a pitching staff that has otherwise experienced frequent turnover.
However, circumstances in baseball can change quickly, and there are indications that the Marlins might at least consider a different approach if the right offer were presented. One hypothetical scenario that could prompt Miami to seriously evaluate a trade would involve the Baltimore Orioles putting together an appealing package.
Specifically, the Orioles could entice the Marlins by offering a veteran starting pitcher along with a young player who once carried significant prospect hype as a power hitter. Such a combination might provide Miami with both immediate help and long-term upside, two elements that rebuilding or retooling clubs often prioritize.
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Among the players who could be central to this type of proposal is highly regarded prospect Coby Mayo. Although Mayo has not yet fully established himself at the major league level, many evaluators still believe he possesses considerable potential. His value as a trade chip remains noteworthy, largely because of the production he demonstrated in the minor leagues as well as the tools scouts have long admired. According to analysis from baseball writer Zachary Rymer, Mayo might have enough remaining prospect value to finally convince Miami to part with Alcantara if the two sides engaged in serious discussions.
Rymer pointed out that Mayo was once viewed as one of the most promising young players in professional baseball. As recently as last year, he held the No. 14 spot on the overall prospect rankings compiled by MLB Pipeline. That ranking reflected the impressive stretch of performance Mayo had put together in the upper levels of the minor leagues.
During back-to-back seasons prior to that ranking, he posted an on-base plus slugging percentage above .900, an indicator of both strong plate discipline and significant power potential. Performances like that helped solidify his reputation as a hitter capable of impacting games offensively, especially if he can translate that production to the majors.
For Baltimore, the concept of acquiring a top-tier starting pitcher with limited years remaining on his contract is not unfamiliar territory. The organization followed a similar strategy not long ago when it traded for ace right-hander Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the 2024 season.
That move was designed to strengthen the Orioles’ rotation during a competitive window in which the team’s young core was beginning to contend for postseason success. By bringing in an established front-of-the-rotation arm, Baltimore aimed to balance its youthful lineup with experienced pitching capable of delivering in high-pressure games.
A potential pursuit of Alcantara would follow a similar philosophy. The Orioles possess one of the deepest farm systems in the league, giving them the flexibility to trade prospects in exchange for proven major league talent without completely depleting their pipeline. If the team believes that adding another elite starter could significantly improve its chances of contending for a championship, it would not be surprising to see them explore a deal involving players like Mayo.
Of course, any trade discussion involving Alcantara would have to account for both his upside and the risks attached to his recent performance. The right-hander endured a difficult campaign in 2025, finishing the season with a 5.36 earned run average across 31 starts. Those numbers represented a notable step back from the dominant form he displayed during his Cy Young season. Struggles with command, consistency, and overall effectiveness contributed to a year that fell well below expectations for a pitcher of his caliber.
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In addition to the performance concerns, there are also questions related to durability and injury risk. While Alcantara has built a reputation as a workhorse earlier in his career, any pitcher who has logged heavy workloads over multiple seasons inevitably raises some long-term health considerations. Teams evaluating a potential trade would need to weigh the possibility that he could return to his peak form against the chance that injuries or lingering mechanical issues might limit his effectiveness moving forward.
Despite those concerns, there were encouraging signs late in the 2025 season that suggested Alcantara might be rediscovering the dominant stuff that once made him one of the best pitchers in baseball. During the month of August, he delivered a stretch of particularly strong performances.
Over six starts in that period, Alcantara struck out 38 batters while allowing opposing hitters to post just a .204 batting average against him. Those numbers indicated improved command of his pitches as well as a return of the swing-and-miss ability that defined his earlier success.
If that late-season surge proves to be an indication that Alcantara is regaining his previous form, his trade value could climb significantly. Teams looking for an ace capable of leading a postseason rotation would undoubtedly take notice of that type of resurgence. For a contender like Baltimore, the opportunity to acquire a pitcher with Cy Young-level talent—even if only for a limited contractual window—could be extremely appealing.
Ultimately, whether a deal materializes would depend on a variety of factors. The Marlins would need to determine that the return package meets their long-term goals, while the Orioles would have to feel confident that Alcantara can perform at an elite level once again. If both sides see value in the exchange, a trade centered around a promising prospect like Mayo and additional pitching could potentially reshape the outlook for both franchises.
For now, Alcantara remains a member of the Marlins, and the team has shown reluctance in the past to part with its ace. But as the trade market evolves and teams continue searching for elite starting pitching, the possibility of a blockbuster deal will likely continue to surface in baseball discussions. Should Baltimore decide to make a serious push, the combination of prospect talent and immediate roster help might finally persuade Miami to reconsider its stance.
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