The Orioles addressed a lot of needs this offseason. They brought on Pete Alonso, one of the splashiest signings of the offseason, period. They signed a bona fide lockdown closer in Ryan Helsley. They added a corner bat in Taylor Ward. But with spring training games just days away, one question keeps nagging: Is the rotation good enough to win the division?
It’s a question worth asking, because the AL East rotations look nastier than ever. The Blue Jays, fresh off a World Series run, added Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million deal to pair with Kevin Gausman and postseason revelation Trey Yesavage. The Red Sox went on a pitching spending spree, landing Ranger Suárez ($130 million over five years) and trading for Sonny Gray to slot behind Garrett Crochet. Even the Yankees, despite taking something of a “run it back” approach, will get Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón back from injury sometime this spring to join Max Fried and young flamethrower Cam Schlittler.
Meanwhile, the Orioles—well, if you read this blog regularly, you know pretty much exactly where the Orioles rotation stands. Baltimore missed out on Framber Valdez (now in Detroit) and watched Suárez and Cease land with division rivals. Instead, as has become customary, they cobbled together a rotation through trades and one-year deals: Shane Baz from Tampa Bay, veteran Chris Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5 million deal, and Zach Eflin back on a $10 million deal after August back surgery.
These weren’t, like, the splashiest moves ever, but to judge by team quotes to the press, you shouldn’t be worried. Manager Craig Albernaz says he “like[s] his guys.” Trevor Rogers says the rotation is “scary.” New signing Bassitt says he’s ready to win a World Series.
Is there cause for such optimism? It’s true that a 1-2 punch of Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers looks none too shabby: Bradish finished fourth in the 2023 Cy Young race and has a 2.44 ERA over 44 combined starts in the last three seasons. If he’s healthy, he’s deadly. Trevor Rogers was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after returning from injury last May, posting a 1.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 18 starts.
Behind them, the depth behind them is intriguing (which is more than could be said of O’s back-end starters in recent years). Shane Baz has “Cy Young” upside, according to Albernaz himself. Chris Bassitt is a proven innings-eater who just pitched in the World Series. Zach Eflin was a rock after the 2024 trade deadline before his back gave out. And that’s not even counting a sixth man in Dean Kremer, who is a solid backend arm.
So let’s hear it, Camden Chatters: Can this rotation compete with the staffs in Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston, and New York? Are you buying the upside, or do you wish the front office had landed a true ace? Sound off in the comments.