The Orioles made their first major move in free agency tonight when they agreed to an outfielder Tyler O’Neill on a three-year contract. That signing addressed their desire to add a right-handed bat to the roster following the departure of a free agent hitter. Anthony Santanderwho was their best hitter in the field against a left-handed throw. The club’s biggest need over the winter remains unresolved, however: a quality arm to fill the gap left Corbin Burns when he chose free agency last month.
While the club has been linked to the top pitchers on the market including the former Braves southpaw Fried Maxa report this afternoon from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic shed light on the club’s strategy for today’s winter market by noting that the club is “reluctant” to pursue suitable free agents from other clubs. That situation would seem to put them not only in the fried sweepstakes but also in the market Sean Manaea again Nick Pivettathe latter to whom they were attached this winter.
There are still a number of exciting free agent starters available this winter who don’t fit that description, led by a reunion with Burnes. Re-signing Burnes won’t cause the Orioles to lose a draft pick beyond the cost of not getting a pick after the first round they’d be in line for if he lands elsewhere, but Rosenthal and Samson have raised the odds for Burnes. A return to Baltimore seems “far-fetched” at this point given the possibility that the #2 free agent this winter is the center of attention. Juan Soto Bids fail to land the superstar slugger. For the Orioles’ side, GM Mike Elias made it clear during an appearance on MLB Network Radio last month that the club would “like” to have Burnes back in the bullpen for 2025 and beyond.
However, should they find themselves short on Burnes, he is far from the only viable option to improve the club’s rotation without giving up a draft pick. Rosenthal and Samson both describe the veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and it’s okay Jack Flaherty as more attractive to the Orioles than pursuing Fried, Manaea, or Pivetta. Of the two, they reported that the Orioles seemed to like Eovaldi after Flaherty’s poor run with Baltimore following the 2023 trade deadline, in which he contributed a 6.75 ERA in 34 2/3 innings before turning things around with the Tigers and Dodgers. this past year with a 3.17 ERA and 3.47 FIP in 28 starts.
Eovaldi also appears to be cheaper than Flaherty this winter; In our annual list of the Top 50 MLB Free Agents, MLBTR predicted a two-year, $41MM contract for the veteran while predicting Flaherty to reach $115MM over five years. Rosenthal and Samson also suggested that Flaherty figures to get a contract in the four- to six-year period this winter, and although they did not comment on the contract expected by Eovaldi, it is important to note that the contracts of the pitcher entering their age- 35 season as Eovaldi is all but unheard of in today’s game, with Jacob deGrom standing out as an exception to that rule. Eovaldi’s breakout season saw him post a 3.80 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 29 starts that don’t match Flaherty’s performance, though the veteran offers a long record of mid-rotation success that compares favorably to Flaherty’s up-and-down career in terms of on-field results over the past half-decade.
It also seems plausible at least that the Orioles could look to get creative as they search for rotation upgrades. Rosenthal and Sammon reported that Baltimore was among the clubs interested in the right-hander Clay Holmes before he signed with the Mets yesterday. While Holmes has been a reliever for most of his MLB career, the Mets signed him to play in their rotation and Rosenthal and Sammon indicated that Baltimore would have done the same if they had acquired him, even though some of his suitors planned to keep him. with him in a relief role where he turned in three and a half outstanding years with the Yankees. Although it is not clear yet whether the club will consider any other arms to help the free agent in exchange, both. Michael Soroka again Jeff Hoffman they received buzz as potential starting options this winter after a successful run in 2024.
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