Breaking: Orioles Targeting Two-Time All-Star to Bolster Rotation

Whoever signs Eovaldi will be getting a player with a checkered health history. He’s undergone two Tommy John surgeries in his career. Many players with that distinction have struggled to continue performing at a high level, but Eovaldi has been quite steady of late.

He missed the 2017 season while recovering from that second surgery and was good in 2018 but wobbled a bit in 2019. But he’s made 115 starts over the past five years with a 3.75 earned run average. He didn’t finish any of those seasons with an ERA higher than 3.87. His strikeout rate finished 22.4% and 26.1% in those campaigns, his walk rate between 3.5% and 8.1%, and his grounder rate between 42% and 51%. Overall, it’s been 654 2/3 innings with a 24% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate.

That kind of performance would upgrade just about any rotation in baseball, so they each should have some level of interest, especially given the cap on Eovaldi’s earning power. The Rangers are interested in bringing him back, but he’s also been connected to Atlanta, the Red Sox, and now the Orioles. It seems fair to assume that several other clubs are also interested, even without explicit public reporting.

Baltimore is undoubtedly a logical fit, given their rotation situation. Their 2024 ace, Corbin Burnes, is now a free agent. Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells will miss at least part of the 2025 season as they recover from UCL surgeries. Trade deadline acquisition Trevor Rogers struggled after being acquired and was quickly demoted to the minor leagues.

The current rotation nucleus comprises Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer. Rogers could jump in there if he gets back on track next year. Albert Suárez just wrapped up a solid year in a swing role, but since he’s a 35-year-old journeyman, the O’s would probably prefer to add some arms and bump him back into that sixth or seventh starter slot. Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich made their major league debuts in 2024 but without fully cementing themselves as viable big leaguers.

In short, the club could certainly do with an upgrade or two. The big question for the O’s is what kind of approach they will take this winter. It’s been almost seven years since the Orioles gave a multiyear deal to a free agent, as shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. The last time they did so was a four-year deal for Alex Cobb in March 2018. After that, the club underwent a lengthy rebuilding process and was up for sale. David Rubenstein bought the club from the Angelos family, but that sale wasn’t complete until spring 2024.

That makes the O’s hard to predict this winter, as it will be the first offseason of the Rubenstein era. There are some signs that greater spending will be possible. The club acquired some notable money by acquiring Eflin and Seranthony Domínguez at the deadline. Eflin will make $18M in 2025, while Dominguez has an $8M club option that the O’s eventually picked up. A couple of weeks ago, general manager Mike Elias said that “the whole spectrum” of pitching upgrades was being considered. He went on to thank ownership for making all possibilities viable but also cautioned that the O’s wouldn’t be spending money just for the sake of it.

Reading the tea leaves, it seems fair to expect something more aggressive than they’ve done in recent years, though that could come in many forms. Burnes is still available and is lined up to secure a deal well into nine-figure territory. He and Blake Snell were the top two names available, but Snell has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Dodgers, a guarantee of $182M but deferrals dropping the net present value into the $160-165M range. Max Fried is also likely to end up with nine digits and Jack Flaherty has a chance to do so. The middle market has seen Yusei Kikuchi and Nick Martinez come off the board, but it still features Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and others.

RosterResource projects the Orioles for a modest $99M payroll, with nothing on the books for 2026 and beyond. That payroll is already a bit higher than last year’s $93M Opening Day figure from Cot’s Baseball Contracts, but as mentioned, the new ownership group may be willing to push things further. It also wouldn’t be unprecedented for the franchise, as Cot’s had them as high as $164M in 2017 before their fortunes fell and they spiraled into their aforementioned fallow period.