Orioles’ Shocking Reunion Plans: Orioles Consider Reunion with Troubled Pitcher

There have been some major changes with the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff during the MLB offseason.

A major loss was suffered when ace Corbin Burnes decided to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency. Relief pitcher Jacob Webb was non-tendered, opening up a spot in the bullpen as well.

Looking to reinforce the pitching staff, they signed veteran Tomoyuki Sugano out of the NPB and added the ageless wonder Charlie Morton, who is 41 years old. In the bullpen, the team made an underrated big move signing Andrew Kittredge to a one-year deal as he can factor into the high-leverage equation.

Despite all of those moves, the Orioles likely aren’t done adding pitchers to their roster.

One player to keep an eye on is John Means, the former Baltimore pitcher who is a free agent for the first time in his career.

He has been productive on the mound throughout his MLB career. The problem is, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to consistently produce, as he underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time last June.

Elbow injuries have limited him to only 52.1 innings since 2022, making him a very difficult player for the franchise to rely on.

However, there is still a chance that he will be brought back to the mix at some point this offseason according to Roch Kubatko of Masn. He wrote that there is “positive history” between Means and the Orioles that might, eventually, lead to a deal.

Re-signing Means would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the franchise. He has shown the ability to pitch at a high level and would bolster what is already some impressive starting pitching depth.

Means is solid, but how much can they realistically expect from him in 2025 on their quest for a World Series?

There is certainly a chance that he doesn’t get on a Major League mound this year given when he went under the knife for the second time.

A team can never have too much pitching, but at some point, Baltimore does have to aim higher. No matter how much the front office and ownership like the group of starters that have been compiled, they need an ace.

To compete with the likes of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck in their own division, before even taking into account the other aces in the American League, a splash move is needed.