Rumor Mill: Batilmore Targeting Top Left-Handed Starter in…

Whether the Baltimore Orioles lose Corbin Burnes or not, they need another starting pitcher. As the Orioles look to do so in the 2025 free agency market, they will have a few options. However, that isn’t the only way this team could improve its roster.

Multiple trades will be made during the winter months, and if the front office is serious about winning, they need to start moving on from some of their top prospects.

That doesn’t mean they should make any of the moves they made last trade deadline again. Their deal for Trevor Rogers was inexcusable and by far the worst move made during that time.

Instead of dwelling on it, Baltimore has to move forward. It clearly didn’t work out how they expected it to, but that shouldn’t worry them about signing or trading for other players in the offseason.

Regarding the possibility of replacing Burnes, that’s nearly impossible.

There are a few scenarios where they could potentially get similar value for him at a better price, but the chances of that happening are slim. Factor that in with the unlikelihood of those players wanting to play in a small market with the Orioles, and things are even tougher than they may seem.

Even on the trade market, unless they landed an arm or two around Major League Baseball, they shouldn’t expect to find anybody as good as the right-hander.

Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to improve if they lose him, as they could view this as more of a team effort moving forward.

Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac highlighted Jesus Luzardo as a potential trade target. He was a pitcher Baltimore was linked to throughout the year before he dealt with injuries.

“Luzardo battled injury and poor results all season, so Miami would be selling him at a low point. However, the 27-year-old is arbitration-eligible through 2026, giving interested teams a chance to settle him into their rotation a bit with financial value.”

Luzardo would be an intriguing target, mainly due to his contract. The fact of the matter here is that the Orioles haven’t been willing to spend much on free agents.

Given that’s expected to be the case until things change, why not give the left-hander a chance, considering he doesn’t hit free agency until 2027?

Again, there will be better options out there, but that doesn’t mean that Baltimore will be in play for them. Things might get tricky if they’re working under any budget constraint.

Luzardo would be the best option if they are.