The 2025 season was not good for the Baltimore Orioles. The club’s young stars like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Colton Cowser saw a drop in their offensive production.
On top of that, the team saw a significant number of injuries, especially in the starting pitcher department. Grayson Rodriguez missed the season with an elbow injury, Kyle Bradish was not available as he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and closer Felix Baustista suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for next season.
Baltimore goes into the offseason with a ton of questions. And they still have to find a new manager after the club fired Brandon Hyde back in May.
Orioles viewed as a ‘best fit’ to acquire two-time All-Star pitcher
Baltimore’s biggest worry going into the offseason is to revamp the starting pitching rotation. They cannot expect to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or Toronto Blue Jays without a bonafied ace.
Luckily for them, there is a lot of talent that will be on the open market. They could also land a pitcher via the trade market, with players like Mitch Keller and Sandy Alcantara expected to be dangled during the winter.
However, Fansided’s Robert Murray believes they are a good fit to land two-time All-Star Framber Valdez. Valdez will be a free agent at the end of the season after spending eight seasons with the Houston Astros.
“Valdez’s track record speaks for itself. In eight seasons with Houston, the left-hander has a 3.36 ERA in 1080.2 innings while recording 1053 strikeouts. In 2025, he posted a 3.66 ERA in 312 starts with 187 strikeouts.”
Valdez has worked as Houston’s ace over the last few seasons and could lead this Baltimore rotation. He would be a great pickup for a team that is expected to be plenty busy over the offseason.
