Baltimore Orioles staff ace Corbin Burnes will almost certainly be wearing a different team’s uniform going forward, and the team has reportedly been looking at several options to replace him.
However, general manager Mike Elias is unwilling to spend big in free agency despite being given a “green light” from ownership to do so, according to Ben Palmer of PitcherList.
If the Orioles were to fork over a massive sum to a free-agent hurler, it’s likely the organization would just choose to re-sign its known quantity in Burnes. However, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report notes an option that could bring back a former Oriole to replace at least some of what the team will lose in free agency.
Rymer predicts that Baltimore will bring back starting pitcher Jack Flaherty on a four-year, $88 million contract this winter.
Flaherty was dealt to Baltimore from the St. Louis Cardinals to boost the Orioles’ rotation for the 2023 stretch drive.
However, he did not deliver the goods. In seven starts and nine overall appearances for the O’s, he posted a 6.75 ERA to go with an equally disappointing 1-3 record.
Baltimore gladly showed him the door after the 2023 season, and he was scooped up by the Detroit Tigers.
Flaherty righted his ship in Motown, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA before he was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a mid-season trade.
In Hollywood, he helped guide the Dodgers to the team’s first full-season World Series title since 1988 by going 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA.
But are the memories of late 2023 still too fresh for Baltimore to welcome Flaherty back to Camden Yards? Flaherty certainly doesn’t have the star appeal of Burnes, but would help solidify a Burnes-less starting staff.
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