Despite having a core of young hitters that appear ready to compete for a World Series, the Baltimore Orioles frustrated fans and baffled observers with a largely inactive offseason.
After getting swept out of the postseason for the second straight year, the Orioles failed to make a big splash this winter, bringing in injury-plagued outfielder Tyler O’Neill and 42-year-old starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Though those players are fine in a vacuum, they are hardly adequate replacement for departed former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burners and slugger Anthony Santander, who finished second in the American League with 44 home runs in 2024.
With the division rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox each bringing in multiple stars this winter, the Orioles look to have taken a back-seat in the division race, especially when it comes to the starting rotation. Morton and 35-year-old former Japanese star Tomoyuki Sugano were added to fill out the rotation behind the solid-but-unspectacular Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer, and the one pitcher who actually has frontline potential, 25-year-old Grayson Rodriguez, is expected to miss at least the first month of the season with elbow inflammation.
Compared to the star-studded rotations in Boston, New York and even the Tampa Bay Rays, this simply won’t cut it. If the Orioles are still in contention come July, they will need to dip into their deep pool of high-upside position players to acquire a proven starter who can headline a rotation. One possible solution is Miami Marlins ace and former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara, who has looked like his old self this spring after recovering from Tommy John surgery and, as CBS Sports writer Mike Axisa puts it, could be available even before the trade deadline.
“The question is not if the Marlins will trade Alcántara, but when. The 2022 NL Cy Young winner missed last season with Tommy John surgery, but he’s completed his rehab, and he’s throwing gas this spring,” wrote Axisa.“The Marlins traded Luis Arráez last May. POBO Peter Bendix did not wait until the deadline. Don’t be surprised if he does the same with Alcántara, especially with a major arm injury in his recent past. Alcántara is the last veteran with significant trade value remaining in Miami. “
Though pretty much every other contender will be expected to be in the bidding for Alcántara, few teams can match the prospect capital of the Orioles. One potential name to watch is MLB.com’s 14th overall prospect Coby Mayo, who has been unable to carve out a role on the big-league club despite stellar Triple-A numbers and expressed frustration after being optioned back to the minors this week.
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