The Orioles Still Have Room for One More Starting Pitcher

With pitchers and catchers starting to report to spring training in one month, free agency is heading into the home stretch.

As teams work to finalize their rosters, the Baltimore Orioles have been quiet after doing a lot of their work early in the offseason. With how active the team was, it feels weird that there has not been any news recently.

However, just because the folks in the warehouse have been quiet does not mean the team is content with their team.

According to insiders around the league, the Orioles are working hard to aquire another starting pitcher. Mike Elias and company are not satisfied after trading for Shane Baz and resigning Zach Eflin.

The two most prominent names swirling around the rumor mill are Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen.

With spring training right around the corner, eyes will be on the Orioles to get a deal done with one of the marquee starters. An addition of their caliber make the O’s heavyweights in the American League.

So, who should the Orioles prefer in bringing to Baltimore, and who is more likely to sign? Let’s dive into it.

From Houston to Baltimore?

The Orioles have been linked to Valdez through the entire offseason. However, as more starters come off the board, teams will start getting more competitive to offer Valdez a deal he cannot refuse.

While, the O’s were applauded for spending some cash on Pete Alonso, it is safe to assume they are not looking to be in a bidding war against other teams.

Valdez’s link has been so strong to Baltimore in part due to his connection to Elias. The Orioles’ president of baseball operations was in Houston when the Astros signed Valdez as an international free agent in 2015.

The 32-year-old has had a strong career in Houston. The two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion has a career 3.36 ERA and 124 ERA+ across eight seasons.

The southpaw’s bread and butter is his sinker. At 45% usage rate, the pitch has helped Valdez accomplish a 61.8% ground-ball rate over his career. His 59.4% in 2025 ranked him in the 97th percentile in the MLB.

To compliment that sinker, Valdez also works in his curveball. In 2025, the lefty recorded 121 strikeouts on his curveball, making it his primary putaway pitch.

The main reason why Valdez is able to utilize his curveball so well is the high amount of break the pitch has. The 32-year-old manages 2,943 RPMs on his big hook, giving the pitch above-average cutting and breaking action compared to the average curveball in the MLB.

With these highly efficient pitches up his sleeve, Valdez has a major payday coming his way. With Dylan Cease off to Toronto and Ranger Suarez recently signing with the Boston Red Sox, Valdez is easily the best starting pitcher left on the market.

For the Orioles, Valdez would be a veteran presence in a rotation that lacks experience pitching in the big moments. The southpaw has been through it all with Houston and could help stabilize a volatile rotation.

With that comes a high price tag; a price tag that is only going up as teams grow more desperate to add an arm before pitchers and catchers report.

The biggest threat to the Orioles is the New York Mets. The Mets’ underwhelming offseason, especially after missing out on Kyle Tucker to the Los Angeles Dodgers, has fans heated. While that disappointment was tamed a bit after signing Bo Bichette, a need for another frontline arms still looms large.

The Mets have been linked to Valdez as well this offseason. Their rotation features lots of young talent in Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, who are capable of executing at a high level.

However, for a team looking to contend for a World Series, the rotation is in need a veteran leader in the rotation. Owner Steve Cohen could break out the checkbook and cause the O’s some issues at the negotiation table.

Gallen’s Fit in Baltimore

With all eyes on Valdez, the Orioles could start looking at other cheaper options. Right-hander Zac Gallen fits the bill.

It is no secret that Gallen did not have a great 2025 season. The 30-year-old’s baseball savant page shows that the righty struggled to record statistics that ranked above the 50th percentile in baseball.

That is not exactly something you would be looking for in hopeful frontline starter.

With Gallen more than likely finding a new home in 2026, the big question will be if his new team can rekindle the pitcher who finished top five in Cy Young voting between 2022 and 2023.

Gallen found success in 2022 and 2023 by getting hitters to chase, leading to more strikeouts and fewer walks.

However, in 2024 and 2025 Gallen took a step back in that part of his game. After ranking above average in strikeout percentage, walk percentage, and chase rate in 2022 and 2023, the righty struggled to reach league average numbers in 2024 and 2025.

A potential link to Gallen’s downturn could lie in struggles with his curveball, his second-most-thrown pitch in his arsenal.

In 2024, the former Tarheel’s curveball produced a 15 run value, .148 batting average, .230 slugging percentage and 30.6 hard-hit percentage.

Compare that to 2025, when Gallen recorded a -4 run value, .219 batting average, .438 slugging percentage and 44.6% hard-hit percentage.

There was also a similar drop in production from his cutter, his fourth-most-thrown pitch. The pitch had a .370 batting average, a 40.9% hard-hit rate and a staggering .761 slugging percentage against it.

Combine those stats with a flyball rate that jumped from 23.6% to 30.3% from 2024 to 2025, and it becomes clearer why Gallen had a disastrous 2025.

After helping Trevor Rogers rekindle success in 2025, who says the Orioles pitching staff cannot do it with a former All-Star and top-three Cy Young finalist?

The Orioles could sign Gallen at a much lower AAV compared to Valdez. If they are confident they could get Gallen back to his former self, it could be a steal that could help them achieve their long-awaited postseason run.

Who Should the Orioles Go With?

Nine times out of 10, the Orioles should target Valdez and pursue him as aggresively as they can. His championship experience and connection to Mike Elias should make him a big draw to the Orioles front office.

O’s fans across social media are also on board with the possibility of Valdez acquisition. His addition would be the cherry on top one of the most prolific offseasons in franchise history.

However, as spring training grows closer, so will the desperation of teams also looking for a starting pitcher.

While the Orioles proved with the Alonso signing that they can commit big deals to free agents, who is to say that Alonso was just a one-off acquisition.

Gallen is a pitcher that fits the type that the Orioles have taken chances on in the past: A cheaper arm with hopes that a change in scenery could be just what the doctor ordered.

A Valdez signing would give this team and fanbase a big swing of momentum as the pitchers and catchers report in just a few weeks.

A Gallen signing would be more of a typical O’s move that would leave the rotation as a question mark heading into the season.

Another move should be in the cards, and time will tell which route the Orioles choose to take.