Apr 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Baltimore Orioles urged to re-sign injury plagued pitcher

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 2:00 PM ET

With Craig Albernaz being hired as their new manager, the Baltimore Orioles can now turn their attention toward improving their roster this offseason ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Mike Elias and the rest of the Orioles' brass have some interesting decisions to make when it comes to their starting rotation. Elias has already stated that he intends to add at least one quality arm to the rotation this winter to pair with Trevor Rogers, and there are several compelling players available to him on the free agency market.

However, that isn't the only free agency decision regarding the starting rotation that Elias must reckon with. Both Tomoyuki Sugano and Zach Eflin (who were each a part of Baltimore's starting staff in 2025) are set to become unrestricted free agents. Therefore, Baltimore will need to decide whether it makes sense to try and re-sign either guy or let them walk.

On the surface, letting Eflin walk seems to make the most sense, given that he's fresh off a disappointing 2025 campaign that included him having a 5.95 ERA in just 71.1 innings pitched. The reason Eflin (whom the Orioles acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024) pitched so few innings was that he dealt with several injuries.

Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

MLB Expert Asserts Orioles Should Re-Sign Zach Eflin

Then again, there's a case to be made that Elflin's 2025 struggles are exactly why the Orioles should pursue a reunion with him in free agency. And Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller made this case in an October 30 article that listed Eflin as the Orioles' one player they should re-sign this winter.

"Eflin had a disastrous walk year from a health standpoint, making three separate trips to the IL, including missing the final two months following a 'lumbar microdiscectomy procedure.' He's only 31, though, and he was pretty darn good for them down the stretch in 2024. Might be able to bring him back at a discounted rate and have him be a big part of a bounce-back season," Miller wrote.

Zach Eflin paints his first strikeout as an Oriole. pic.twitter.com/02p51NiIio
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2024

Spotrac projects that Eflin will sign a four-year, $84 million deal this offseason. While that isn't chump change by any means, the fact that Eflin produced extremely solid 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Rays and the Orioles (a 3.50 ERA in 177.2 innings during 2023 and a 3.59 ERA in 165.1 innings during 2024) does suggest that he's primed to return to form in 2026.

And if he does, the Orioles will feel like they re-signed Eflin at a bargain price.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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