Orioles to acquire starting pitching help from Rays

Baz, just 26 years old, was once a highly coveted pitching prospect and was viewed as one of the best in all of Minor League Baseball as recently as four years ago. He made his major league debut at the end of the 2021 season before entering 2022 with high expectations. However, injuries would end up plaguing Baz, something that has become a recurring theme throughout his career.

He began the 2022 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery, before eventually needing Tommy John surgery at season’s end, which sidelined him for the entire 2023 season. Baz returned in 2024 in a limited role, appearing in just 14 games, but showed flashes of his pre-surgery form while posting a 3.06 ERA.

This past season marked the first full year of Baz’s major league career, as he made 31 starts and logged 166.1 innings, striking out 176 batters while pitching to a 4.87 ERA. While the surface numbers were not pretty, it is worth noting that the Rays played all of their home games last season at the Yankees’ Triple-A ballpark, a venue widely known to be extremely hitter-friendly.

Coming off a fully healthy season and with the offseason still ahead of him, Baz brings major upside to an Orioles rotation that was in desperate need of starting pitching help. Baz will join a rotation that features Tyler Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, and Cade Povich.

The right-hander features a five-pitch mix led by a four-seam fastball that can touch 100 mph, complemented by a curveball that can be devastating at times. Baz is also under team control for three more seasons and will be arbitration-eligible for the first time starting next season.

The package the Orioles gave up for Baz was certainly not cheap, as they parted with Slater de Brun (the organization’s No. 6 prospect), Caden Bodine, whom they selected 30th overall in last year’s draft (No. 10 prospect), pitcher Michael Forret (No. 11 prospect), and outfielder Austin Overn (No. 30 prospect), along with a Competitive Balance Round A pick.

The Orioles boast a young core of players under contract for the foreseeable future, giving them the flexibility to part with a package of prospects like this in a trade.

Mike Elias noted after handing out the second-largest contract in team history to Pete Alonso just weeks ago that starting pitching would be the Orioles’ primary focus moving forward. By adding Shane Baz, Baltimore not only addresses that need but also strengthens a young rotation with a controllable, high-upside arm for years to come.

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