Jul 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the Baltimore Orioles 4th of July hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Orioles' Trevor Rogers having breakout season likely changes offseason plans

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 12:00 PM ET

With the disappointing 2025 campaign coming to a close for the Baltimore Orioles, they will be heading into a pivotal offseason with a lot of important decisions to make. Some of the failures from the past winter came back to haunt them, but the team can turn things around quickly.

While the season hasn’t gone the way that the Orioles would have liked, there have still been some bright spots for the franchise. The dreadful start to the beginning of the year really put the team in a hole that they couldn’t dig themselves out of. However, despite trading a lot of veterans, they haven’t completely fallen apart in the second half of the season, which is encouraging.

A major reason for things stabilizing a bit for Baltimore has been because of some of the young talent that they have called up, providing a spark. However, most notably, it is because of their starting rotation getting healthy and performing well.

This was a unit that was dreadful in the first half of the campaign, but once a key player returned from injury, he was able to spark the team. What was once the Orioles' greatest weakness to start the year might be becoming a strength.

Rogers Has Emerged as an Ace

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the breakout performers from each position this year. At starting pitcher, it was none other than Trevor Rogers who was named the breakout star with his fantastic performance this campaign.

The Orioles acquired Rogers from the Miami Marlins for Kyle Stowers last year, and with Stowers’ excellent production early on this year, it looked like a horrific trade for Baltimore. In 2024, after coming over to the Orioles, Rogers totaled a 7.11 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched.

But after being sidelined to start the campaign, Rogers hit the ground running for the Orioles and has proven to be a frontline starter for the team going forward. In 16 starts, he has totaled an 8-2 record and 1.43 ERA.

Since returning, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, and his numbers compare to the likes of Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. Before Rogers came back, adding an ace seemed like the number one priority for Baltimore this coming winter. Now, they might be looking to add some pieces to support their talented southpaw.

Even though his career didn’t start great with the Orioles, he has been a breakout player and a major bright spot for the franchise this year. As the team heads toward 2026, it will be Rogers at the top of the rotation.

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

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