Two Starting Pitchers the Baltimore Orioles Should Sign

2 of 2

As the Orioles struggle through their abundant losing streak, here are two pitchers that could fix their starting pitching rotation

To close out the month of May, the Baltimore Orioles fell into a losing streak of alarming length: 14 games, the franchise’s longest streak of games without a win since the historic 0-21 start to the 1988 season. The offense has gone cold throughout this streak, starting pitchers have gotten shelled, and the bullpen has imploded. Frankly, if something could go wrong for the Orioles, it has gone wrong at one point or another.

The team is in an integral spot with the development of their starting pitchers where players such as Keegan Akin or Dean Kremer need chances to succeed at a high level. However, with the state of the Orioles’ defense and the lineup’s tendency to disappear, the starting job in Baltimore has not given young pitchers room for error.

Instead of allowing their pitching prospects to be hit around and have their confidence quickly damaged, the Orioles may instead look to veteran pitchers to fill the gap between now and when the team’s young talent is truly ready to face the highest level of hitters.

A number of starting pitchers with lengthy Major League experience are waiting in the wings as free agents, meaning Baltimore wouldn’t have to part with current assets in order to acquire help for their starting rotation. And, at this point in the season, any deal made with a veteran player would likely come at a team-friendly cost, such as a minor league contract.

The O’s enter Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with the worst collective ERA of starting pitchers of any team in Major League Baseball. A change must be made in order for the Orioles to see any semblance of success this season and onward.

Sep 26, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) throws the ball during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Porcello

The 32-year-old Rick Porcello is currently floating in free agency after receiving some attention this winter. In 2020, Porcello struggled in his 12 starts with the New York Mets, posting an ERA of 5.64. However, he managed to maintain his strikeout-inducing stuff during the shortened season with the second-highest strikeouts per nine innings of his career, trailing only the 8.9 K/9 he posted during the 2018 season, in which he won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox.

Back in 2016, Porcello was voted the American League Cy Young Award winner with a 3.15 ERA and a league-best 22 wins. Of course, Porcello will most likely not return to the Cy Young level he performed up to in 2016, but the Orioles don’t need him to. If Porcello could save the bullpen from being overworked by going deep into his starts, which he has shown to be capable of throughout his big league tenure, he would be a very solid addition to the Baltimore starting rotation.

Sep 21, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Anibal Sanchez

Most recently seen aiding Venezuela to a 6-5 victory in the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifer game on Monday, Anibal Sanchez has proven himself to be a solid big league pitcher over his 15 years in Major League Baseball. In 2020, Sanchez had what was by-far the worst season of his career, recording an ERA of 6.62 over his 11 starts with the Washington Nationals a year ago.

Despite a rocky 2020 campaign, there have been starts in recent history that show Sanchez’s ability to pitch at the highest level are still with him even more than a decade removed from his debut. During the Nationals’ title run in 2019, Sanchez tossed seven and two-thirds innings of shutout baseball in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, lifting his team to their first World Series win in franchise history. Having a veteran presence in the fold like Sanchez would most certainly help in the development of upcoming pitchers and would allow the Orioles a better chance at stringing together wins at the big league level.

Next. Baltimore Orioles: Freddy Galvis Flashes Power in Chicago. dark

Home / Orioles News

As the Orioles struggle through their abundant losing streak, here are two pitchers that could fix their starting pitching rotation

Rick Porcello

Anibal Sanchez

Schedule