After spending big on Tyler O'Neill, the Orioles have to land an impact starter

Just before officially getting underway with this year's winter meetings in Dallas, the Baltimore Orioles checked off two items on their offseason wishlist, a right-handed hitting outfielder and a backup catcher.

The addition of Tyler O'Neill brings much needed middle-of-the-order thump to the Orioles lineup in 2025, while Gary Sanchez brings more right-handed power to the roster and a defensive upgrade over last season's backup backstop, James McCann. The additions to the lineup were needed and bring real potential to make a notable impact next season, but now it's time to check off the biggest offseason need, an ace to lead the starting rotation.

The Orioles have been connected to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, but there doesn't appear to be a ton of smoke there with either of these options. Granted, the organization very rarely, if ever, allows leaks from the warehouse so it's tough to tell just how deeply involved they are with this duo.

It would not be shocking at all if the Orioles filled the void left by Corbin Burnes by acquiring next year's ace via the same route Burnes was acquired, via trade. Chicago lefty Garrett Crochet gets the vast majority of the attention when talking about potential trade options, but there are plenty of other attractive options the Orioles could target.

Orioles must add an ace to the rotation this winter

Quickly proving they are willing to take on salary for players they covet, the Orioles could be players for starters like Seattle's Luis Castillo, pitchers owed a decent amount of money pitching for teams looking to shed these salaries and upgrade other parts of their roster. St. Louis' Sonny Gray could be another option. Castillo has four more years of control at $24 million-plus per year remaining on his contract, while Gray has three more years on his deal and will get paid $25 million this season before getting a bump in 2026.

They could also continue to target pitchers preparing to play on the final year of their contracts, like Burnes was last year. Houston's Framber Valdez fits that mold. The 31-year-old lefty was coming up through Houston's farm system while Orioles' front office execs Mike Elias, Eve Rosenbaum, and others were there. He battled through elbow issues last season but still logged 176 innings and pitched to a 2.91 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate and his routinely high groundball numbers.

Another fun option that doesn't get discussed a lot is Arizona RHP Zac Gallen. Gallen enters 2025 on the final year of his contract and he will become a free agent next offseason. The Diamondbacks also have a fairly deep pitching staff and big needs elsewhere on the roster, notably at first base if Christian Walker doesn't return.

Arizona isn't the only team who could look to use some pitching to upgrade their lineup, specifically at the first base/DH/corner outfield position. After the addition of Tyler O'Neill, the Orioles now have O'Neill, Heston Kjerstad, Ryan Mountcastle, and Ryan O'Hearn on the roster, with top prospect Coby Mayo also looking for a space to break onto the roster. The Orioles are reluctant to part with their top prospects at the moment, but with what appears to be expendable bats in the big leagues, a deep farm system, and the willingness to drop some cash, they remain in a prime position to aggressively pursue a front-line starter on the trade market.

Corbin Burns wasn't acquired until February last offseason, so there's no reason to panic yet, but with the lineup seemingly in a better place now, it's time to land the team's next ace.