Cade Povich future suddenly clearer after latest Orioles spring training roster cuts

Over the past two MLB seasons, injuries to the Orioles' pitching staff have made Cade Povich an important part of the Baltimore Orioles rotation. Since 2024, only Dean Kremer has made more starts for the Orioles than Povich. With the additions the Orioles made this offseason, it was clear they were not prioritizing Povich getting a spot in the 2026 rotation. On Sunday, Povich was optioned to minor league camp.

As it stands right now, Povich is either eighth or ninth on the Orioles' starting pitching depth chart. That spot is likely to continue to drop as prospects like Trey Gibson, Nester German, and Levi Wells move closer to a major league call-up. It's possible Povich could make a couple of starts for the Orioles this season, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him to reclaim a rotation spot on this Orioles team.

The path for Cade Povich to get consistent playing time for the 2026 Orioles will be through the bullpen

Plenty of pitchers have struggled their first few years in the big leagues and gone on to figure it out, so Povich being pushed out of the Orioles rotation isn't necessarily the end of his career as a starter, but Povich does have a lot working against him.

The biggest problem is the command issues that result in him giving up too many walks and throwing too many meatballs in the heart of the play. Besides that, he also doesn't throw very hard, and pitching metrics like Stuff+ don't like any of his pitches. That's a tough combination to turn into a successful career as a starter.

In the bullpen, his lack of command would not be nearly as much of a problem, and typically when a starter goes to the pen, they see an uptick in velocity and on average get a five-point bump in stuff+. The Orioles are in need of a lefty out of the bullpen.

Povich's career stats against lefties aren't "good," but they are better than his career stats against righties. In 2025, he had a K/9 of almost 11, and his xFIP against lefties was a palatable 3.42. Those numbers all come from starts too. If instead of having to pace himself, Povich was able to empty the gas tank in one-inning spurts, those numbers would be even better.

If Povich can use this demotion to Triple-A to convert to a relief role, he could still play a big role for this Orioles team.