Gunnar Henderson’s comments on Orioles’ pitching staff have no basis in reality

Heading into the offseason, virtually every Baltimore Orioles fan is hoping that Mike Elias and the Orioles front office make a real effort to build a competitive pitching staff. Injuries to key players like Grayson Rodriguez have taken a toll, but most of Baltimore's pitching inadequacy is self-inflicted. The Corbin Burnes trade was a nice short-term fix, and Trevor Rogers has been great, but the rest of the Orioles' moves for pitching have felt uninspired and/or cheap.

However, the perception of Baltimore's current pitching staff going forward is not universally negative. In fact, Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson seems to think that, health permitting, the Orioles' pitching staff is in a great position for 2026. Unfortunately, his optimism seems to be very misplaced.

Gunnar Henderson is very bullish on the Orioles' rotation, but that shouldn't mean anything

In Henderson's comments to the media after the season, he made it clear that if the arms Baltimore already has are healthy, the Orioles will be in a strong position next season. "Just a matter of keeping them healthy. They've proven it before, and it's just a matter of staying healthy and being able to get the innings in. I feel like they do that, and we'll be in a great spot.”

In some respects, Henderson does have a point. Kyle Bradish looked fantastic upon his return from Tommy John surgery, and Rogers looks like he could be a Cy Young candidate next season if he avoids the injury bug. However, the depth drops off after that and includes Dean Kremer, who is little more than a decent #4/#5 starter in the best of times, and then a bunch of guys with big question marks regarding their stuff and/or durability. Any Orioles fans out there want to bet on Grayson Rodriguez being "a dude" right now? We didn't think so.

Henderson is being a good teammate here, and that is commendable. He wasn't ever going to come out and say that the Orioles' current pitching staff isn't good enough, as that would go over like a lead balloon in the clubhouse, especially if moves aren't made. However, Henderson's comments should not change the fact that the Orioles desperately need to add some real pitching depth this offseason. The initial rumor mill suggests that Baltimore is going to do just that, but fans should definitely take a "believe it when we see it" stance given the front office's track record.

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