Latest Orioles rumors may be sign that Baltimore preparing to pivot away from Framber Valdez

Framber Valdez remains the logical option for the Baltimore Orioles in their search for a frontline starting pitcher. Valdez is the best starting pitcher remaining on the free-agent market, and while there is a connection to Mike Elias, the Orioles not jumping at the bit to sign him could speak to the red flags that surrounded the 32-year-old's profile.

The Orioles were making a push to sign Ranger Suarez before the Boston Red Sox swooped in at the last minute, and instead of pivoting to Valdez, they were reported to be among the teams interested in Justin Verlander.

But let's be honest, Verlander is knocking on the door of retirement. Surely, he's viewed as a fallback option if Valdez isn't signed, right? Well, it seems like the Orioles are circling every pitcher not named Valdez.

Jon Heyman hopped on MLB Network to provide an update on Zac Gallen's market and listed the Orioles among the top teams in his market. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs were the other teams mentioned by Heyman that appear to be connected as well.

Framber Valdez has some valid concerns, but that shouldn't point the Orioles in the direction of Zac Gallen

Gallen is a three-time National League Cy Young Award finalist, but like Valdez, there are some glaring concerns with his free agency. Gallen rejected a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks at the start of the offseason, so he would cost the Orioles their third-highest draft pick (they traded their second-highest in the Shane Baz deal) and intentional bonus pool money.

If Gallen were the caliber of pitcher that Valdez was last season, or that he once was, there's a case to be made that the Orioles should be comfortable with those penalties. But Gallen has been trending in the wrong direction over the last three years, and the culmination was an awful 2025 campaign. Gallen posted an ERA of 4.83 in 33 starts and needs some fixing.

On a buy-low deal, sure, Gallen would make sense. But if the Orioles plan on spending with the goal of adding a frontline starting pitcher, targeting Gallen over Valdez would be a mistake.

The Orioles may not like Valdez's character, and they likely aren't the only team with that feeling. But there are baseball reasons not to like Gallen, and that should force Baltimore to avoid making that mistake with the former Diamondbacks ace.