Longtime former All Star reliever projects massive haul for Orioles in free agency

We've worked our way through countless Orioles rumors this winter and one thing we keep coming back to is how Baltimore is expected to spend big for one of the top free agent starting pitchers. With Blake Snell now off the board, there are two realistic options left out there.

Former O's starter Corbin Burnes makes a lot of sense as a return candidate, but he'll command a significant payday. It'll be outside of the norm for Mike Elias to spend upwards of $200 million on a free agent, but Burnes certainly fits the bill. Then there's former Braves' lefty Max Fried, who'll likely get a bit less than Burnes but still should surpass $150 million easily.

Either of those two pitchers would be great fits in Baltimore. The Orioles need a top of the rotation type arm and all that's stopping them is being willing to overpay a bit and go outside of their comfort zone to acquire a pitcher that they like. It's not the same as trading for someone, where you have to give up hard earned prospect talent to make the acquisition.

We've spoken about both of those guys as fits, but there's a new opinion from MLB insider Dan Plesac of MLB.com. In what would be a major break from expectations, Plesac suggested that the Orioles could sign both Burnes and Fried.

Orioles predicted to sign both Corbin Burnes and Max Fried

While it would be a thrilling offseason if the Orioles were to actually make both of those moves, it's almost certain that it won't happen. The Orioles do have two very good starting pitchers in the rotation already, in Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin.

Part of the reason why the Orioles likely won't do this is because they have two strong arms already, and adding two top tier guys might not make the most sense in terms of roster construction. They have other holes that need to be addressed, specifically with All Star Anthony Santander likely leaving in free agency this winter.

Signing both Burnes and Fried would give the rotation a massive boost, but it would also limit the Orioles' resources to solve the problem created by Santander's departure. The O's need help on the offensive side. They were very streaky in 2024 and if you take Santander out of the equation and fail to replace him with a viable candidate, it's a risky move.

Could the Orioles sign both Burnes and Fried? Sure, assuming David Rubenstein gives Elias the go-ahead and the O's can sweet talk both players into coming to Baltimore. But will they? Almost certainly not. But it's still fun to dream on.