Mike Elias may have provided hint to Orioles’ future plans for Grayson Rodriguez

Orioles might’ve quietly tipped their hand on Grayson Rodriguez’s future

Eric Cole

Baltimore Orioles v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

Given that the worst-kept secret in baseball is that the Baltimore Orioles need more from their starting rotation, the future of Grayson Rodriguez is a hot topic. When he is right, Rodriguez is a special arm talent, but the guy simply has not been able to stay on the field, and 2025 was a lost season for him after elbow surgery and a series of setbacks in his recovery.

In an ideal world, Rodriguez's surgery and various health issues would be completely resolved this offseason, and he could slot right into the Orioles' starting five. However, Rodriguez did not pitch at all last year, and we don't truly know what his stuff or command will look like once he is under a normal starter's workload.

This possibility appears to have crossed Mike Elias' mind as well. In recent comments to the media, Elias talked about Rodriguez's recovery. While he was very bullish on his progress thus far, Elias also refused to commit to Rodriguez being in the 2026 rotation, and that could point to a future in the bullpen.

Mike Elias sure did seem to indicate the Orioles could start Grayson Rodriguez off in the bullpen upon his return

With all of Rodriguez's issues, the lack of confidence in him is pretty fair, especially when it comes to starting until he proves he can hold up for an entire season. Rodriguez's health issues in the big leagues go back to the end of the 2024 season, and he also had some injury issues in the minors that delayed his big league debut.

If the Orioles were to move him to the bullpen, at least initially, it would allow the team to manage his innings in 2026, put him in a position to succeed even if his command is sketchy upon his return, and also free up a rotation spot for a safer option going forward. They will always have the option to move Rodriguez back to the rotation down the line, but this could be the arrangement that makes the most sense if Baltimore's goal is to field the best team possible next season.

It won't take long for the Orioles to provide their next clue as to their confidence level in Rodriguez. If the team wants their pick of the available free agent starters, they may need to be aggressive on the market early on. An early push to sign starters could make pushing Rodriguez to a relief role more likely. If they sit on their hands and fail to address their rotation again, they may be forced to give Rodriguez a shot at starting straight away again.

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.