The Baltimore Orioles' front office hasn't been shy about the fact that they plan to upgrade the pitching staff this offseason. But this has been the case since Corbin Burnes passed on a chance to return to Baltimore last offseason, and signed a long-term deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks instead. The Orioles never quite replaced Burnes, and that became increasingly clear with the disappointment of the 2025 season.
The good news for the Orioles is that they aren't exactly starting from the same spot they were last offseason. Trevor Rogers is already generating Cy Young buzz for 2026, and Kyle Bradish's return to close out the 2025 campaign was a reminder that, when healthy, he's capable of being a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.
Of course, "when healthy" was the most difficult part of the Orioles' 2025 season. Bradish missed most of the season before his return, and Grayson Rodriguez didn't throw a single pitch last offseason. So, beyond another top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, the Orioles also need to bring in a veteran capable of providing stability for the rotation.
This rumored Orioles target feels more like a fallback than a fix
The suggestion from Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter misses that mark. Reuter has a base-level understanding of the Orioles with his realization that they need pitching, but the best answer he has for their offseason is right-hander Tyler Mahle.
Mahle posted a 2.18 ERA with the Texas Rangers last season, but the issue is that he hasn't made 20 starts in a season since 2022. Taking it a step further, Mahle has only gone over 130 innings pitched in a season once in his career, and that was in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds. At 31 with a history of injuries, Mahle is a gamble that Orioles fans have become all too familiar with. The issue is, the gamble almost never works out in the Orioles' favor.
Even in his "success" with the Rangers last season, the indication is that it was mostly tied to luck. Mahle only struck out 19.1% of the hitters he faced with an expected ERA of 4.35. That level of production wouldn't solve the glaring need that the Orioles have heading into the offseason.