Orioles reunite with veteran starting pitcher in wake of Grayson Rodriguez injury

It sure feels like the Orioles' season is about to get off to a weird start. We know that Grayson Rodriguez is going to begin the year on the IL, and we just got word from Brandon Hyde that Rodriguez might be joined by Gunnar Henderson and Félix Bautista. Those three were, and still are, expected to be major contributors for the 2025 Orioles, so if all three are out of the Opening Day lineup, that's a lot that the O's have to make up for.

Perhaps because of concerns about Rodriguez, the Orioles have gone out and made one last free agent signing with less than a week to spare before Opening Day. Late Friday night, the Orioles announced that they've come to terms on a one-year contract with right-hander Kyle Gibson. Jon Heyman reports that the deal is for $5.25 million and includes $1.25 million in potential performance bonuses. The 37 year old pitched for the Cardinals last year and it was a bit surprising to see him last this long without a contract, given that he's been a perfectly suitable fifth starter for the last few years.

Orioles fans will remember that Gibson pitched in Baltimore not that long ago. He spent the 2023 season with the Birds, pitching to a 4.73 ERA in 192 innings. He threw a bit less last year, getting to 169.2 innings, but he's made at least 30 starts in each of the last four seasons. That's right in line with what the Orioles need - someone who can take the mound every fifth day and give the team a chance to win.

Orioles sign right-hander Kyle Gibson to a one-year contract

We all know how horrible the O's had it with pitching injuries last year. The team attempted to address that over the winter, bringing in Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton on one-year deals. However, Morton is 41 and Sugano is 35, and the latter has never thrown a pitch in an MLB game. So yes, there are still questions about the viability of this rotation.

Those concerns were made worse when Corbin Burnes officially left, and the Grayson Rodriguez injury a couple weeks back had us all thinking the worst. But even if Rodriguez can't pitch, or at least needs to spend the first month or so on the IL, the Orioles will have a few guys who can go get the job done, even if they don't have an ace in the ranks.

One thing that the Gibson move does, curiously, is that it'll push someone else out of the rotation. It's not clear whether Cade Povich, who's had a stellar spring and seems to have earned the fifth rotation spot, will even break camp with the team at this point. He probably will, as Gibson will most likely need a bit of time to get stretched out before getting back to game strength. However, one of Povich or Dean Kremer seems destined to get the boot when Gibson enters the fray. That's also assuming that Povich earns the rotation spot over Albert Suarez, though Suarez might make a better reliever than a starter anyway.

It's easy to look at this move as a simple depth signing, and nothing more. But there are so many potential moving parts in this year's rotation that you can talk yourself into thinking that it means the Orioles don't believe in Rodriguez's health, or that they don't trust Povich and Suarez to handle the back end. We'll find out soon enough, as Opening Day is next Thursday.