Orioles rumors: Corbin Burnes update, wild SP market, Orioles' trade candidates

The Orioles' 2024-2025 offseason is continuing at a snail's pace. There's been little in the way of movement on the top free agents and it's likely to remain that way until Juan Soto officially chooses a destination.

Former Orioles' starter Corbin Burnes has been briefly linked to Baltimore as a potential return candidate, but he's also slated to make north of $200 million in free agency. If that's the case, it's hard to see GM Mike Elias pulling the trigger and bringing him back.

Recently though, Burnes is reported to have met with the Toronto Blue Jays about a potential deal. While it's not clear if the Jays made an offer, MLB's Jon Morosi reported that the two sides left the meeting in good spirits and confident about the potential of a follow up meeting and an offer.

That now makes four of five teams in the AL East who have been connected to the former Orioles' star. He'd be a fit in any of Baltimore, Toronto, New York, or Boston. The latter three are all reportedly still in the Juan Soto sweepstakes though, so it's possible Burnes won't see anything until after Soto signs.

The SP market is slowly starting to heat up

In addition to Burnes, former Braves' star lefty Max Fried is reported to have met with the Yankees via zoom call earlier this week. Michael Kay of YES Network reported that the two sides had an extended video call and that the Yankees would feel comfortable targeting Fried despite already having an expensive rotation.

The combination of Gerritt Cole (due $36 million in 2024), Carlos Rodon ($27.8 million), and Marcus Stroman ($18.5 million) is pricey. It's possible they'd look to add Fried if Soto doesn't opt to return to NY, but if they do land Soto it's fair to think Fried goes elsewhere.

Orioles' trade target reportedly off the market

The Orioles have been linked to Cardinals' closer Ryan Helsley as a potential trade target this offseason. While the O's have Felix Bautista set to return to full strength early on in 2025, Baltimore could still use another bullpen upgrade or two.

The O's faltered in the late innings in 2024 and Helsley would provide a significant boost to the bullpen's stability. However, Cards' GM John Mozeliak recently told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that St. Louis plans to have Helsley in their bullpen in 2025.

Helsley being removed from the board isn't the end of the world, as he'd likely have been quite expensive to acquire. But it does make it that much more interesting to see how the Orioles address that deficiency before the start of spring training.