Orioles rumors suddenly point to a quieter move than first imagined

For a moment, it seemed like the Baltimore Orioles would be done adding to their starting rotation once Zach Eflin signed on the dotted line. We all knew stopping there would be a mistake, but we also are familiar with the Mike Elias experience, and that particular signing felt like a period, not a comma.

However, we quickly learned that Baltimore had no plans to stop. The club is actively scouring the trade market for another arm, despite already paying a hefty price in prospects for Shane Baz. In free agency, Framber Valdez is still on their radar, though they did let Ranger Suarez slip through their fingers.

However, a new report from Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) shows a different starter has also piqued Baltimore's interest. The Orioles are eyeing Justin Verlander, which would have been very exciting five years ago.

The Orioles are setting their sights lower by kicking the tires on free agent Justin Verlander

To be fair, Rosenthal notes that a deal between Baltimore and the three-time Cy Young winner is not close, and that the Orioles are just one of several teams inquiring about Verlander's services. It would appear that the Orioles are still looking at more impactful arms, but you can't rule them out from signing the soon-to-be 43-year-old.

To be fair, Verlander had something of a resurgent campaign in 2025. The nine-time All-Star endured an injury-plagued and ineffective season in 2024, logging just 90.1 innings and posting a 5.48 ERA in what was the final season of his second tour of duty in Houston.

Signing with the San Francisco Giants last winter, Verlander tossed 152 frames and rebounded to post a 3.85 ERA. No longer the strikeout machine that he once was, he proved he still had the pitching chops to keep hitters off balance and get outs.

There's also a connection between Verlander and Elias, from their time together with the Astros, which may or may not hold any weight.

As much as Verlander looked better (and healthier) last season, he's still more of a back-of-the-rotation starter these days. The Orioles have plenty of those, making this a poor fit. If Verlander is a fallback option, that might seem fine, but it would also mean that they whiffed on Framber Valdez in free agency, as well as starters like Freddy Peralta and Joe Ryan on the trade market.

If they were to choose Verlander with those options still on the board, it would signal that, despite their posturing, the Orioles did not want to risk further damage to the farm system by surrendering yet another big trade package or losing a draft pick to sign a free agent who rejected the qualifying offer, like Valdez or Zac Gallen.

Should things work out that way, fans would have every right to be upset because it would show that Baltimore isn't really all-in on winning. Making moves like trading for Taylor Ward and signing Pete Alonso would feel utterly mismatched with the prospect of signing a declining pitcher in his 40s, all for the sake of holding on to a couple more lottery tickets.