5 rotation options Orioles must pursue in 2025 as Corbin Burnes insurance

Walker Buehler

Buehler is another impending free agent starting pitcher with a World Series championship, All-MLB First Team and couple All-Star bids to his name. He has been in Dodger blue since his debut in 2017, and he has a career 46-16 record and 3.02 ERA.

Unlike Fried, however, Buehler has pitched one full season in the past four years, and he missed all of the 2023 campaign. When healthy, he is a great pitcher, and if he comes back to form in 2024, he will be a potential replacement for Burnes in 2025. But, of course, we will wait to see how 2024 pans out for No. 21.

Shane Bieber

Bieber won the American League Cy Young Award during the COVID-shortened season back in 2020. Since then, he has been an All-Star, but has also posted a couple of shortened seasons. He has also regressed in a few categories each year since winning the Cy Young Award, but sometimes that is to be taken with a grain of salt because of the injuries involved.

Either way, Bieber will be turning 30 during the 2025 season, and he is the first pitcher on this list who has pitched for an AL team. That extra familiarity in those American League parks (along with the fact that all three playoff series he’s pitched in have come against AL East foes) could be a big plus when considering bringing him in.

Oh yeah, and it is not like Bieber to Baltimore rumors have not swirled around before the Burnes trade.