Shane Baz deal won't stop Orioles from chasing another trade splash

Worried that Shane Baz was the Baltimore Orioles' move to solidify the top of their rotation, and Zach Eflin putting pen to paper was the sound of Mike Elias tying a bow on the offseason? Don't be. The Orioles are (somewhat unexpectedly) taking fixing the starting pitching seriously.

The club has been linked to Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez in free agency, even after the Baz trade and Eflin re-signing. That's not all, though. Baltimore was linked to Edward Cabrera in the trade market before he ultimately ended up going to the Chicago Cubs.

According to Ken Rosenthal, who appeared on Foul Territory, the Orioles are expected to be aggressive in the trade market in pursuit of upgrades as well.

Ken Rosenthal confirms that the Orioles aren't done adding to their starting rotation and expects them to be active in the trade market

The two potential targets Rosenthal mentions are Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta and 2025 All-Star MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals. Rosenthal notes that they'd prefer a starter they can slot in near the top of the rotation. Of the two, Peralta absolutely fits the bill, while the left-handed Gore is more potential over proven performance at this point in his career.

Rosenthal also points out that Baltimore views its group of starters as adequate thus far. That's a reasonable evaluation, but it would seem that Elias is not satisfied with having a merely adequate rotation. Nor should he be.

Baltimore apparently believes that its system is still deep enough to land one of these top arms on the trade block, even after the massive amount of prospect capital they parted with to bring in Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB.com's Jake Rill points out a few other keys that should have Orioles fans feeling good about how things can play out. First is money. The Orioles haven't even reached last year's payroll number yet, and with David Rubenstein fully settled in, could very well exceed it.

While that might seem like a benefit to going the free agent route, it could also mean that if Baltimore were to trade for a starter like Peralta, who is in the final year of his deal, the club would have the funds and could be willing to extend him.

Beyond that, Rill echoes Rosenthal's statements that the Orioles believe their farm is deep enough to not only acquire a top-end starter via trade but withstand the cost, as long as it is reasonable.

Overall, the Orioles' moves have been both thrilling and frustrating at times this winter, but if there has been one consistent thread, it's that we're seeing Elias and the organization acting with an aggression and decisiveness that we haven't seen before. It's very likely they've got another trick up their sleeve, and you shouldn't be surprised if it's landing another high-profile arm for the rotation via trade.