Baltimore’s Broken Rotation: Orioles’ Starting Pitching Woes Threaten 2025 Season

We may be in the early weeks of the 2025 MLB season, but the Baltimore Orioles are already staring down a familiar and frustrating problem—starting pitching. And this isn’t some new development; it’s been the franchise’s glaring weakness for three straight years. Despite their electric young core and postseason aspirations, Baltimore once again finds itself scrambling for answers on the mound.

The numbers tell the story loud and clear. The Orioles’ 5.48 team ERA ranks dead last in the majors, and their rotation is a patchwork of underperformance and injuries. Starters Cade Povich and Dean Kremer are both sporting ERAs north of 6.00, while 41-year-old Charlie Morton—signed as a veteran stabilizer—has struggled mightily with an ERA over 10.00. Worse yet, the two most reliable arms in the rotation, Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin, are both on the injured list. Rodriguez, whose last outing came in July of last year, is now dealing with a sore shoulder after initially being sidelined with elbow inflammation.

Injuries happen, especially in pitching, but what’s made this situation so frustrating for Orioles fans is the team’s failure to prepare. Depth is the name of the game in modern baseball, and Baltimore hasn’t built enough of it. That lack of foresight is costing them—again.

This offseason, the team added 35-year-old Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who’s been solid to start his MLB career. But outside of Sugano and the declining Morton, the rotation saw no significant reinforcements. Trevor Rogers, acquired from the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline, struggled badly and was demoted to Triple-A just two weeks after arriving. He opened this season on the IL and won’t be back before May.

The Orioles’ missteps are even more baffling considering their financial flexibility. Most of their talented young position players are still in their pre-arbitration years, meaning the payroll is wide open. In theory, this should allow the front office to chase premium free-agent arms or swing aggressive trades without worrying about breaking the bank. And with new billionaire owner David Rubenstein at the helm, fans hoped a more aggressive approach was on the way.

But instead, Baltimore passed on spending at the top of the pitching market—not once, but twice. When they desperately needed an ace in 2023, they settled for a midseason trade for Jack Flaherty, who underwhelmed and was allowed to walk. In 2024, they finally landed a true ace in Corbin Burnes, and he delivered with a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA. Yet the Orioles failed to re-sign him, and weren’t even considered serious contenders during his free agency.

Now they’re paying the price.

The consequences of mismanaging the rotation extend beyond win-loss records. They impact the entire team dynamic. A shaky rotation forces the bullpen to carry more innings, strains young pitchers, and puts pressure on the offense to be perfect every night. It’s a domino effect that drags everyone down.

Looking ahead, it’s going to get more difficult. Starting pitching will be the hottest commodity at the trade deadline, and prices will be sky-high—especially for someone like Miami’s Sandy Alcantara. After staying quiet the last two offseasons, Baltimore will almost certainly have to overpay to fix what they could’ve addressed months ago.

At 9-13, the Orioles currently sit fourth in the AL East. The Yankees are heating up, the Red Sox are showing real signs of life, and the Blue Jays are rejuvenated following Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s extension. If Baltimore doesn’t act fast, they risk losing their grip on the postseason before summer even hits.

Making trades in April isn’t easy—the market’s still frozen, and sellers are holding out—but GM Mike Elias has to start working the phones. Because if the Orioles don’t solve their rotation issues soon, one of baseball’s most exciting young cores could be looking at another wasted year.

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