Why is the future of an Orioles rotation built around one simple question: what do they get from Kyle Bradish in 2027?
That’s the one that matters, because Bradish’s recent run has been a strange mix of dominance, setbacks and unfinished business. In 2023, he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.043 WHIP and 4.8 bWAR in 30 starts, good enough to earn the Game 1 assignment in the American League Division Series.
He was even sharper through eight starts in 2024, carrying a 2.75 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. On May 26 against the White Sox, he threw seven hitless innings with 11 strikeouts.
Then came the elbow scare. The platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow in January looked like it was doing the job, but the warning signs kept popping up. He gave up five runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Rays in his next outing, then shut them out on one hit with nine strikeouts over six innings at Tropicana Field before leaving a June 14 game against the Phillies after five innings and only 74 pitches because of elbow discomfort.
“He was throwing 98 in the first inning,” manager Brandon Hyde said afterward, his concern evident. “I thought he had great stuff. It’s unfortunate he had to come out after five.
“This stinks for Kyle.”
“I’m going to say a lot of prayers tonight,” said outfielder Austin Hays.
Further testing showed a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament, which led to reconstructive surgery and kept Bradish out of a major league game until Aug. 26, 2025. When he returned, he made six starts and gave up only nine runs while striking out 47 batters in 32 innings.
This season was the first real look at Bradish trying to hold up over a full workload since 2023. The Orioles didn’t publicly put innings limits on him, though they were clearly watching closely. Manager Craig Albernaz said in August that the team hadn’t discussed workload restrictions.
What they got was a mixed bag. Bradish’s walk rate climbed to a career-high 4.1 per nine innings in his 29 starts, and his 14 losses tied for second most in the majors.
He had a 3.61 ERA in 19 first-half starts, then a 5.29 ERA after the break. From May 8 to Aug. 15, he posted a 3.18 ERA in 17 outings.
But August and September were rougher: opponents hit .316 with an .896 OPS in August, then .314 with a 1.073 OPS in his three September starts before a sports hernia ended his season early and required surgery.
His final appearance came Sept. 12, so this counts as a full season, but the bigger picture is still about what comes next. Bradish will be another year removed from elbow surgery in 2027.
The workload questions should be gone. The Orioles, who are invested in him to the tune of $90 million over five years, need him to look like an ace again, especially with a rotation that could lose Trevor Rogers to free agency.
One area Bradish has to clean up is defense behind him. He allowed a team-high 12 unearned runs in 2026, topping his previous high of four from his rookie season in 2022. The last Orioles starters to allow more were Corbin Burnes and Dean Kremer, who each gave up 13 in 2024.
The bullpen gave the Orioles another pair of surprises, and both need answering too.
Rico Garcia arrived as the kind of journeyman you don’t usually circle in ink, then turned himself into one of the team’s most dependable arms. He broke camp with the club, led the Orioles with 75 appearances and opened the season with 11 straight hitless outings, a record-setting stretch. That was the longest season-opening hitless streak in the majors since Josh Hader’s 12 with the Astros in 2020 and the longest in a non-shortened season since Justin Wilson’s 11 with the Tigers in 2017.
Garcia kept the streak going even longer. He allowed just one hit through his first 20 appearances, making him the only pitcher in the majors since 1900 to allow one hit or fewer over an opening 20-game span.
The first 32 right-handed hitters he faced went 0-for-29 with three walks, the longest hitless stretch of that length in team history. Eddie Watt had held the record with 29 in 1967.
He also limited damage in traffic, with a 15.8 percent inherited runner scored rate that ranked seventh lowest in the majors, and he held left-handed hitters to a .170 average, 24-for-141, the fourth-lowest mark among right-handed relievers in the majors for pitchers with at least 125 at-bats against.
Then there’s Josh Walker, who came in through the churn and ended up being one of the club’s most trusted lefties. The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Phillies in August 2025, then again from the Braves in December.
They selected his contract on May 11, optioned him twice, and brought him back after he served as the 27th man in a doubleheader. From there, he carved out a real role.
With Keegan Akin out after Tommy John surgery and Dietrich Enns dealing with a foot infection before being sent down and not returning, Walker stepped into the left-handed void and delivered a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances. He allowed only two home runs in 30 1/3 innings and set career highs across every major statistical category.
From Aug. 6 to Sept. 23, Walker went 21 straight appearances without allowing a run, tying for the fourth-longest single-season streak in franchise history. Only Zack Britton (25), Will Ohman (25) and Troy Patton (22) were better.
Garcia and Walker are both out of options, which gives the Orioles some flexibility if the front office makes changes. But both still have to prove they can keep this up. That’s the reality for relievers with short track records: one good run is nice, but it doesn’t buy much permanence.
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