The Orioles’ biggest deadline task isn’t about squeezing out a few more wins in 2026. It’s about building a 2027 pitching staff that doesn’t collapse under the same problems that have followed this front office for years.
That’s the core argument here: if Mike Elias is going to keep operating the way he has, then the Orioles need to work around it by stockpiling arms. The rotation and the back end of the bullpen are the places that need the most attention, and the deadline is the first real chance to start fixing that.
The roster Elias put together for 2026 is described as a repeat of the same flawed construction that sank the 2025 club, only with a slightly higher payroll. The front office, as Kyle Glaser said on “The Daily Flock Show,” believes it is smarter than everybody else, and that has led to the same mistakes over and over again. The result, in this view, is a team that isn’t built for October and may need to shed salary again before Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
There’s also a broader frustration with how the organization has handled pitching. The farm system was sold as a bat-heavy group that was the envy of baseball, but that “liftoff” never really happened. The Orioles have not developed pitching well enough, especially not the college arms they’ve drafted, and they keep leaning into that same approach while avoiding pitching at the draft.
That leaves the club in a tough spot now. Corbin Burnes is gone, and the organization has spent years suggesting it came close to landing pitchers such as Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez.
Instead, the Orioles have settled for broken starters in their mid-30s on $18 million deals or trade pickups that were supposed to provide innings. None of that has changed, and if Elias stays in place, the article argues, the only answer is to build around it.
Even with all that, the current team’s rotation has been the thing keeping it near the Wild Card race in 2026. That has happened without help from outside veterans, which makes the lack of long-term pitching depth even more glaring. Beyond 2025 second-round pick Joseph Dzierwa, who has just reached Double-A, the pitching prospects in the system are viewed by many evaluators as fringe or suspect.
Trey Gibson has struggled to throw strikes in Triple-A and was erratic in the majors. Nestor German also comes with major questions about how he’ll translate at the highest level. Those are the next two most polished options, and even they may fit better in relief than in a rotation.
The injury picture only sharpens the concern. The Orioles have already had 10 elbow injuries this season, and the club’s medical work has been questioned around the league, according to comments from Buck Showalter, Jim Duquette, Mike Bordick and others on “The Daily Flock Show.” In that kind of environment, the piece argues, more arms are not a luxury - they’re a necessity.
There’s also not much certainty beyond 2026. Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz are the only proven starters mentioned as part of the future picture, and the bullpen doesn’t offer much in the way of high-end swing-and-miss either.
That’s why the recommendation is blunt: the Orioles need to enter 2027 spring training with five to seven arms not currently in the system, ideally pitchers who have already been developed elsewhere in Double-A or higher, with some MLB experience. Organizations like the Dodgers, Rays, Brewers and Guardians are named as the kind of clubs that specialize in that work.
If the Orioles want to keep Tomoyuki Sugano, fine. If they want to re-sign Trevor Rogers as a free agent, that’s fine too, though the article says he would first need to be dealt.
But the bigger point is that the club cannot go into 2027 expecting the current internal pitching pipeline to solve everything. The offense may be able to carry a lot on paper, with names like Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Blaze Alexander, Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo, Alonso and Jackson Holliday all part of the conversation.
The pitching, though, is another story.
And that’s why the deadline matters now. The Orioles need to start building the next rotation before they’re forced to assemble it on the fly.
In Other News...
Orioles Just Sent A Trade Deadline Message Fans Wont Like
The Orioles deadline posture is getting harder to ignore, and the latest roster move only adds to the sense that the next few days could be about more than just a short-term patch. Baltimore placed both Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman on the injured list near the trade deadline, a development that comes with the club still sorting out where it stands and what kind of market it wants to create for itself.
Rutschmans wrist issue has been part of the backdrop, but the lack of a firm timeline has left plenty of room for speculation around the front offices thinking. If Baltimore does end up moving pieces, the conversation is no longer limited to the obvious rental names, with Trevor Rogers also mentioned in the mix, and the uncertainty around the catching situation makes the whole picture feel even more fluid. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Deadline Tension Just Spilled Into A Bryce Harper Conflict
As the trade deadline creeps closer, the Orioles are being pulled into the same kind of roster speculation that has already surrounded clubs across the league. Tarik Skubals latest start for the Tigers came with the kind of uncertainty that often hangs over a player when rumors start to swirl, and Baltimore has its own name now sitting in that conversation as teams sort out what they need and what they might be willing to move.
Adley Rutschman has become part of that broader deadline picture, with rival clubs watching how Baltimore handles the market and what it means for the roster beyond this summer. The Orioles have long been viewed as a team built to contend, but deadline decisions can reshape that outlook quickly, especially when a player of Rutschmans stature enters the discussion and the front office has to weigh present value against the long view. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Got A Surprising Deadline Opening They Cannot Ignore
The Angels latest move has put a fresh wrinkle into the trade market, and Baltimore has reason to pay attention. A deal that sent away two major league pieces for a modest return can signal more than just roster shuffling, especially at a deadline when front offices are trying to decide whether to chase the present or start cashing in on the future.
For the Orioles, that kind of shift matters because the Angels suddenly look more open to moving useful talent than they did before. If that posture holds, Baltimore could find itself with a real opening to pursue pitching help from a club that may now be more willing to listen, making the next few days a lot more interesting for a team still weighing how aggressive it wants to be. [Read more 🡒]