The Orioles are making noise this offseason, and their latest reported interest in Justin Verlander adds another intriguing wrinkle to their pitching plans. According to Ken Rosenthal, Baltimore has emerged as a potential suitor for the three-time Cy Young winner, joining a growing list of teams eyeing the veteran right-hander. While Verlander may not be the headline name he once was, his 2025 performance suggests he’s still got something left in the tank-and the Orioles might see him as a valuable piece in a bigger puzzle.
Let’s start with where Baltimore stands. They’ve already made some notable moves to bolster the rotation.
Trading four prospects and a draft pick to the Rays for Shane Baz was a bold swing, and bringing back Zach Eflin on a one-year, $10 million deal gives them a familiar arm with upside-if he can stay healthy. But even with those additions, there’s a sense that the top of the rotation still needs a little more bite.
Kyle Bradish is expected to return from Tommy John surgery, and while the talent is there, counting on him to be an ace right out of the gate is a gamble. Trevor Rogers had a strong run over 18 starts last season, but he was pitching in Triple-A as recently as May.
Baz, for all his promise, has struggled to find consistency start-to-start. It’s a group with potential, but not one that screams postseason-ready just yet.
That’s where Verlander could come in-not as the dominant force he once was, but as a stabilizing presence. At 43, the upside isn’t what it used to be, but he still showed last season that he can be effective.
In 29 starts for the Giants, Verlander logged 152 innings with a 3.85 ERA. He struck out just over 20% of batters and posted his best swinging strike rate (11%) since his Cy Young-winning campaign in 2022.
His fastball still averaged 94 MPH, and after missing a month early with a pec strain, he found his rhythm down the stretch-putting up a 3.60 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate over his final 19 starts.
That kind of performance, paired with his experience, could be exactly what this Orioles rotation needs. And there’s some familiarity here, too.
Baltimore president of baseball operations Mike Elias knows Verlander from their time together in Houston. That connection, along with the Orioles’ tendency to favor short-term deals for veteran starters, makes Verlander a logical fit.
Under Elias, Baltimore hasn’t handed out a multi-year deal to a free agent starter. Instead, they’ve gone the shorter-term route with names like Kyle Gibson, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Charlie Morton.
Verlander, who’s likely to stick to one-year contracts at this point in his career, fits that mold.
Of course, Baltimore has been linked to bigger fish this winter. Framber Valdez remains unsigned, and the Orioles have reportedly maintained interest.
If they can land a higher-ceiling arm like Valdez-or potentially swing a trade for someone like Freddy Peralta or MacKenzie Gore-Verlander could become more of a fallback option. But that’s not a knock on him.
It’s more a reflection of where the Orioles are: looking to take the next step while managing risk.
Last year’s rotation strategy didn’t go according to plan. The additions of Morton, Sugano, and Gibson failed to deliver, and the early-season struggles on the mound left the team playing catch-up.
This time around, the front office seems more willing to spend when the right opportunity presents itself. They made a four-year offer to Corbin Burnes and took on a year and a half of Eflin’s contract in a trade last season.
So while one-year deals are still their bread and butter, they’re not completely opposed to going longer when the fit is right.
Financially, the Orioles have some breathing room. The $155 million deal for Pete Alonso was their splashiest move of the offseason, but even with that contract on the books, their projected 2026 payroll sits at $149 million-about $10 million below where they started the 2025 season.
Beyond this year, only Alonso, Tyler O’Neill, and Samuel Basallo are under contract. O’Neill’s deal runs through 2027, and Basallo doesn’t crack $4 million in salary until 2030, which is the final year of Alonso’s deal.
All of that gives Baltimore flexibility. Whether they use it to land a big-name arm like Valdez or pivot to a short-term veteran like Verlander remains to be seen.
But one thing’s clear: the Orioles aren’t standing still. They’re building toward something, and with the right moves, this could be the year they finally turn all that potential into postseason success.