The Baltimore Orioles were one of MLB's best stories this season. They made their first playoff appearance since the 2016 season when they lost in the wild card round. But they were also one of the best teams in MLB this year too. They won 101 games in 2023; only the Atlanta Braves won more. They scored the seventh-most runs of the year. Baltimore also had the fifth-best run differential this season; only the Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Houston Astros were better in that category.
Unfortunately, Baltimore's season came to an earlier conclusion than they wanted at the hands of one of those teams above. The Texas Rangers swept the Orioles in the ALDS, outscoring them by a total of 21-11 in those three games. Game 1 was a close 3-2 game in favor of Texas, but the Rangers left no doubt in the next two games. They got out to early leads and never relinquished control of those games after. Baltimore did not get enough from it's hitting, but their starting pitching was what put them behind the eight ball the last two games. It's an area that the Orioles should focus on in free agency to do their best to make sure what happened in this series doesn't happen again in the future. Fortunately for the Orioles, there are quite a few starting pitching targets they can go after in free agency.
Blake Snell
The most obvious candidate would be Blake Snell. Snell is likely going to win the NL Cy Young this season. The Padres may not have made the playoffs this season, but they can't blame Snell for that disappointment. Snell had a 1.20 ERA over his last 23 starts for the Padres. The last time a pitcher did something like that was in the 1968 season, per Sarah Langs.
The Orioles weren't bad in team pitching stats this season. They were eighth in ERA at 3.89. But they were also outside the top ten in other key pitching metrics such as opponents' batting average (12th) and strikeouts (13th). Baltimore had only two starting pitchers this season who pitched at least 50 innings and had an ERA below four: Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. They need another starting pitcher.
With Shohei Ohtani likely unattainable and needing another surgery, Snell, who finished this season with a 2.25 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and has a career ERA of 3.20, is the best one available. The Orioles should be trying everything in their power to get him in black and orange.
Aaron Nola
Aaron Nola did not have the season that Blake Snell did. In fact, he did not have the type of season to Nola's standards. His ERA shot up from 3.25 last season to 4.46 this season. His WHIP jumped from 0.96 in 2022 to 1.15 in 2023. He had an 8.1 K/BB ratio last year; that dropped all the way to 4.5 this year.
Aaron Nola's play has see-sawed up and down the last few seasons, but he's still one of the best pitchers in the game when he's right. He also is one of the most durable pitchers in the game. Nola hasn't missed hardly any time in his career due to injury. Nola did get shut down in 2016, his first full season in the bigs, due to an elbow injury. But outside of that, he hasn't missed any time at all. He routinely soaks up heavy innings for the Philadelphia Phillies year in and year out and he does his job remarkably well. He's made at least 32 starts in each of the last four full seasons.
Ideally, someone like Nola would be more consistent with his performances over the years. But he does have the talent and durability to be one of the best in the game. He'd make for a great addition to the Orioles' starting pitching rotation.
Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman is another pitcher who has seen his performance tilt up or down one year or the other. But, his performance has not swung one direction or the other quite like Nola. Stroman was on the verge of a bounce back season after having a good (but not great) 3.50 ERA in 2022. At the All-Star break, Stroman, who was named an All-Star in 2023, had an ERA below three. After his post-All-Star break start, Stroman's ERA was 2.88. But after July, Stroman's ERA shot up all the way to 3.85.
Stroman pitched through an injury and that had a big impact on his numbers. But before that injury, Stroman was performing like one of the best pitchers in the sport. And, he has years of experience in the AL East dating back to his time with the Toronto Blue Jays. He's another pitcher the Orioles should heavily pursue in free agency this winter.
Follow Us
Subscribe