For starters, the Orioles need substantial improvement

The Orioles finished with the 17^th-best record in baseball, 79-82, and their starters also were 17^th in ERA with 4.24.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who were 3^rd in starters’ ERA with 3.51, and Milwaukee Brewers, fifth with a 3.61, face off in the World Series.

Oriole starters allowed the second-most hits in baseball, 874 in 863 1/3 innings, just over a hit per inning. They issued the fifth-most walks, 321, and were middle of the pack in strikeouts (760, 14^th) and home runs (112, tied with Cleveland for 12^th).

Their best starter, Trevor Rogers, failed to duplicate his outstanding 2025 performance when he had a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts. This season, Rogers was 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA.

Rogers began the season strongly with three straight quality starts (six or more innings, three or fewer earned runs), then went nine starts without one. Overall, Rogers had 15 quality starts in his 30 starts.

While the Orioles extended two other starters, Shane Baz and Kyle Bradish, they didn’t offer an extension to Rogers during the season, even though he wanted one.

Now, they’ll probably extend a qualifying offer to Rogers, which should be $23.15 million. If he declines it, the Orioles will receive a compensatory pick in next year’s draft.

In July, Bradish signed a five-year, $90 million contract, which begins next season. Bradish, who had Tommy John surgery in June 2024, started only 14 times in 2024 and 2025.

He had 29 starts in 2026 and went 7-14 with a 3.93 ERA. Bradish’s season ended after his September 12^th start in Toronto, and he was diagnosed with a sports hernia. He had surgery late last month.

Bradish had 12 quality starts, but had only three in the second half of the season, after he signed the extension. His last four starts were five innings or fewer.

Baz, who came to the Orioles last December, signed a five-year, $68 million extension on the season’s second day, before he made his first start.

While his record was 6-15, and he tied with Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee and Cincinnati’s Brady Singer for most losses in the majors, Baz suffered from a lack of run support. The Orioles averaged 3.34 runs in his starts, third fewest in baseball. Baz had a 4.11 ERA and his 31 starts led the team.

Brandon Young was the most improved among Oriole starters. In 2025, Young was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in 12 starts and though he didn’t begin the season with the Orioles, Young had a 9-6 record and a 3.24. His winning percentage increase of .475 was the seventh largest in major league history among pitchers with at least 10 starts per season.

While the Orioles won just 10 of Baz’s 31 starts, the Orioles won 19 of Young’s 28 starts. They did lose four of his last five.

Chris Bassitt pitched 20 times for the Orioles, starting 18 games. Keegan Akin opened for him in his other two games. Bassitt missed more than two months with a back injury that required surgery, and in his 12 games before surgery, went 4-4 with a 5.27 ERA. In his eight starts post-surgery, Bassitt was 5-1 with a 3.74 ERA.

Bassitt will be 38 next February, and he’s unlikely to return in 2027.

Four times in the past five seasons, the Orioles signed at least one veteran starter as a free agent. That might be the case this offseason, too

The Orioles had only eight true starters in 2026. Not counting Akin’s two outings as an opener, Trey Gibson, Dean Kremer and Cade Povich also started.

Kremer, who started seven times before he was traded to Minnesota in July, missed more than two months with a right quadriceps strain.

Povich, who had surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow last week, was 2-1 with a 4.38 ERA.

Gibson had his first eight major league starts and was 2-3 with a 6.13 ERA. His 39 2/3 innings qualifies him as a rookie in 2027, and MLB Pipeline lists him as the 17^th-highest prospect in the Orioles’ system.

Left-hander Luis De León, the eighth-ranked prospect, came to the majors in September and appeared in eight games as a reliever. While he was impressive, the Orioles are looking at him as a starter in 2027.

Right-hander Michael Forret, who was sent to Tampa Bay last December as part of the package to acquire Baz, was brought back from the Rays in the Tyler Wells trade in August. Forret is the 10^th-ranked prospect.

Nestor German (21) and Levi Wells (23) are also ranked prospects who pitched at Triple-A Norfolk this season and could debut in 2027. Wells had a 4.50 ERA in eight starts before core muscle surgery ended his season.

The Orioles accumulated a noted group of starters who pitched at Double-A Chesapeake this season and are nearing big league consideration.

Right-hander Anthony Eyanson (2), left-handers Joseph Dzierwa (3), Caden Hunter (4) and right-hander JT Quinn (14) all ended the season with the Baysox.

Eyanson was acquired from Boston in the trade that sent Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox. Dzierwa and Quinn were both taken in the second round of the 2025 draft, Quinn in the sixth.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com