How long will Kyle Gibson be in Orioles’ rotation? | MAILBAG

Question: 84 years old, lifelong Oriole fan. Why not let the old-timers — Morton (41)and Gibson (37) go and bring up some of the young arms? They couldn’t perform much worse and would probably save some money. From: Gil Fell, Orioles fan in Chicago

Answer: Gil, for the moment, Charlie Morton is in the bullpen, and, yes, Kyle Gibson has had a rough three starts, but I don’t know that there are many young arms to look at.

In the next few weeks, Chayce McDermott and Trevor Rogers could get looks if there’s an opening in the rotation, but both are being built up and probably not ready for six innings in the majors. Neither had a spring training because of injuries.

Brandon Young is on the injured list, so he’s not an option. For now, I think Gibson stays in the rotation and the Orioles will hope for improvement.

They wouldn’t save any money if they cut ties with Gibson and Morton. Their contracts are guaranteed for the season.

Question: Why do people keep harping on the loss of Corbin Burnes and the O’s not really replacing him?  He’s ONE guy and multiple other reasons account for the Orioles’ failures in 2025.  I would say Tomoyuki Sugano has stepped up and is basically replacing Burnes. It’s all the pitchers [and position players] hurt or recovering from Tommy John surgery. From: Bob Stier

Answer: Bob, Burnes was one guy, and, yes, the Orioles would still be challenged even if they kept him, but he was the best starter since Mike Mussina and retaining him would have made the rotation much stronger.

I would have loved for the Orioles to have kept him, but I expected him to leave.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.