Peter Schmuck: Bradish brings 2026 Orioles’ rotation into slightly better focus

It’s too early to assume that Kyle Bradish will be at the head of the Orioles’ rotation when the 2026 season begins, but his 2025 debut certainly reminded everyone why he has been considered the team’s ace-in-waiting while he worked his way back from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Everyone knows that he’s a serious talent, but it was certainly comforting to see him throw that 98-mile-per-hour sinker – and a few other pitches – past so many Boston Red Sox hitters on Tuesday night.

That bodes well for a starting rotation that has been decimated by injuries this year and last, though a lot has to happen over the next six months for Oriole fans to regain confidence in this team’s near-term playoff possibilities.

Right now, the picture is still fuzzy. Bradish, of course, should be right out front if his repaired right arm holds up and he can pitch like this for the next five weeks. There’s also an obvious case to be made for Trevor Rogers, who has been one of the best starters in either league since he returned from a spring knee injury.

Dean Kremer will be coming off another solid season, but that still leaves several open questions, none of which is going to be answered any time soon.

The Orioles figured to lose Zach Eflin to free agency until he went down with a back injury that required significant surgery. He still could end up elsewhere, but – depending on his recovery – he also could be a candidate for a qualifying offer.

While Tyler Wells is expected to follow Bradish back onto the O’s staff soon, his future role will likely remain in question until late in spring training. He has proven to be a capable starter and reliever so he could be steered in either direction depending on the needs of the team.

Now that Félix Bautista has been ruled out for almost all of next season, executive VP/general manager Mike Elias is going to have his hands full trying to reconstruct the bullpen almost from scratch.

How that impacts Wells could be determined by the growth of rookie Brandon Young, who flirted with a perfect game two starts ago before his season came to a likely end with a strained left hamstring, and Cade Povich, who also is a work in progress. Tomoyuki Sugano might be in the mix and, no doubt, Elias will hunt for another veteran starter over the winter.

You really can never have enough.

The only thing certain is that a lot still has to go right for the Orioles to enter 2026 confident that they can pitch well enough to re-establish themselves as a strong playoff contender.

Bradish’s strong performance on Tuesday night was a big step in that direction.