The case for the Orioles going all-in on a top free agent pitcher this winter
A slow rumor trickle keeps pointing to the Orioles aiming for the best pitchers on the market this offseason. The benefits of adding a Justin Verlander or Jacob deGrom might outweigh the extreme cost.
There’s not always fire where smoke is concerned in baseball’s hot stove season, and the Orioles especially have done well in recent years to keep a low profile before making the significant trades that littered their rebuilding years.
That said, there’s a lot of chatter being thrown around that the Orioles are trying to live at the top of the free agent pitching market and land a high-profile starter to pair with the pitchers they’ve developed themselves.
There’s this tweet, and plus Jim Bowden saying the Orioles are swimming in the “deep end” of free agency and in contact with all the top pitchers. Mike Elias said himself at the GM meetings that he wants a starter for one of the top few spots in the rotation. All the top arms qualify – Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon. And if the Orioles can do one thing this offseason, it should be to aim for the moon and sign one of them.