Good morning Birdland,
While much of the baseball-watching public is up in arms about the contracts that Kyle Tucker (Dodgers, four years, $240 million) and Bo Bichette (Mets, three years, $126 million) received
this week, we have a much more modest rumor to talk about.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Orioles, among a few other teams, are interested in 42-year-old righty Justin Verlander. The 20-year MLB vet and future Hall of Famer spent the 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants, where he had a 3.85 ERA over 152 innings.
Rosenthal clarifies that a deal between the Orioles and Verlander “is not close.” The O’s have their sights set on a bigger rotation upgrade, but those options are waning. Framber Valdez is the big free agent still on the market, above the likes of Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito, and Chris Bassitt. There are some intriguing trade options, including Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, and Mackenzie Gore, but they are expected to require a big prospect haul to land. Verlander would represent a Plan B.
Some will recall that this is not the first time that Verlander and the Mike Elias-led Orioles have been linked. Back in 2023, there was some speculation that the O’s could trade for the him when he was then on the Mets. At the time, he was still viewed as an ace, having posted a 1.75 ERA over 175 innings in 2022 and then looking solid again for a disappointing Mets squad halfway through ‘23. Ultimately, Verlander returned to the Astros, and the Orioles traded for Jack Flaherty instead. Both teams would be beaten by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the playoffs.
Whomever signs Verlander will not be getting the peak version, obviously. His velocity and strikeout numbers are more modest than they once were. He hasn’t thrown 200 innings in a season since 2019. And you could understand Orioles fans having some trepidation here after the club suffered through the Charlie Morton experience last summer, a pitcher from the same era as Verlander.
But the Orioles rotation is in a better spot now than it was when Morton was added a year ago. Morton was expected to come in and be one of the better pitchers on a unit that lacked an ace. Verlander would slot somewhere behind Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers, and be counted on for innings and guidance rather than ace-level performance. The upside of the rotation would be left to the duo ahead of him, the newly acquired Shane Baz, and the potential emergence or prospect Trey Gibson.
Adding a 42-year-old pitcher is never going to be the safest move, and it would certainly be a disappointment for fans that have been hoping for a bonafide ace at the zenith of their powers. But you could also do a lot worse than a proven winner like Verlander.
Links
Orioles Among Teams With Interest In Justin Verlander | MLB Trade Rumors
Here is the MLBTR writeup of the above-mentioned report from The Athletic. If Elias and the Orioles’ front office isn’t in love with the more expensive options, signing a veteran like Verlander makes a ton of sense. He would be cheaper ($15 million salary in 2025) than some of the other arms out there, and it may keep their options open for a splashy trade in-season.
Some random thoughts and more mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko
Not much in here apart from Roch reassuring us all that the Orioles are in hot pursuit of pitching upgrades. The quality of those upgrades is unclear. But no one is saying that they are out on Valdez or anyone else.
Busy week for Orioles as Framber Valdez remains unsigned | Baltimore Baseball
For a long time I thought the Orioles could land Valdez if he was willing to take a short-term, high AAV deal. But I wasn’t aware of just how high some of these AAVs were gonna go. Tucker just got $60 million AAV, and then Bichette landed $42 million AAV. Are the Orioles interested in that stratosphere of a deal? Ehhh.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Rob Bell turns 49 today. He pitched in 30 games out of the Orioles bullpen in 2007, sporting a 5.94 ERA over 53 total innings.
- The late Dick Brown (b. 1935, d. 1970) was born on this day. From 1963 through ‘65, he shared catching duties on the Orioles with John Orsino. Brown’s time with the Orioles, and playing career in general, was ended by a brain tumor that eventually took his life several years later.
- It is a posthumous celebration for Jay Heard (b. 1920, d. 1999). The left-handed pitcher was the franchise’s first African-American player after their move to Baltimore. He would pitch in just two games for the 1954 squad.
This day in O’s history
January 17 has been a quiet day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. Maybe that will change today. For now, here are some happenings from beyond Birdland:
1920 – The Volstead Act goes into effect in the United States, beginning Alcohol Prohibition.
1950 – The Great Brinks Robbery: More than $2 million is stolen from an armored car company’s offices in Boston by a team of 11 thieves. At the time, it was the largest robbery in United States history and went unsolved for nearly six years.
2013 – Highly-decorated former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to doping throughout his career during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
