Five ideal pitching targets for the Orioles

Now, there are a few elite pitchers on this year’s MLB free-agent market, including reigning American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, longtime New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom and All-Star lefty Carlos Rodon. However, the Orioles are not expected to sign any of those players.

However, the team has been willing to spend big on occasion, and signing a couple of starters in the next two tiers of available arms is possible. Let’s take a look at five starting pitchers the Orioles could sign in the next couple of weeks.

Chris Bassitt

Jacob deGrom isn’t the only Mets pitcher available on the market. Longtime Oakland Athletics talent Chris Bassitt is up for grabs after a season in New York, and he is a very good and affordable fit for the Orioles. He has won double-digit games the last two seasons, including 15 wins for New York in 2022. He also earned his first All-Star honors for Oakland in 2021.

Bassitt won’t come cheap, but he is a very competent big league pitcher who projects as a strong No. 3 and good No. 2 pitcher in any rotation.

Kodai Senga

Kodai Senga is the best international pitcher on the MLB free agency market, and contenders like the Yankees and Mets have shown interest. Without a doubt, there are always questions about any player making the jump from Japan to MLB. However, many scouts rave about Senga’s potential, and he could turn into an ace for Baltimore while making No. 3 starter money.

Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi is a pitcher Orioles fans know quite well. While he has never been an ace-level talent, he has evolved into a rock-solid and reliable starter in the league over the last five seasons. He is the type of battle-tested pitcher the team needs at a rate they would like.

Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon had a career year for the Yankees this past season. He posted a 14-5 record and logged some of his best numbers in key categories like strikeouts, innings pitched and ERA. While there are some questions about his consistency, he still has won 14 games in two of his last four seasons. At 31, signing him might be a worthwhile risk as the Orioles could get the best version of him in the next few seasons.

Noah Syndergaard

Former Mets, Angels and Phillies righty Noah Syndergaard is an interesting talent on the market. He is no longer the fireballer who took the league by storm in the last decade and is currently making the transition to being more of a finesse pitcher going forward. While last season was not one to remember for him, he still went 5-2 for the Phillies down the stretch and was a part of a staff that reached the World Series.

Syndergaard may come at a low rate but have high upside if he can evolve his game.