There had been chatter for weeks about the Orioles’ pursuit of starting pitchers. Many names had been mentioned. One that wasn’t was Shane Baz, who was acquired by the Orioles from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in exchange for four of the team’s top 30 prospects.
Who is Baz? Baz was the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was the player to be named later in a July 2018 deadline deal that sent starter Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Austin Meadows to the Rays for starter Chris Archer.
Baz was 17-17 with a 4.25 ERA in 54 starts for Tampa Bay in four seasons. He missed the 2023 season after Tommy John surgery. In 2025, the 26-year-old right-hander was 10-12 with a 4.87 ERA in 31 starts.
He pitched significantly better on the road (3.86 ERA in 15 starts) than at home (5.90 ERA in 16 starts) in 2025. Tampa Bay played the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field because Tropicana Field was undergoing repairs because of damage caused by Hurricane Milton.
Why was he attractive to the Orioles? Baz has three seasons of club control before he’s eligible for free agency. After they traded Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward last month, they needed at least one more starter.
Baz has familiarity with the American League East and has pitched well against the Boston Red Sox (3-1, 2.64 in five starts) and Toronto Blue Jays (4-0, 2.23 in six starts). He hasn’t pitched well against the New York Yankees (0-1, 6.75 in six starts).
He’s pitched really well against the Orioles (0.56 ERA in three starts, two runs, one earned on four hits in 16 innings).
Baz fits into the Orioles’ rotation along with Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers and Tyler Wells.
Who did the Orioles give up? The Orioles relinquished four top prospects, including two of their top four draft picks in July. Catcher Caden Bodine was the 30th pick overall and high school outfielder Slater de Brun was the 37th pick. That was the pick the Orioles acquired from the Rays in exchange for reliever Bryan Baker in July.
The Orioles also sent a top right-handed pitching prospect, Michael Forret, who had a 1.58 ERA in 19 games at High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake, outfielder Austin Overn and their Competitive Balance Round A pick, the 33rd pick in the 2026 draft.
Where does Baz fit in the rotation? Baz could be the third starter behind Bradish and Rogers, the only left-hander.
Baz’s 31 starts and 176 strikeouts would have led the Orioles and his 166 1/3 innings would have trailed only Kremer, who had 171 2/3.
Baz was excellent early in the season. Four of his first five appearances were quality starts (three or fewer earned runs), but he then went eight starts without one.
He allowed five home runs in three innings in a 13-3 loss to the New York Yankees on August 18th, though he didn’t allow a home run in his last six starts. Baz’s final start was four hitless innings against the Orioles at Camden Yards on September 24th.
What’s next for the Orioles? Baz’s unexpected acquisition won’t cost the Orioles big money, and if president of baseball operations Mike Elias is keen on acquiring another front-line starter, the money is there to do it.
Even though one of the top starters the Orioles were linked with, Michael King, came off the board this week, returning to the San Diego Padres for three years at $75 million, there are still several quality starters available.
Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez are the biggest names linked to the Orioles. Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai is also available, but the Orioles must sign him by January 2nd, the deadline for him to sign with a major league team. Otherwise, he’ll head back to Japan.
The Orioles have interest in St. Louis Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Orioles have a shortage of left-handed relievers with only Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram on the 40-man roster.
Josh Walker, another left-hander, was designated for assignment to make room for Baz on the 40-man roster.
Note: The Orioles announced their 2026 coaching staff on Friday. Each of the 11 coaches on Craig Albernaz’s staff had been previously reported. There are four holdover coaches — third base coach Buck Britton, pitching coach Drew French, pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek and assistant pitching coach Mitch Plassmeyer. The new coaches are bench coach Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Dustin Lind, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, infield coach Miguel Cairo, bullpen coach Hank Conger, assistant hitting coach Brady North and field coordinator/catching coach Joe Singley.
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