For the first half of the 2024 season, Corbin Burnes looked to be a contender for the American League Cy Young Award.
Burnes was 8-5 with a 2.94 ERA, and the Orioles had a 58-38 record. The eventual unanimous winner of the Cy Young, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, was even better than Burnes with a 10-1 record and a 1.99 as the Tigers stumbled to a 47-50 record.
In the second half, Burnes was just as good, going 7-4 with a 2.89 ERA, but Skubal had a better second half, going 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA as Detroit vaulted into the postseason with a 31-10 record from August 11th on.
Skubal led the American League in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). He had just four losses and a 6.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement).
Burnes had a 3.4 WAR and finished fifth, the second straight year an Oriole finished in the top 5. Last season, Kyle Bradish finished fourth and Félix Bautista finished 11th despite missing the final five weeks of the season.
Behind Skubal in the voting were Kansas City’s Seth Lugo, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase and the Royals’ Cole Ragans.
Skubal and Lugo were named on all 30 ballots. Clase was on 23.
I voted for Skubal, Clase, Lugo, Burnes and Houston’s Framber Valdez, who finished seventh.
The other Baltimore voter, USA Today’s Gabe Lacques, voted for Skubal, Clase, Burnes, Lugo and Cleveland reliever Cade Smith. He was the only voter to name Smith, who also got a first-place vote for Rookie of the Year.
In 2016, I voted for Zack Britton for the Cy Young. He finished fourth. Watching Britton dominate that year, I appreciated how important he was to the Orioles’ success as he converted each of his 47 save opportunities.
Clase seemed nearly as dominant this season, registering the same number of saves as Britton did, 47. Clase blew three saves, but none after May 19th and allowed just two home runs in 74 1/3 innings.
Burnes received three second-place votes, four third-place votes, nine fourth-place votes and five fifth-place votes. He won the National League Cy Young with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021.
No Oriole has won the Cy Young since Steve Stone n 1980.
He remains the top free-agent starter this season and there’s no sign that he’ll sign with a team soon. On Tuesday, he declined the Orioles’ $21.05 million qualifying offer.
New bullpen options: In the past two weeks, the Orioles added three new bullpen options to their 40-man roster. It’s no coincidence that the new additions — right-handers Kade Strowd and Brandon Young and left-hander Luis González — have three options.
Another pitcher acquired earlier this month, Thaddeus Ward, who was claimed off waivers from Washington, has two options.
Most of the top candidates for the 2025 bullpen — right-handers Seranthony Domínguez and Jacob Webb and left-handers Cionel Pérez and Gregory Soto — don’t have options remaining.
Soto and Webb seem likely to be offered contracts on Friday, the deadline for tendering contracts for players who are eligible for arbitration.
Bautista, Yennier Cano and left-hander Keegan Akin each have options remaining, but the Orioles don’t want to send them to the minor leagues.
Right-hander Colin Selby, who has three options remaining, was added to the active roster on the final day of the regular season, and he was on the Wild Card Series roster.
In order to keep the bullpen fresh, it’s important to have pitchers with options, and with González, Strowd, Ward and Young, the Orioles have some fresh arms. Ward and Young, who was the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year, could add rotation depth, as could Chayce McDermott, who has two options remaining.
It seems unlikely that the Orioles will use the Rule 5 draft to add another reliever. It would be difficult to add another arm who couldn’t be sent to the minor leagues to another experienced bullpen on a team that’s again expected to contend for a postseason spot.
Home game times: Oriole home game times have been announced. Monday-Thursday night games will again begin at 6:35. Fridays begin at 7:05. Most Saturday games start at 4:05, and Sundays at 1:35.
There are five 7:05 Saturday night starts after the All-Star break. For FOX, there are 7:15 games on May 3rd, August 21st and September 18th.
There are 10 weekday afternoon games, including Opening Day, March 31st and Memorial Day, May 26th at 3:05 p.m. April 3rd, July 10th, August 14th and 28th, September 11th and 25th begin at 1:05 while May 15th and July 30th start at 12:35.
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.