Baltimore Orioles Struggle Most Among American League Teams in First Half Performance
The Baltimore Orioles, who entered the 2025 season with high hopes after advancing to the postseason in both 2023 and 2024, find themselves in a challenging position with their starting rotation. The team currently has the worst pitching staff in the American League, with an ERA pushing 5.00, and a lack of innings pitched and strikeouts compared to other teams in the league.
In an attempt to bolster their pitching depth, the Orioles have two notable starting pitchers who could be considered trade assets: Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano.
Zach Eflin, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024, had an excellent season last year with a 2.60 ERA across nine starts. However, this season he has struggled somewhat, posting a 4.81 ERA over 10 starts. An injury stint likely affected his performance, but a change of scenery could rejuvenate his form and make him attractive to playoff contenders seeking pitching depth.
Tomoyuki Sugano, signed to a one-year deal from Japan, has decent surface numbers, but his underlying metrics like expected ERA and FIP (both near 4.7-4.85) suggest a less impressive performance. The Orioles may prefer to retain Sugano to establish a stronger connection with the Japanese market rather than trade him at this point.
Given this context, Zach Eflin is the Orioles' more probable trade candidate among their starting pitchers because his contract and recent injury issues could encourage the team to trade him for prospects or pitching depth pieces. The Orioles' front office could look to leverage Eflin to bring back younger arms or bullpen help to strengthen their rotation and overall pitching staff heading into the stretch run.
While the Orioles have recently added pitching prospects through the draft, such as left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa, their immediate rotation needs could be addressed more quickly via trades involving established starting pitchers like Eflin.
Every regular player on the Orioles' roster, with the exception of DH Ryan O'Hearn and RF Ramon Laureano, has underachieved. Cedric Mullins is the team leader in homers and RBI, on pace for just over 20 homers and under 80 RBI. Meanwhile, Henderson, Rutschman, Cowser, and Westburg have all struggled relative to previous seasons and/or expectations.
The Orioles' minor league system remains short on high-end starting pitching. The team's starting rotation is particularly weak, ranking last in the AL in ERA and next to last in innings and strikeouts, ahead of only the Chicago White Sox.
In addition to Eflin, potential trade candidates include Mullins, O'Hearn, and Laureano, who are all rentals with team options or are free agents at the end of the season. Closer Felix Bautista, who has two years of team control remaining, is another potential trade candidate and would command real value in return.
The Orioles have already made one move to address their pitching needs, moving middle reliever Bryan Baker to the Rays for a competitive balance pick in this year's draft. As the trade deadline approaches, the Orioles will continue to explore options to strengthen their pitching staff and improve their chances of returning to the postseason.
[1] Source: MLB.com [2] Source: Baltimore Sun
In the pursuit of enhancing their pitching depth, the Baltimore Orioles might consider trading Zach Eflin, given his struggling performance this season and the potential for a change of scenery to rejuvenate his form. Additionally, the Orioles face a sluggish start in the American League baseball season with their struggling roster, particularly their weak starting rotation, as exemplified by players like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins, and Ryan O'Hearn.
