Despite fans and analysts clamoring for the Baltimore Orioles to make a final splash that adds an ace to their starting rotation, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of urgency to get that done.
They haven’t replaced the hole left by the departure of Corbin Burnes, but the front office created more depth in that unit by bringing in Major League veteran Charlie Morton and Japanese international star Tomoyuki Sugano.
Whether that’s enough to get them to the top of the AL East again will be seen, especially after the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays had aggressive winters to upgrade their rosters.
If the Orioles get the itch to make a late move, they could be beneficiaries from what the San Diego Padres just did.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, they agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract with free agent starter Nick Pivetta. He later added the deal has opt-outs after Year 2 and 3, and has creative financial structures by paying the right-hander $4 million this season but an increase to $19 million in 2026, $14 million in 2027 and $18 million in 2028.
How might that help Baltimore?
For one, the Padres could now be more interested in trading away their star Dylan Cease now that they added another top-end starting pitcher.
San Diego, despite the quiet offseason up until this point, stated they plan to contend in 2025 and would be looking for pieces to help them accomplish that goal if they were to trade anyone off their roster.
The asking price for Cease when it comes to the Orioles reflected that.
They might not come down too much from that type of package since Cease is one of the premier pitchers in Major League Baseball, but getting something back instead of losing him for nothing next winter should be at the front of their minds.
Second, the financials they worked out with Pivetta opens things up.
Rumors about the Padres wanting to get under the luxury tax have continued to persist throughout the offseason, and with an ace-caliber arm under contract for $4 million by way of Pivetta, moving Cease and his $13.75 million salary could be the next thing they try to accomplish.
If that’s the case and San Diego’s asking price comes down a bit, then that’s something Baltimore has to at least consider before they get the upcoming campaign underway.
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