MLB Rumors: Potential Braves reunion, Lance Lynn no-trade clause and Orioles deadline intentions

MLB Rumors: Orioles could be in the market for more relief pitching instead of starters

As everyone knows and understands at this point, starting pitching is one of the hardest things to acquire at the trade deadline. Each year, starting pitchers are shipped around the MLB in return for a ton of prospect capital. But for a lot of teams, they’re willing to part with these prospects for serviceable starting pitching. The Baltimore Orioles aren’t like every other team though, and they could prove rather stubborn in parting ways with their top prospects. This would limit their ability to acquire a starter tremendously.

But this stubborn attitude may not spell certain disaster for the 2023 Orioles. The first thing of note is their starting pitching is still getting the job done. Per Baseball Reference, Baltimore ranks 10th in the league in quality start percentage at 39%. It could absolutely use some work, but the O’s still hold the second-best record in the league.

One pivot they could make, if they decide to not opt for pursuing a starter is to load up on bullpen talent. They’ve already added a high potential reliever in the Athletics Shintaro Fujinami. Loading up on bullpen talent, when their bullpen is already so lights out, could result in them basically shortening the length of games down a few innings because of the reliability in their bullpen. The O’s could go either direction, but definitely look for them to add pitching in the next week.