Give Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias some credit – he finally went through with it. The Orioles remain stocked with young position player talent, but took a major step back in 2025. Faced with the very real chance their World Series window might close, the O's threw $155 million at Pete Alonso, and he cashed that check.
Alonso will be a figurehead in a strong Orioles lineup. This is not a team that should struggle to score runs in 2026. Heck, they even acquired Ryan Helsley to sure up their bullpen. However, they're still missing one essential piece, and that's an ace.
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged the Brewers might trade Peralta during the MLB Winter Meetings. Some insiders have called it a coin flip, and Milwaukee is an organization comfortable trading from its strengths. Their rotation certainly is that, especially after keeping Brandon Woodruff around another year. The emergence of young starters like Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski makes Peralta expendable.
"I watched some of these contracts out here," Murphy said Tuesday. "He's due to be a wealthy man, have a lot of acreage if he wants it, maybe beachfront acreage ... wherever he wants it in multiple islands."
The asking price for Peralta is said to be sky high, and rightly so. He had a 2.70 ERA and finished fifth in NL CY Young voting behind Paul Skenes. Peralta does have just a year left on his contract, but if Wednesday was any indication, Elias and the Orioles aren't afraid to spend on the right pitcher. While their trade for former Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes may not have worked out in the long run – as they lost him in free agency the following year – Peralta could be worth taking a chance on.
Likelihood of a trade: 35%
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner, is the best starting pitcher available via trade this offseason. Skubal is also in the final year of his contract, and it only seems like a matter of time before he is traded elsewhere. Scott Harris admitted as much at the Winter Meetings, noting that no player on the Tigers current roster is untouchable. That includes Skubal, who had a 2.21 ERA and 6.5 bWAR in Motown last season.
Skubal would pitch well anywhere, but he's also a Scott Boras client. Whether the Orioles chase the 29-year-old depends on if he's intent on reaching free agency. Boras clients typically do just that, but ultimately that's Skubal's decision.
The asking price for Skubal is said to be immense. The Tigers will want a king's ransom, including MLB-ready talent as to not take a dramatic step back and anger their fanbase. Harris believes he is the smartest guy in most rooms, and that includes in conversations with Elias. He'll want top prospect capital and young pitching talent to replace Skubal. The Orioles...don't really have that, which makes this a tough match.
Likelihood of a trade: 20%
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins
Cabrera is better used as a No. 2 starting pitcher on most teams, but with the Orioles there's a real argument to be made that he'd immediately become their ace. Cabrera had a 3.53 ERA last season and 2.8 bWAR. On a team like the Orioles, which is expected to feature one of the best lineups in baseball, he'd have far more run support than he currently does in Miami. The Marlins are engaged in trade talks with multiple teams – including Baltimore, reportedly – about Cabrera, who won't be a free agent until 2029.
That kind of contract flexibility could make him as costly as Skubal and Peralta, or at least comparable, but unlike the two ace-level starters I mentioned prior to Cabrera, the Orioles wouldn't have to worry about an extension for quite some time. In fact, Cabrera is arbitration-eligible until 2029, when he can test the market. Here's what Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon had to say about Baltimore's pursuit of the 27-year-old.
"The Orioles, however, are trying to add a third high-end starter to complement left-hander Trevor Rogers and righty Kyle Bradish. They acquired Rogers from the Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby in a deal that worked out well for both teams. Rogers had a 1.81 ERA in 109 2/3 innings last season, and Stowers was an All-Star," the duo wrote via The Athletic.
With Alonso in tow, the time is now to strike on a top-level starter with contractual control. Cabrera is just that.