The Baltimore Orioles are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season and have been aggressive in their offseason moves to reload their roster. One of the top priorities for the Orioles was to address their pitching rotation, and it was one of three that president of baseball operations Mike Elias noted at the winter meetings. The rotation was No. 24 in baseball with a 4.60 ERA last season. They made a move to do that on Sunday night by re-signing veteran righty Zach Eflin to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027, per their social media post.
Eflin was originally acquired via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024. Eflin went 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA for Baltimore in nine starts. Unfortunately, he trended downward in 2025, eventually needing season-ending back surgery in August. The 31-year-old pitched a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts and went 6-5. The Orioles are clearly betting on a bounce back and return to form with a prove it one-year contract.
Here is the full story from Orioles Roundtable writer Joshua Valdez on the important signing.
After finishing last in the AL East, Baltimore is looking to return to form as much as they need to see that out of Eflin. It was a harsh drop after making the AL Wild Card round in 2024. It won’t cost them too much with a one-year deal worth $10 million, per ESPN, and a $500k bonus if traded.
Eflin will hopefully slide into the end of the rotation with Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish both healthy and newly acquired Shane Baz from the Rays.