Trevor Rogers Named Top Player to Watch Ahead of MLB Free Agency

Trevor Rogers is officially a free agent, and the market will be strong for the seven-year veteran. The former Baltimore Orioles left-hander was highlighted by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com as a name to watch as teams begin evaluating starting pitching options this offseason.

Rogers became a free agent Oct. 29 after completing his third season with Baltimore. He finished 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA, 157 strikeouts and a 1.185 WHIP across 169 2/3 innings. The innings total matters as much as anything else on that line.

Rogers had never thrown that many innings in a major-league season, and teams pursuing starting pitching this winter will note that he held up through a full workload.

The case for Rogers starts with what he showed in 2025. After arriving from the Miami Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline and struggling in four starts with a 7.11 ERA, he came back the following season and posted a 1.81 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings across 18 starts.

That kind of turnaround is not an accident. It reflects a pitcher who found something in Baltimore's system and ran with it.

His 2026 numbers represent a step back from that peak, but the finish to the season was encouraging. Rogers allowed one run on three hits and struck out 10 over eight innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 19, then gave up one run in four innings against the New York Yankees on Sept. 25. 

His health may be the only thing that holds him back this offseason. Rogers dealt with a left biceps strain in 2023, a right knee subluxation in 2025 and an illness that kept him off the mound for some time.

Three different issues across three years is a pattern worth evaluating, even if none of them appear connected. That he made 30 starts this season despite the spring setback is the counterargument.

Baltimore would benefit from keeping him. The Orioles finished 79-82 and have plenty of question marks in their rotation heading into 2027. Letting Rogers walk adds another hole to a staff that needs building, not tearing down. The organization knows him, and he clearly knows how to pitch in that environment given what he produced in 2025.

For outside teams, Rogers offers a left-handed starter with the upside of pitching like an ace. Those are not easy to find, especially this year. How aggressively teams pursue him will depend on how they weigh the 4.03 ERA against everything else he brings.