Trevor Rogers finished the 2025 season as the new ace of the Baltimore Orioles.
The Baltimore Orioles entered spring training with renewed confidence in their pitching staff, and much of that optimism centers on the resurgence of left-hander Trevor Rogers. After a rocky start to his tenure in Baltimore, Rogers has emerged as a key piece of the rotation and a major reason the club believes it can contend in 2026.
Rogers’ journey with the Orioles has not been straightforward. Acquired at the 2024 MLB trade deadline from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers, the move was heavily scrutinized at the time. Stowers, in particular, went on to have a breakout stretch early in 2025, leading many to quickly declare Miami as the clear winner of the deal.
Early returns did little to quiet that narrative. Rogers struggled to find consistency after the trade, and questions grew about whether Baltimore had overpaid a pitcher who could not recapture his earlier form. But internally, both Rogers and the organization remained confident that better days were ahead.
That belief paid off in a big way down the stretch in 2025. Rogers was dominant over 18 starts, posting a 1.81 ERA with a 9‑3 record and 103 strikeouts across 109 2/3 innings. He looked like a completely different pitcher, commanding the zone, missing bats and giving Baltimore exactly what it envisioned when it made the trade.
Rogers opened up about the criticism and his mindset through it all at spring training this past week. “Yeah, it was honestly remarkable, really. How the start of the trade went and, you know, the media aspect of all of it and, you know, it being a quote‑unquote. I knew deep down, I knew what I could do. I knew this organization was going to help me. And unfortunately, it took a little bit longer at the beginning of it, but you know, I'm right back to where I knew I could be. So I'm in a really good spot,” Rogers said on an MLB Network appearance.
That confidence now carries significant weight for the Orioles heading into the new season. With uncertainty surrounding parts of the rotation, including the health and availability of Kyle Bradish, Rogers’ emergence provides much‑needed stability.
Rather than searching for answers, Baltimore can now build around a pitcher who has already shown he can anchor a rotation when he is at his best. His late‑2025 performance suggests that his breakout was not a fluke but a return to form.
If Rogers can sustain that level over a full season, the narrative around the trade could shift dramatically, and the Orioles’ rotation could become one of the more reliable units in the American League.