Baltimore bolstered its pitching rotation Friday, acquiring right-hander Shane Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a package of prospects and a draft pick. The move signals a clear intent to contend in 2026, even after a disappointing 2025 season.
Orioles Acquire Baz, Signaling Win-Now Approach
The Orioles added a former top prospect to their rotation, while the Rays reloaded their farm system.
- Shane Baz, once a highly touted pitching prospect, joins the Orioles rotation.
- Tampa Bay receives a quartet of young players and a valuable draft pick in return.
- The trade highlights Baltimore’s commitment to competing immediately.
- Both teams are navigating complex roster situations and future planning.
The Orioles are betting on Baz’s potential, despite a recent injury history. He’ll immediately slot into a Baltimore rotation that’s been a focal point of offseason attention. The 26-year-old Baz was once considered among the sport’s elite pitching prospects, ranking eighth in Baseball America’s 2022 top 100, just behind recently traded Grayson Rodriguez.
Baltimore previously traded Rodriguez and his remaining four years of club control to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. Rodriguez hadn’t seen major league action in nearly 18 months due to injury. Baz, while also having faced injury setbacks, pitched a career-high 166 1/3 innings across 31 starts for Tampa Bay last season. Both pitchers represent projects with varying degrees of risk, but the Orioles quickly replaced one former top prospect with another.
In 2025, Baz posted a 4.87 earned run average, though advanced metrics painted a more favorable picture, with a 3.95 SIERA and 4.37 FIP. He struck out 24.8% of opposing batters, walked 9% of them, and induced ground balls at a rate of 46.7%. His primary issue was the home run ball, allowing 1.41 homers per nine innings pitched, with 15.6% of fly balls leaving the yard.
Baz’s struggles with home runs were particularly pronounced against right-handed hitters. Tampa Bay’s temporary home, Steinbrenner Field, was the second-most homer-friendly venue in MLB for righties, according to Statcast’s Park Factors. While Camden Yards in Baltimore is also favorable to right-handed power hitters, it wasn’t to the same extent.
If Baz can limit the home runs and remain healthy, he possesses the potential to be a solid mid-rotation starter. However, his health is a significant concern. He underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery before the 2022 season, followed by a brief return of 27 innings pitched, before another elbow sprain sidelined him. He then underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2022, missing the entire 2023 season and the first half of 2024.
Despite the injury history, Baz consistently hit 97 mph with his fastball in 2025 and showed promising results with a new knuckle curveball. Opponents hit just .214 and slugged .321 against the breaking pitch. He also features a changeup and a cutter, rounding out his four-pitch arsenal.
The Orioles will control Baz for three more seasons. As a Super Two player, he’s eligible for the second of his four arbitration raises this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $3.1MM salary for the right-hander. This increases Baltimore’s projected payroll to over $140MM, with more than $178MM in luxury tax considerations, still leaving them nearly $70MM under the first tax threshold.
Baltimore entered the offseason with a clear need for rotation depth. Baz provides a capable arm with upside, though he isn’t necessarily a proven, playoff-caliber starter. He joins Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, and Dean Kremer as rotation locks. Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, Brandon Young, and Chayce McDermott are all candidates for the final rotation spot, already on the 40-man roster.
Despite the added depth, the Orioles’ rotation still feels short a veteran presence. The team’s aggressive signing of Pete Alonso, along with the acquisitions of Ward and Baz, demonstrates a clear win-now mindset as they aim to rebound from a disappointing 2025. Adding a proven starter would further bolster their chances. Baltimore has been linked to free agents Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Tatsuya Imai, all of whom remain available. Even after adding Alonso, Baz, Ward and closer Ryan Helsley, their projected payroll is more than $20MM shy of last season’s Opening Day mark, leaving room for another splash.
In return for Baz, Tampa Bay received outfielder Slater de Brun, catcher Caden Bodine, right-hander Michael Forret, outfielder Austin Overn, and a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick. Baseball America recently ranked Forret as the eighth-best prospect in Baltimore’s system, projecting him as a potential No. 3 or 4 starter. The 21-year-old righty boasts strong command and a six-pitch repertoire, highlighted by two above-average breaking balls.
Forret is the only prospect ranked within Baltimore’s top 10 by Baseball America, though de Brun and Bodine were both top-10 names on MLB.com’s midseason prospect rankings. De Brun, selected with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2025 draft, is a particularly intriguing addition. The 18-year-old outfielder possesses plus-plus speed, an above-average hit tool, a strong throwing arm, and good instincts in center field, though he lacks power.
Bodine, 22, was selected seven picks ahead of de Brun in last summer’s draft. The former Coastal Carolina University standout hit well in a small sample size with the Orioles’ Class-A affiliate. He’s a 5’10”, 200-pound, switch-hitting catcher praised for his plus hit tool and defensive skills. Overn, selected out of USC with the No. 97 pick in 2024, is a fast runner with good defensive skills but limited power.
The Rays also add a valuable draft pick. Baltimore won the fifth pick in Competitive Balance Round A during this month’s lottery, which is projected to be the No. 37 overall selection in 2026. Interestingly, that was the same pick the Rays traded to the Orioles for reliever Bryan Baker, which Baltimore used to select de Brun. Tampa Bay is now receiving de Brun back, along with what could be the No. 37 pick in the subsequent draft, adding approximately $2.7MM to their draft budget.
The subtraction of Baz weakens an already thin Rays rotation. Tampa Bay’s current rotation is expected to include Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane McClanahan, and Steven Matz. Joe Boyle, Joe Rock, Ian Seymour, and top prospect Brody Hopkins are among the internal candidates to fill the fifth spot, with the first three already on the 40-man roster.
However, McClanahan will likely be on an innings limit following UCL and nerve surgeries. The Rays also traded second baseman Brandon Lowe earlier Friday, trimming more than $14MM from their projected payroll. Per RosterResource, they now sit at about $78MM, in line with last year’s Opening Day payroll. With new ownership, there may be room to add a modestly priced starter, or they could leverage their revitalized farm system in further trades.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported that the Orioles were nearing a deal to acquire Baz. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the agreement and the Rays’ return.
