The Orioles won 101 games last season despite a middling pitching staff. Kyle Bradish led the rotation with a 12-7 record and 2.83 ERA, but the three other full-time starters finished with ERAs over 4.10. The team’s offense and impressive bullpen made up for it, but their lack of a true ace cost them in the playoffs.
Corbin Burnes (10-8, 3.39 ERA) has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball since 2020. He posted ERA’s under 3.00 in three of the last four seasons, though a weak Milwaukee offense led to his record being unimpressive. That won’t be the case now that he is with an Orioles team that scored the seventh most runs in the league last season.
Baltimore was likely going to compete for another AL East title this season even without Burnes. He will help with that, but the biggest reason for his acquisition was the playoffs. The team was bounced out in the first round after allowing the Rangers to score 21 runs in three games. While the bullpen strategy does help cover for the lack of an ace.
Burnes comes in with 2.84 ERA over 19 playoff innings pitched. He went to the postseason three times with Milwaukee, meaning he brings a lot of experience. Having an ace like Burnes makes a big deal in the postseason, especially in elimination games. As long as the Baltimore offense continues to thrive, Burnes should give them the piece they need to make a deep playoff run.
