Pitchers and catchers reporting to camp is always a nice time for a clean rotation graphic. 

This year, Baltimore’s version would include Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer. All are capable of making 30 starts with an ERA under 4.00. A few have the upside to receive Cy Young votes. 

Almost certainly, though, it will take much more than just that group to get through 2026. 

The O’s 2023 season featured some of the best injury luck in recent memory. 10 position players appeared in at least 110 games, with five eclipsing 140. Three of their starters reached the 30-start benchmark, and five relievers made at least 50 appearances. 

Even then, nine different pitchers made a start, and it’s fair to call that one of the best case scenarios. 

For a demonstration on a much more difficult scenario, turn back the clock no further than 2025, a season in which 16 different starting pitchers hit the hill for the Orioles. Only Tomoyuki Sugano made 30 starts, and just three pitchers made at least 20. 

Looking ahead to 2026, then, the outlook of Baltimore’s starting rotation can not solely include projections for the five projected starters. While names like Cade Povich and Brandon Young could be on the outside of the rotation looking in to begin the year, they will almost certainly be called upon. 

Povich was one of those three arms to make at least 20 starts last year, and was once again plagued by inconsistency. A solid outing in which he allowed just one earned run in five innings of work in Fenway, for example, was followed by a start in which he surrendered five earned runs against the Cardinals. The lefty is always capable of striking out eight batters or more, but walks three or more too often. 

Two pitches, specifically, could use improvements this offseason: the curveball and the sweeper. Together, Statcast has them at a run value of -17. Batters hit over .300 against each offering, slugged a whopping .660 off the sweeper, and neither generated whiff rates over 30 percent. A new kick-change helped against right-handed hitters, but Povich will need to find a more consistent formula to generate positive results. 

Nobody had a more dazzling flash of brilliance than Brandon Young in 2025, who came within one inning of baseball immortality on a Friday night in Houston. On a Tuesday in July, he surrendered just two earned runs in six innings of work against the eventual American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, and struck out six in over five innings against the Mets. 

Like Povich, though, Young struggled to string those good starts together. In nine of his twelve starts, the right-hander surrendered four runs or fewer. But in the other three, he allowed a total of 20. Developing his split-finger and changeup will go a long way. 

Tyler Wells and Albert Suárez could factor into a rotation conversation, but they both project to begin the season as bullpen pieces. Wells has been a very effective reliever in his career, with a 3.49 ERA and five saves in 49 games. Suárez was even better in 2024, surrendering just four earned runs in nearly a dozen innings out of the ‘pen. 

Chayce McDermott, a former starting pitching prospect, could be in the same boat. Excluding his first game as a reliever in Norfolk, the right-hander surrendered just three earned runs in 14 appearances, striking out 18 with seven walks. Perhaps he has found a home there. 

Speaking of prospects, arms like Trey Gibson and Nestor German may not be considered “depth” just yet, but with strong starts to their minor league seasons, they can certainly work their way into the conversation. Each posted an ERA over 7.00 in limited Triple-A action last year. 

The same goes for prospects like Luis De León and Juaron Watts-Brown, who, with strong seasons, could work their way into the conversation, but aren’t there right now. The former, along with Cameron Weston and Levi Wells, was a non-roster invite to big-league camp, perhaps indicating a higher standing.

All in all, that’s 11 additional names to add to the rotation conversation, bringing our total to 16. If the injury bug bites again, additional moves could certainly be made. They might even be made before that happens, too. 

Depth moves, and thus the conversations, aren’t always the most attractive. Throughout the course of the season, though, they can be pivotal in separating a good team from a great one.