Baltimore Orioles They continue to be one of the youngest and most entertaining teams in the league, but they are missing one thing: shooting depth. Corbin Burnes He’ll likely hit free agency, and the Trevor Rogers trade didn’t work out, so it’s now up to Grayson Rodriguez to be the ace. But there are plenty of options in free agency, and one of them is currently available in Walker Buehler.

Buehler’s career is off to a bright start and he’s looked like one of the league’s best young pitchers, especially after his 2.47 ERA in 2021. Then came the injury. He pitched just 12 games with a 4.02 ERA in 2022 before landing on the injured list and then undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2023.

The 30-year-old pitched 75.1 innings with a 5.38 ERA when he returned in 2024. As it stands, he has allowed six runs in nine innings this postseason.

Buehler has had a rough go of it the last few years, but has proven to be one of the best pitchers in the league for most of his career. Dealing with an injury can be difficult and not entirely healthy.

After an extended rehab and short season, it’s time to prepare for 2025 as a free agent. Its current market cap is one year, approximately $3.9 million. According to Spotrac. Even though he managed a lot before the injury, his value is at its lowest point.

The Orioles are unlikely to bring Burnes back to the big deal he would want, making Buehler an excellent option. If the Orioles want to make Rodriguez their ace of the future, Buehler could be a good fit as the veteran presence who can eat more innings for the rotation.

Outside of Burnes, the lowest ERA by starters was 3.70, meaning they need to step up that spot immediately.

Even though his home runs were down, the right-hander was still sitting at 95 mph with his fastball, a good sign that he was getting his stuff back. Not to mention he struck out six of four innings in his last NLCS outing.

Buehler presents a great bargain option for a needed rotation given his recent history. Not much has been said about Los Angeles Dodgers‘ is interested in bringing him back and may want to sign a “prove it” deal in free agency. Regardless, Baltimore needs to keep an eye on the right-handed side.