It’s been an unusually active offseason for the Baltimore Orioles, with the club adding the likes of Shane Baz, Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley to address some of its biggest weaknesses from last season. With spring training approaching, the front office is eyeing another significant addition.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Orioles are among the clubs that have expressed interest in free-agent starter Justin Verlander. While Baltimore isn’t close to a deal with the future Hall of Famer, there are some reasons to think a signing could be possible.
As Rosenthal noted, Verlander and Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias have a history. Elias served as the Houston Astros assistant general manager from 2016. In September 2017, Houston acquired Verlander from the Detroit Tigers, and he later went on to win two World Series titles with the club. Notably, he’s also a Virginia native.
It’s important to note, however, that Verlander is not Baltimore’s primary target. Rosenthal noted that the Orioles are prioritizing a frontline starter, perhaps someone like Framber Valdez. Trading for a top starter is also a possibility, as signing Valdez or Zac Gallen would cost Baltimore a draft pick.
This past season with the San Francisco Giants, Verlander posted a 3.85 ERA with a 137-52 K-BB line. While his WHIP rose to 1.36 across 152 innings pitched, he did surrender just a .413 slugging percentage. The 6-foot-5 righty also looked better late in the season, posting a 2.87 ERA with a .229 batting average allowed across his final 11 starts.
For now, Baltimore’s intention seems to be acquiring someone like Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers or signing one of Gallen or Valdez. If the price isn’t right, though, there’s a real chance of Verlander joining the Orioles rotation in 2026 and potentially contributing to another playoff contender in his age-43 season.
