Orioles announce new look pitching rotation ahead of 2026 Opening Day

With Opening Day being next week, many teams have announced their starting pitching rotation to begin the season, and the Baltimore Orioles are one of them.

On a tweet from the 'Underdog MLB' page on X, the five-person rotation includes four players who are heading into either their first or second season with the team, such as Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, and Trevor Rogers, who only appeared in four games with the Orioles last year. Kyle Bradish is the only consistent pitcher on the roster as he enters his fifth season in Baltimore.

Of course, there were mixed reactions to the rotation news, with some praising it as an underrated lineup and others hoping for improvement; one commenter wrote, "There has to be a trade coming soon."

More: Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman 

In a down year for the Orioles last season, they finished last in the AL East after finishing first and second in the previous two seasons. Pitching was a major factor in why they also came up short of the postseason this past October, as the team's ERA was 4.60, compared to 3.94 and 3.89 in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

However, with these changes and, of course, the major offseason acquisition of a slugger like Pete Alonso from the New York Mets, Baltimore hopes to get back into the mix in a division that may be the most competitive in the league.

There have been reports about Eflin performing well in spring training, including his impressive outing against the New York Yankees on Friday, after striking out seven batters through four full innings of play, which is exactly what the team wants to see after re-signing the 31-year-old to a one-year deal this offseason.

More MLB news:

• Blue Jays sign Joe Mantiply to minor league contract
• Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts
• Konnor Griffin projected to make Pirates Opening Day roster by two analysts
• Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
• Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
• Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar
• Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies