The Baltimore Orioles needed to improve their rotation this winter. Re-signing Zach Eflin is a curious way to do it.
On its own, this move does not make the Orioles better, but it makes them safer.
Eflin’s 2025 season was uneven and short. He went 6-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts, limited to 71.1 innings as recurring back issues eventually led to a lumbar microdiscectomy and an early shutdown. That version of Eflin is not an upgrade.
But that is not the version Baltimore is buying.
The Orioles are betting on the 2024 version, when Eflin delivered 165.1 innings with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. That season provided exactly what Baltimore lacked at times last year: predictable innings from a starter who does not need everything to break right to be useful.
In that sense, re-signing Eflin stabilizes the rotation. It protects Baltimore from depth erosion and prevents April from turning into a scramble. That matters for a team with October expectations.
What it does not do is raise the ceiling; it anchors the rotation, and the Orioles hope t hat adding Shane Baz last week will elevate the rotation.
Still, if the Orioles are done adding, however, this move will leave the rotation feeling incomplete.
Eflin is a floor play, not a swing that changes how opponents line up in a postseason series. Baltimore still needs more if the goal is not just to get back to October but to win there.
The good news is that this signing, a one-year, $10 million deal, does not prevent the Orioles from doing that. With Eflin's contract and the addition of Pete Alonso last month, the Orioles have a projected payroll of just over $179 million, according to Spotrac.
Eflin’s deal keeps the books flexible while defining the rotation slot. It does not prevent Baltimore from chasing a higher-impact arm, whether through trade or late free agency. It simply removes pressure to act out of desperation.
The Orioles needed to get better. This move does not finish that job.
It does make it easier to do the rest of it the right way.
