Coming off a 91-71 record and a trip to the postseason in 2024, the Baltimore Orioles were looking to emerge as one of the American League's premier contenders this season.
With all the young talent the Orioles have, it seemed like their championship window was starting to open. They just needed to bring in a couple of starters to fortify their rotation to be true World Series contenders. While they were not as aggressive in their pursuit of Corbin Burnes replacements as fans hoped, they did bring in Charlie Morton on a one-year, $15 million deal.
While the expectations for Morton were not high, his tenure as an Oriole has gone far worse than anyone expected. Through 26 2/3 innings, he's pitched to a 9.45 ERA, with 26 strikeouts to 21 walks, a 2.175 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 40. Although it's only April, the Orioles seemed to have buyer's remorse.
This has led many to wonder who the Orioles could have signed instead of Morton. Here are three pitchers that Baltimore surely wishes it could have on its roster right now.
1) Jack Flaherty
Jack Flaherty was one of the handful of pitchers who were available late in free agency, as he did not reach an agreement with the Detroit Tigers until February 7th. He signed a two-year deal worth $35 million, which is an average annual value of $17.5 million.
While this is slightly more than what the Orioles offered to Morton, it would have put the rotation in a much better position. Through 32 1/3 innings, he's pitched to a 3.34 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 11 walks, a 1.113 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 119.
Now, in the Orioles' defense, they have employed Flaherty in the past. He was their big acquisition at the 2023 trade deadline. However, his tenure in Baltimore did not go as they had hoped, pitching to a 6.75 ERA over 34 2/3 innings, with 42 strikeouts and 12 walks, a 1.673 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 61.
However, what should've given the Orioles some confidence that his brief tenure in Baltimore was a fluke has been the improvement of his slider. According to Baseball Savant, back in 2023, opposing hitters had a wOBA of .399 and a batting average of .333 against the offering. In 2025, the pitch has generated a wOBA of .292 and a batting average of .182.
He's also abandoned his cutter, a pitch that hurt him a lot when he was in Baltimore. Perhaps those changes don't happen if he returned to Maryland, but it's clear the Orioles could have used his arm atop their rotation.