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.
2) Matthew Boyd
Matthew Boyd has turned his career around after being non-tendered by the Tigers in 2021 and dealing with several injuries between 2022 and 2023. The Guardians took a chance on Boyd last June, and it worked out pretty well for them, as he posted a 2.72 ERA over 39 1/3 innings, with 46 strikeouts to 13 walks, a 1.134 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 149. This earned him a two-year $29 million contract with the Cubs.
Boyd has picked up right where he left off in 2025, pitching to a 2.54 ERA over 28 1/3 innings, with 24 strikeouts to 10 walks, a 1.376 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 158. A big reason for Boyd's turnaround has been the improvement of his four-seam fastball. Throughout Boyd's entire career, his fastball has been his most trusted pitch. However, opposing hitters knew how to square it up, batting over .260 against it throughout the southpaw's career. But over the past couple of seasons, he's added a couple of mph to it, and opposing batting average has dropped to below .235.
Baltimore's reluctance to sign Boyd makes sense considering he underwent both forearm flexor tendon surgery and Tommy John surgery since 2022. However, they gave more money to a pitcher on the wrong side of 40, something that was just as, if not a bigger, risk.
3) Andrew Heaney
Unlike the previous two pitchers mentioned, the Orioles could have signed Heaney and still have money left over to sign another player. The Pirates gave Heaney a one-year deal worth $5.25 million. That's $9.75 million less than what the Orioles gave to Morton. They could have given Heaney that contract and still have money left over to bring in another arm for the rotation.
Heaney has been one of the few bright spots on a disappointing Pirates team. Through 36 innings, he has an ERA of 2.50 with 31 strikeouts to nine walks, a 0.889 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 169. While these numbers are good, they were even better before his last start. Before that start against the Cubs, he had a 1.72 ERA, an ERA+ of 243, and a WHIP of 0.766, which led the league.
It's been a season for Heaney where everything has been working in his favor. However, his most effective pitch has been his changeup. He's used it 21.2% of the time and it has generated a wOBA of .152 and a batting average of .125. It has also induced whiffs at a 25% rate.
While it's unknown if these pitchers would have the same success in Baltimore, it's clear the Orioles' rotation would be in a better place with Heaney instead of Morton.