THE Baltimore Orioles are about to see their ace and the price of free agency, at least from a pitcher’s perspective, be desired by almost every team in baseball, as huge money offers will start rolling in.

For Baltimore, even though they had the advantage of having one of the best pitchers in baseball in Corbin Burnes led their rotation last year, that always came with the caveat that he was going to hit the open market this winter as Scott Boras“Customers almost always do this when given the opportunity. The time has come when the Orioles’ season is over and the focus will be on scrambling to re-sign Burnes while still being able to have the financial room for maneuver necessary to modernize in other areas.

While new owner has committed to increasing payroll, it is starting to look all the more likely that Burnes will move elsewhere in 2025. When it comes to replacing him if necessary, Tim Smart from Birds Watcher made a suggestion in case Burnes leaves Baltimore.

“Will the Orioles be willing to pay that kind of money to retain him? Honestly, it doesn’t seem like that,” Smart wrote. “Elias isn’t known for his willingness to spend more than expected to acquire his guys, and Burnes will likely be the highest-paid pitcher in free agency this winter. The most likely scenario seems to be getting someone like Sonny Gray via trade. This way the O’s aren’t tied to a long-term deal with a high-risk starter.

Gray was phenomenal for the Twins in 2023, finishing second in the American League Cy Young and being named to his third All-Star Game after a season in which he posted a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. As a result, Gray was awarded a three-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $75 million and while his numbers were not as good, he had the second most strikeouts in a season during his career with 203.

With the Cardinals appearing ready to begin a rebuild, Gray could potentially be on the trading block with two years of team control remaining well short of what Burnes would command. Gray is by no means as good a player as Burnes, but if Baltimore isn’t able to hold on to its ace, Gray isn’t a bad consolation prize.