After an injury-ruined 2025 season, veteran right-hander Zach Eflin is back with the Orioles on a one-year deal. The 31-year-old (32 in April) underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure in August. At the time, he and the team indicated that while the procedure can come with a recovery timetable of four to eight months, he was hopeful that he’d be able to have a normal offseason after roughly 12 weeks of recovery.
There hasn’t been much concrete information about his rehab window since that time, but on a Zoom call with the Orioles beat, Eflin revealed that he’s slated to throw his first bullpen session on Jan. 6 (via the Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich). Eflin added that his goal is to be ready for Opening Day, though he noted that timetable is still very much subject to change. Obviously, his ultimate return point will hinge on how his ramp-up period goes now that he’s been cleared for his first post-op bullpen session.
A healthy Eflin would, at least on paper, give the Orioles a full rotation. He’d slot in alongside Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and newly acquired Shane Baz. That’s a solid group if everyone’s healthy, but that’s a colossal “if.” Eflin pitched just 81 1/3 innings last year before that season-ending back surgery. Bradish pitched only 54 innings between the minors and the big leagues as he returned from Tommy John surgery. Baz tossed a career-high 166 1/3 innings but totaled only 106 1/3 major league frames across the three preceding seasons, due primarily to Tommy John surgery. Depth options like Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young give the O’s some cover, but none of that trio has established himself in the big leagues just yet.
The Orioles have been connected to a wide swath of notable starters via both trade and free agency. Their pursuit of Miami righty Edward Cabrera has reportedly cooled, but Baltimore has been linked to free agents like Tatsuya Imai, Ranger Suarez and Framber Valdez throughout the offseason. Bringing Eflin back at a pretty reasonable rate shouldn’t stand as a major impediment to any subsequent additions. RosterResource projects Baltimore’s payroll for about $147MM as of this writing. That’s $13MM shy of their 2025 mark. It stands to reason that ownership is willing to at the very least replicate that level of spending, if not push the payroll further north.
Virtually no team makes it through a full season in today’s game with only five starting pitchers. The Orioles are even likelier to need extra arms than most. Bradish and Eflin will see their workloads managed to varying extents. Rogers and Baz have notable injury histories. Whether in spring training or throughout the marathon regular season, the Orioles are sure to incur injuries on their staff. They had eight pitchers start six or more games for them in 2025, and that includes free agent Tomoyuki Sugano, who started a team-high 30 games. They’ll likely have at least seven or eight pitchers with 10 or more games started.
Happy New Years eve eve
Is it New Year’s Eve, Eve, Eve?
They pickup the trash tomorrow here, so it’s garbage eve in my neck of the woods.
Also known as bears night out.
Okay good
Eflin gave a good interview. He said his back has been an issue for 10 years, every year of his career he’s gone on the IL because of it, and it had gotten to a point last season that he could no longer manage it. He said he got into bad habits pitching while trying to avoid positions that would cause pain. He also said it was becoming a quality of life issue for him. He said he feels better than he ever has after the recovery period from the surgery. Eflin also said he did talk to other teams, but felt loyalty to Baltimore as he didn’t want to be the guy they traded for who couldn’t stay on the field and contribute. He said he likes the Orioles’ clubhouse and happy to be with friend Taylor Ward, and is looking forward to a redemption season showing what he can be for the Orioles.
Good news, good news! Please sign Ranger Suarez and try out a six man rotation – Bradish, Rogers, Suarez, Baz, Eflin, Kremer. Move T Wells to the pen, should be a top 5 MLB pitching staff
Your name says it all here
Why thank you!
6 pitchers + Ranger Suarez= 6 man rotation.
Strong math for sure.
You’re right. 6 + 1 is a 5 man rotation.
Usually.
that would be a very nice rotation though probably not quite top 5 as the upside seems capped below that.
Signing eflin ain’t a bad depth move, but you still need another 1-2 rotation starter guy to really get me to buy in.
Bonne chance to Zach hope he gets his guys out pitching out of the bullpen. You know what they say, you can’t win a pennant in January, but you can lose a pennant in January.
Maybe only the beat writers know that McDermott is slated to be a pen arm if he can tackle his control problems.
Really nice guy, wish him much luck in his recovery.
With Imai only having 4 days remaining in his posting window, he could be the domino that gets the market moving for the remaining top available starters.
Once they start falling off the board the trade options should also heat up – if teams with starters on the trading block are smart, they will hold off until the top tier starters sign because those left with no one signed will be competing for those on the trading block and could net the trading team a higher return.
Elias and his team usually play it close to the vest and I’m sure they have their targets and will be ready and in the mix when the action picks up but even at this point right now, the Elias haters within our fan base should be happy with how effective this offseason has gone so far.
Baltimore’s work for the offseason is done. Elias has checked all of his boxes. Fans should be content.
I am not content, the Os need to acquire TOR pitcher like Ranger Suarez to achieve checking all the boxes IMO
I don’t believe that their work is done. I still see them acquiring another starter one way or another.
Toronto set the market pace with the Dylan Cease contract and not a single “big name” pitcher has signed since. No one wants to pay $200+ million for Suarez or Valdez and Imai is supposedly upset that there isn’t a bigger market for him. Baltimore may need a front line starter but they won’t be paying for one
I didn’t say that he would set the market, I said that he could be the one who causes the market to heat up and start moving.
The Orioles will have to pay for the starter one way or another – either with money or with talent. It is better for them to acquire the starter now vs waiting until the deadline as obviously a full season is more preferable than a half season.
Who said he is upset? I just saw articles saying no team has made him a concrete offer yet.
Ignorant – neither Baz nor Eflin are what you would call top of the rotation arms, and that was the #1 priority.
The 5 men currently named (Bradish, Rogers, Baz, Eflin, Kremer) is still likely the worst rotation in the AL East. Not at all content.
McDermott is a reliever now. Stop lumping him in with the starters.
He’s closer to a DFA. This is his last option year.
If he looks bad in ST—that might the end of him here.