The Orioles made it clear this offseason: they’re not constrained by finances. But looking at the current bullpen, a quiet question arises—if truly not bound by money, why did Baltimore enter Spring Training without a reliable left-handed specialist?
Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge helped stabilize the game. Those two names were enough to ease fans’ concerns about innings 8 and 9. But baseball isn’t just about two arms. And looking deeper into the bullpen structure, the Orioles are missing something very specific: a left-handed pitcher who can shut down left-handed hitters in crucial situations.
The free agent market is nearly exhausted. If Baltimore wants to solve this problem, they almost certainly have to enter the trade market. And that opens up three interesting scenarios—each carrying a different message about the team’s true ambitions.
JoJo Romero is a “doubtfully reasonable” option. The Cardinals are in a teardown, and Romero only has one year left on his contract. From 2023 to date, he boasts an ERA of 2.93 across 157 games. His opponents, Lefty, only managed slash lines of .185/.274/.255. That’s almost exactly the type of pitcher the Orioles are lacking. The price isn’t too high. The risk is low. But if this trade is so logical, why hasn’t it happened?
Aaron Ashby is a different story. The Brewers have an excess of lefty pitchers and tend to cut costs whenever possible. Ashby’s ground-ball rate and barrel suppression were in the top 1% of MLB last season. His ERA is 2.16, FIP is 2.70. Lefty hitters are almost powerless against him (.193/.299/.241). Ashby’s contract is higher than Milwaukee’s other options — and that could be why he’s considered “redundant” in a cost-saving system. If the Orioles truly aren’t financially constrained, this is their chance to prove it.
And then there’s Tanner Scott — the most dramatic option.
The Dodgers signed him with high expectations, but his first year in Los Angeles was a disaster. He didn’t even make the World Series. A big contract. Performance plummeted. But before that, Scott had a dominant run with a 1.23 FIP against lefty hitters. The Dodgers have the money, but no team likes paying a large salary to a pitcher who’s no longer crucial.
If the Orioles are truly willing to spend, they could offer to “rescue” the Dodgers from this contract. That would be a bold and risky move — betting on a bounce-back.
It’s worth noting that the Orioles’ current 2026 payroll is even lower than before the 2025 season. While the “no financial constraints” claim remains, concrete action has been rather cautious.
Perhaps they’re waiting for prices to drop. Perhaps they believe the current bullpen is sufficient to start the season. Or perhaps they’re quietly negotiating and preparing a trade that will surprise the market.
But AL East isn’t a place to experiment for too long. A bullpen lacking a reliable lefty might not cause a stir in April. But by September, when every matchup is calculated down to the percentage, that gap could become more apparent than ever.
The question isn’t whether the Orioles can find a lefty.
The question is: will they dare to act at the right time—or will they wait until a lead is dropped before realizing the value of what they’re missing?
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