What’s Next for O’s Rotation?

If you’ve been paying close attention to the Orioles, you know that there are many fundamental issues with the structure of this roster.

There’s still no true left fielder.

The second baseman is young and unproven.

The bullpen lacks a definition of roles and doesn’t have a lock-down closer (though in this day and age, who does?).

The biggest point of contention with many, however, is the rotation. It’s a five-man group that has seen Chris Tillman fresh off his first All-Star appearance fail to take the reins and make the next step thus far. Ubaldo Jimenez, who was grossly overpaid in what might be the worst free-agent contract the O’s have handed out since Albert Belle, has been true to form. He’s a mediocre pitcher that can have flashes of brilliance, but mostly is painted as some sort of savior, which he’ll never become. Bud Norris has been the club’s most consistent pitcher to this point, but is still sporting an ERA over four. He’s nice to have in the back of the rotation, but isn’t anchoring the rotation of a competitive ballclub. Wei-Yin Chen presents value as the lone left-hander in the rotation, but his inability to get deep into games leaves the bullpen vulnerable and slots him as a liability. Miguel Gonzalez has also shown signs of promise, but also fails to eat up innings and isn’t able to keep enough runs off the board on a consistent basis.

The question the Orioles will be internally asking over the next few weeks is how to fix a rotation that is not built for a competitive run, even in a down year for the AL East. Some of these wheels have already been put in motion. Monday’s decision to purchase the contract of Johan Santana means the winds of change are getting ready to blow toward the major league roster. I have no idea what Santana can contribute to the club, but it appears that the O’s want to use him exclusively as a starter. This would obviously push someone out. Tillman and Jimenez are the only immovable pieces from the five-man bunch, which leaves three candidates for demotion. Play armchair GM all you want, but I’m not going to speculate. You could remove all three from the picture in an attempt to find other options, but it may or may not get better at this point. I personally don’t have a ton of faith that a 35-year-old coming off shoulder surgery can make a great impact, even if he is a former Cy Young winner.

There are other answers that could come internally for this club. Kevin Gausman’s name has been tossed around more often during the early part of this season than I can remember. He did get an unfair shot at a start against the Tigers last month in what was one of the stranger roster manipulations I’ve ever seen. At this point, there’s no reason to bring Gausman up unless you are going to insert him into the rotation, let him pitch every fifth day, and allow him to sink or swim. He’s going to have to prove it sooner or later. Dylan Bundy is another name on the horizon for the Orioles, but that horizon seems like it’s aimed more at August or September. Bundy’s recovery from Tommy John surgery is promising, but the O’s want to get him pitching well in the minors before throwing him to the wolves of the AL East. He’s not quite there yet, but I’m still hopeful he can contribute late in the season.

The only other way this club can boost its current rotation is via trade. Rumors of Jeff Samardzija swirled last week and they won’t stop until the Cubs make the inevitable deal to ship the former Notre Dame wide receiver away.

However, Samardzija isn’t the only option the O’s can go after. There has also been plenty of speculation surrounding his Cubs teammates Carlos Villanueva and Jason Hammel, the former Oriole. The Royals’ James Shields has been another name widely talked about on the rumor mill. At the right price, any team that feels it’s not in contention will be willing to deal a player near the deadline. The recent addition of a wild card spot to each league makes this a little tougher, but there will be talent to be had over the next two months. Of course, acquiring any major league talent will be costly. There’s obvious risk involved with giving up prospects such as Gausman, Bundy, Eduardo Rodriguez or Hunter Harvey. Those four definitely won’t be the only ones talked about in rumored deals over the next few weeks either.

The real telling factor in all of this is the move to get Santana on the 40-man roster. To me, it says the organization is willing to shake things up as the season rolls along. The moves are definitely coming. Changes are bound to happen in the near future. How major these moves are remains to be seen. How they impact the club is also a mystery.

Fans just want to know if enough will be done to make a playoff push.

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