The Baltimore Orioles have moved on from one of their young starting pitchers after Opening Day. The Orioles and starting pitcher Shane Baz are finalizing a five-year, $68 million contract extension, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. The Falcons were acquired by Baltimore in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays during the MLB offseason.
The 26-year-old starting pitcher is getting a contract extension before taking the field for the Orioles in a regular season game. In 2025, Baz posted a 4.87 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 31 games for the Rays. The extension comes with risk, as Baz has a history of serious right elbow injuries in Tampa.
Baz underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove the loose body in March 2022. The former Tampa Bay pitcher later entered the injured list with an elbow sprain in July 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. Baz missed the entire 2023 MLB season, but returned to action in 2024, splitting time between the minors and MLB.
The 2025 MLB season was his first season at full health; However, the Rays' temporary home at Steinbrenner Field affected their pitching. The Falcons had a 5.90 ERA at home compared to a 3.86 ERA on the road. This is an unbalanced value which is not indicative of their actual performance in 2025.
Baltimore was encouraged to offer an extension after trading four prospects and the No. 33 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to the Falcons during the winter. The new contract will cover three arbitration seasons and buy out two free agent years. The Orioles are confident in his ability to be a frontline starter for the next five years.
Baltimore will now have the Falcons and their electric pitching arsenal at Camden Yards during the 2030 MLB season.
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