The Baltimore Orioles are struggling with their pitching in a big way this season, and they could find their savior via trade.

The Baltimore Orioles came into the season with high expectations, but they’ve gotten off to a horrendous start.

Through 45 games, the team sits dead last in the AL East at 15-30, and while a number of different things have gone wrong so far, a lot of its struggles come back to a struggling pitching staff.

The Orioles recently opted to sign veteran Kyle Gibson, and he lasted just four horrible starts with the team before it was forced to cut ties with him.

Across these four starts, Gibson allowed 23 runs in 12.1 innings. and his struggles are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Baltimore’s pitching woes.

It’s clear the O’s need to go after a starting pitcher at the trade deadline if they have any hope of salvaging this season. But it would be a bit risky to acquire a rental pitcher like Erick Fedde given where they are in the standings.

Instead, the Orioles need to bring in somebody with some team control who will be on the roster beyond this season.

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An Orioles trade for Sandy Alcántara would set them up for long-term success

There are a lot of potential options for the Orioles to pursue, but Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara makes the most sense.

First, though, I’ll address the elephant in the room: Alcántara’s struggles this season.

On the year, Alcántara has made nine starts and covered 41.2 innings for the Marlins. He’s allowed 44 hits and issued 23 walks, good for a 1.61 WHIP and -0.9 WAR.

He’s inducing a lot of ground balls, but he’s getting hit harder than ever. Once he reigns in the walks and begins to command the zone like he did before Tommy John surgery, his dominance will return.

Now, for the good things about Alcántara.

He’s under team control through the 2027 season and each year of his contract is rather affordable for a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

He’s also a former No. 1 with a fastball in the high nineties and stuff that doesn’t look too far off from his Cy Young peak.

The Orioles have the farm system to make a deal happen without crushing themselves for the future. But acquiring the Marlins’ righty would heavily hinge on whether he can return to his Cy Young self or not.

If he does, the Orioles would have an ace on their hands. He can help them this year and for years down the road.