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<\/p>\nThe Baltimore Orioles are once again eyeing the top tier of the pitching market, after securing ace Corbin Burnes last season.<\/p>\n
With Burnes potentially exploring long-term contract offers that Baltimore might find hard to match, the Orioles could be preparing for life without him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Enter Max Fried, a steady and reliable left-hander whose consistent performance over the past few years makes him an attractive, potentially more affordable option than Burnes.<\/p>\n
However, another intriguing possibility for the Orioles is two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Snell\u2019s journey over the last year has been a rollercoaster.<\/p>\n
After seeking a long-term $200 million deal, Snell found himself signing a two-year contract with San Francisco late in the off-season, with the option to opt out after the first year.<\/p>\n
One major plus for teams considering Snell this offseason is the absence of a qualifying offer, which means the Orioles wouldn\u2019t lose draft picks by signing him.<\/p>\n
Moreover, his price tag might be more palatable than the one he and agent Scott Boras pitched last year.<\/p>\n
Snell\u2019s game comes with both highs and lows, but those highs are tantalizing.<\/p>\n
Since 2022, Snell ranks second in strikeout percentage in all of baseball, boasting an intimidating 32.4 percent as per FanGraphs.<\/p>\n
With a career rate of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, he remains one of the most formidable strikeout pitchers in the game.<\/p>\n
Yet, Snell\u2019s control on the mound can be erratic, reflected in his ranking as the second-highest in walk percentage since 2022, with a notable career BB\/9 rate of 4.1.<\/p>\n
In terms of workload, Snell has yet to surpass 200 innings in a single season, his career-best being 180.2 innings. He\u2019s crossed the 30-start threshold only twice\u2014during both of his Cy Young-winning campaigns.<\/p>\n
Despite these limitations, the allure of his high strikeout rate and past accolades make him a compelling candidate for Baltimore.<\/p>\n
For the Orioles, pursuing Snell seems like a logical step, especially if Burnes opts for greener pastures. Snell would bring the kind of experience and prowess that Baltimore desperately needs.<\/p>\n
With promising talent like Grayson Rodriguez in the rotation, and veteran steadiness from Zach Eflin, Snell could elevate the Orioles into a serious playoff threat.<\/p>\n
His familiarity with the AL East is another layer of appeal, potentially making him an ideal fit for a team hungry for its first World Series title in decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Baltimore Orioles are once again eyeing the top tier of the pitching market, after securing ace Corbin Burnes last season. With Burnes potentially exploring long-term contract… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n