{"id":98748,"date":"2025-09-26T08:45:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98748"},"modified":"2025-09-26T08:45:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:45:16","slug":"breaking-update-a-looming-orioles-free-agent-already-has-his-heart-set-on-returning-and-fans-are-buzzing-about-what-this-means-for-baltimores-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98748","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING UPDATE: A looming ORIOLES FREE AGENT already has his HEART SET on RETURNING\u2026 and fans are BUZZING about what this means for Baltimore\u2019s future"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"relative z-10\">\n<h3 class=\"my-2.5 text-black font-group-gigantic !leading-[30px] md:!leading-[44px]\">This looming Orioles free agent already has his heart set on returning<\/h3>\n<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large !mb-2.5 md:mb-5\">Thanks, but no thanks.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 1x,  \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 2x,\n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F11%2F01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full\" title=\"Baltimore Orioles v Toronto Blue Jays\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/11\/01k5sckykg5jrx8fjjq7.jpg\" alt=\"Baltimore Orioles v Toronto Blue Jays\" width=\"8640\" height=\"4860\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"Baltimore Orioles v Toronto Blue Jays\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex items-center gap-4 ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center gap-4 ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Baltimore Orioles v Toronto Blue Jays | Kevin Sousa\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"flex flex-wrap justify-center lg:justify-normal\">\n<div class=\"flex lg:mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\"><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1 odesa-article-main\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<figure class=\"player-wrapper relative aspect-video mb-[18px] bg-grey rounded-md hidden player-wrapper-lg md:block\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-content [&amp;_p]:leading-[30px] [&amp;_p]:md:leading-[28px] [&amp;_li]:leading-[30px] [&amp;_li]:md:leading-[28px]\">\n<p>Less than a week of games stand between the Baltimore Orioles and the offseason, and it&#8217;s expected to be an active winter for Mike Elias and company. Elias, now serving as the Orioles&#8217; president of baseball operations, will be hiring a general manager to join the front office, and there is also a looming search for a new manager. In terms of the roster,\u00a0the most glaring need the team has is in the starting rotation.<\/p>\n<p>Ignoring the rotation last offseason certainly played a factor in the disappointment that was the Orioles&#8217; 2025 season, but if there is a takeaway, it&#8217;s that Kyle Bradish is going to finish the year healthy, and Trevor Rogers is already being\u00a0mentioned as a Cy Young candidate in 2026.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Orioles free agent already showing his hand about next year\u2019s decision<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Still, the Orioles will need to round out their rotation, and one impending free agent is hoping to be a part of the mix. After spending the first seven seasons of his professional career playing in Tokyo as part of the NPB, Tomoyuki Sugano inked a one-year deal with the Orioles last offseason, and nearing the completion of his first year, Sugano\u00a0is hoping to be back with the Orioles next season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">What Sugano may not realize is that he is part of the reason why there is little faith in Elias to address the pitching staff this offseason. After losing Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was clear that the Orioles had to add another top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Instead, the answer from Elias was signing Sugano and Charlie Morton to respective one-year deals. Morton has since been traded (and already cut loose) to the Detroit Tigers, and Sugano&#8217;s first season has been a major disappointment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Through 29 starts this season, Sugano has an ERA of 4.54, but carries a FIP of 5.22 and an xERA of 5.89. Striking out under 16% of the hitters he has faced this season, Sugano&#8217;s peripherals suggest that the Orioles shouldn&#8217;t place much of a priority on bringing him back this offseason.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Any move the Orioles make for their rotation this winter needs to be a definitive answer. In other words, aging veterans simply can&#8217;t be the answer. If the Orioles are going to be taken seriously in 2026, they leave Sugano and players like him in 2025 and\u00a0target additions that move the needle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This looming Orioles free agent already has his heart set on returning Thanks, but no thanks. Baltimore Orioles v Toronto Blue Jays | Kevin Sousa\/GettyImages Less than&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":98756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING UPDATE: A looming ORIOLES FREE AGENT already has his HEART SET on RETURNING\u2026 and fans are BUZZING about what this means for Baltimore\u2019s future - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98748\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING UPDATE: A looming ORIOLES FREE AGENT already has his HEART SET on RETURNING\u2026 and fans are BUZZING about what this means for Baltimore\u2019s future - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This looming Orioles free agent already has his heart set on returning Thanks, but no thanks. 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