Sources: Baz, Orioles finalizing 5-year, $68M deal

Right-hander Shane Baz and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a five-year deal, fortifying the team's starting rotation long-term with a high-upside arm acquired in a trade over the winter. The deal is worth $68 million, sources told ESPN.

Once among the top pitching prospects in baseball, Baz, 26, has thrown just 286 major league innings because of a spate of injuries. With 166⅓ of those innings coming last season for Tampa Bay, the Orioles are betting that Baz can hit on his significant upside and become a front-of-the-rotation starter.

With a fastball that lives at 96 mph and tops out at 99, plus four other pitches that include a wicked knuckle curve, Baz features the sort of arsenal seen in the game's best arms. Baltimore dealt four prospects and the No. 33 pick in the 2026 draft to add him to a rotation it overhauled over the winter.

The contract amounts to the Orioles doubling down on the decision -- and their belief that Baz will remain healthy going forward. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft by Pittsburgh, he went to the Rays in the Chris Archer trade a year later and by 2021 looked like a future star as he debuted in Tampa Bay. The next season, Baz underwent a pair of elbow surgeries, including an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction that caused him to miss all of 2023 and half of 2024.

Baz hasn't missed a start since, and although his 4.87 ERA last year was well above the league average, his 176 strikeouts suggested the return of his premium stuff and the potential to slot himself at the top end of a staff.

Baltimore's starting pitching, a distinct weakness a year ago as the Orioles finished 75-87 and missed the postseason following consecutive appearances, has markedly improved since. Left-hander Trevor Rogers threw seven shutout innings on Opening Day, right-hander Kyle Bradish looked like a star upon his return last season from Tommy John surgery, and Baltimore signed free agent veterans Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin over the winter to round out the staff.

Baz, who is expected to slot in at the middle of the rotation, was set to reach free agency following the 2028 season. The deal will start this year, cover three arbitration seasons and buy out two free agent years.