Right-hander Shane Baz and the Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a five-year, $68 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN, fortifying the team’s starting rotation long-term with a high-upside arm acquired in a trade over the winter.
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.