The Orioles’ opening day starter from last season is returning to the fold.
Baltimore signed right-hander Zach Eflin to a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season, the club announced Sunday. He will receive $10 million guaranteed, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
Eflin, 31, was a trade deadline acquisition of the Orioles in 2024, arriving in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was dominant when healthy down the stretch, posting a 2.60 ERA and starting Game 2 of their wild-card series against the Kansas City Royals that fall. Eflin then received the opening day starter nod last season, but injury issues and poor results left him with a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts before undergoing season-ending back surgery in August.
The Orioles are hopeful Eflin will be ready to start ramping up early in spring training and that he could make his season debut early in the year, a source told The Sun.
“Absolutely, I love this clubhouse,” Eflin said in August when asked if he hoped to re-sign with the club in free agency. “I’ve told pretty much everybody that we’ve had a conversation about that. I told them, I love this place. I’d love to be here. We’re going to get the operation done and kind of see where that takes us.”
Eflin said after his lumbar microdiscectomy surgery that he expected to have a “normal offseason” after 12 weeks and hoped to be ready for the start of spring training. A protruding disc in his back had caused him increasing discomfort for six years, to the point where he needed the surgery to function normally off the field. He hoped the surgery would allow him to pitch pain-free for the first time in years.
“That was another big reason I wanted to get this done because it doesn’t necessarily only affect me here,” Eflin said. “I’ve got to be a dad. I’ve got to be able to pick up my kids and stuff. I think with this operation it’s going to help me be a better dad, too.”
Baltimore didn’t make Eflin a qualifying offer at the start of free agency, allowing him to hit the open market unrestricted for the first time. The 2012 first-round pick was coming off his worst statistical season in years and had injury concerns, but he was also only two years removed from finishing sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting with the Rays.
He landed on a $10 million guarantee with the Orioles, down from his $18 million salary in 2025 but offering him the chance to return to free agency next winter after he puts his injury rehabilitation behind him.
Eflin is the Orioles’ second starting pitcher addition in as many weeks after Baltimore swung another trade with the Rays to acquire right-hander Shane Baz on Dec. 19, sending four prospects and a competitive balance pick to Tampa Bay. Baz and Eflin project to slot in alongside Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Dean Kremer to fill out the club’s starting rotation.
The addition of Eflin raises questions over what role Tyler Wells will have on the pitching staff next year. Wells returned from elbow surgery late last season, and injuries have prevented him from ever throwing more than 118 2/3 innings in a season. Should Eflin not ramp up in time for opening day, Wells could still open the year in the rotation before becoming a candidate to move to the bullpen later on.
The Orioles designated outfielder Will Robertson for assignment in a corresponding move to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
The New York Post was first to report Eflin’s salary.
Josh Tolentino contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.