The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in free agent left-hander James Paxton.

Per Heyman:

The Orioles have considered every starter from Marcus Stroman on down (they couldn’t seriously consider Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery “unless the market collapsed.”) Baltimore also has been eying James Paxton.

Stroman just signed a two-year deal with the New York Yankees, so the pitching market has tightened further on Baltimore.

This offseason, we’ve seen Paxton linked to the Boston Red Sox, where he pitched in 2023, and the Seattle Mariners, where’s he had two different stints. We also heard the Pirates, Padres and Nationals have some degree of interest. Going to Baltimore would represent a great opportunity for Paxton, as the O’s will enter 2024 as one of the favorites in the American League.

Furthermore, they badly need starting pitching so there’s plenty of opportunity in the rotation. The rotation was by far the weakest link for the team that won 101 games in 2023, and it’s lost Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty this offseason already.

Now 35-years-old, Paxton is coming off a season in which he went 7-5 for the Red Sox. Injuries have unfortunately been part of the story for Paxton in his career and will factor into whatever contract he gets moving forward. He’s never made 30 starts in a season and made just six appearances between 2020 and 2022. He rebounded to make 19 starts for Boston a season ago.