Check out our free agency previews for backup catchers, outfielders and right-handed starters.

Losing Tyler Wells was a gut punch. Seeing Kyle Bradish go down was even worse. But perhaps the most devastating blow to the Orioles’ starting staff in 2024 was John Means’ season-ending Tommy John surgery in June.

Wells and Bradish were poised to give the O’s steady starts throughout the season and perhaps into the postseason. But Means could have given the team something it severely lacked all year: a quality left-handed starter.

Swingman Cole Irvin and rookie Cade Povich each started 16 games, but neither produced an ERA under 4.80. By midseason, general manager Mike Elias was so desperate for a lefty he traded a pair of promising position players to Miami for Trevor Rogers, who flamed out in four appearances before being sent to Triple-A Norfolk.

Orioles left-handed starters combined to produce a 4.65 ERA, 21st in baseball. By contrast, the righties in their rotation registered a 3.50 ERA, second only to the Seattle Mariners. Now that Means is a free agent (and still rehabbing), the O’s could be on the prowl for a southpaw.

Three big names — Yusei Kikuchi (Angels), Blake Snell (Dodgers) and Matthew Boyd (Cubs) — are already off the market. But there are more available who could pique Elias’ interest.

Max Fried

2025 age: 31

2024 stats: 3.25 ERA, 3.5 WAR in 174 1/3 innings

Fried will get $150 million or more this offseason, and he’ll deserve it. With a pair of All-Star appearances and top-five Cy Young finishes in Atlanta, Fried is one of the best lefties in the game. At just 30 years old, he’d fit perfectly into the Orioles’ rotation, just as he would in 29 others. But if new ownership is going to spend lavishly for an ace this offseason, why not simply retain the one who just gave them close to 200 dominant innings?

Sean Manaea

2025 age: 33

2024 stats: 3.47 ERA, 3.0 WAR in 181 2/3 innings

Manaea’s days as a starter appeared to be nearing an end. The 2023 season saw the former first-round pick moved to the Giants’ bullpen after a disastrous April. But, when Manaea opted out of his contract the following offseason, the Mets gave him another shot to start and he took advantage, posting a 3.47 ERA in 32 appearances.

Strangely, Manaea’s splits reversed in 2024, with left-handed hitters producing an on-base-plus-slugging percentage 150 points higher than right-handers. That shouldn’t bother the Orioles, who allowed righties to hit .246 against them (20th in MLB). If the O’s buy his resurgence in New York, he’d make a lot of sense in Baltimore.

Andrew Heaney

2025 age: 34

2024 stats: 5-14, 4.28 ERA, 0.8 WAR in 160 innings

Ignore Heaney’s ugly win-loss record — the veteran didn’t get great run support from a Rangers offense that fell short of expectations. Heaney’s ERA was also inflated by a horrendous final start against the Angels, jumping from 3.98 to 4.28 over the course of just four innings.

Heaney has never been an All-Star-caliber pitcher, but he’s produced positive WAR each year since 2018. His volume — more than 300 combined innings in 2023 and 2024 — is notable as well. The 34-year-old could provide stability to an O’s rotation that will be waiting for injured regulars to return.

Jose Quintana

2025 age: 36

2024 stats: 10-10, 3.75 ERA, 2.5 WAR in 170 1/3 innings

It’s been a while since the Orioles have had a crafty lefty in the rotation — Bruce Zimmermann? Tommy Milone? — and Quintana is the archetype. His peak velocity has hovered around 91 mph since he entered the league more than a decade ago. In 2023, his sinker overtook his four-seam fastball as the most used pitch in his arsenal, and his five-pitch mix always keeps hitters guessing.

Despite getting rocked by the Dodgers in the 2024 National League Championship Series, Quintana has been a solid contributor in eight career postseason starts. Given his style, the 35-year-old could pitch for a few more seasons, and his 170 1/3 innings in 2024 are evidence he can shoulder a heavy workload.