Before Zach Eflin even considers the benefits that back surgery brought to his future life in baseball, the Orioles right-hander is grateful for the way he can bend down and scoop up his children with his arm. There’s no pain doing that anymore.

Above all, that was a major consideration when Eflin underwent a season-ending lumbar microdiscectomy in August. He has dealt with lingering back issues for roughly 10 years, he said, but the pain never reached the debilitating nature it did this past year in Baltimore, when enough finally became enough.

The surgery has brought relief. And it brings excitement for his future on the mound. He said his first bullpen session post-surgery is Jan. 6 and he hopes to be ready for opening day.

That future is with the Orioles once again after he signed a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2027. Eflin provides high-upside depth for Baltimore’s rotation, and while he may not be the major addition for which Mike Elias, the president of baseball operations, has strived, a healthy Eflin would provide stability.

So, the impact that a healthy Eflin brings the Orioles is large. It’s even larger for the Eflin family.

“Even out of surgery, obviously sore from being cut open and stuff, but it was a night-and-day difference,” Eflin said. “I didn’t have that shooting nerve pain, I didn’t feel like someone was holding a lighter to the bottom of my back, and I haven’t had that since right before surgery. So aside from being able to physically play the game of baseball pain-free, just the everyday, day-to-day life has been so much better.

“It was to a point where I couldn’t necessarily pick up my kids, I couldn’t play with them on the ground. And I was kind of in a dark spot, and to kind of go through that process, get it cleaned up, get it taken out and to feel like a completely different person, it’s, aside from baseball, just enjoying like the quality-of-life aspect of it, it’s just been tremendous.”

The uncertainty that surrounded the 31-year-old Eflin didn’t dampen his market. He said he had multiple opportunities, but ultimately, returning to the Orioles, who acquired him in a deadline deal in 2024, seemed like the correct move given the relationships he already had with teammates and staff members.

The contract Eflin received is incentive-laden, which is reflective of a player returning from surgery. The base contract is worth $10 million for one year, two sources said, with a mutual option for 2027.

It breaks down to a $5 million salary and a $3 million signing bonus, plus a $2 million buyout. However, the buyout price can max out at $7 million, a source said (and as FanSided first reported). Eflin’s buyout will increase by $1 million once he starts 15 games. At 20 starts, the buyout jumps another $1.5 million. At 25 starts, the buyout increases an additional $2.5 million.

The total value of the deal, should Eflin reach his start incentives and both parties exercise his mutual option, is $30 million.

It’s a prove-it deal, and Eflin feels as though he’s in shape now to prove himself compared to what he achieved in 2025. Eflin struggled through multiple injuries even before the season-ending back operation. He finished with a 5.93 ERA in 71 1/3 innings, and the 2.3 home runs he allowed per nine innings were the highest of his career.

“These guys wanted me back after missing all those starts and having an arm injury and having a back surgery,” Eflin said. “I get a chance to go back and show what I really am, and that’s what I’m really excited for.”

His injuries affected his performances. Eflin pointed to the declining arm slot he used last year. That dip wasn’t by design, but by necessity caused by pain.

“I feel like, for the better part of the last two years, I was doing my best to deliver a pitch without hurting my back, which caused me to develop some bad habits,” Eflin said. “I was kind of jumping off of my back foot and not using my lower half to drive through the baseball. I was avoiding certain positions throughout my delivery so that I could stay on the field.”

Eflin’s average arm angle dropped from 32.8 degrees in 2023 to a career-low 23.8 degrees in 2025, according to Statcast. One result was a fastball that performed poorly. His four-seamer received a -3 run value, per Statcast. Batters slugged .484 against it.

Eflin’s curveball was even more ineffectual. Opponents produced a .902 slugging percentage against that pitch.

His newfound ability to bend more easily at his waist should allow him to throw a better curveball, which had been a weapon earlier in his career. In 2023, Eflin’s curveball produced a 9 run value, per Statcast, with just a .339 slugging percentage against it.

“The past couple of years I’ve gotten my torque from torquing laterally to kind of avoid rotating on that disc, and I think that’s something I finally figured out now that I’m throwing healthy and I feel good,” Eflin said. “I’m actually getting over my front side. I’m using my lower half to kind of kick-start the mechanics, and it’s almost a feeling I’ve never felt before because they took out what was poking in my nerve and it’s just gone. It’s not there anymore. So, there’s no reservation of trying to pitch around it. It’s just my body finally being able to be smooth and deliver a pitch that I’m not worried about hurting anything. It feels natural and normal, and I’m excited where I’m at.”