February 16, 2026

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Shane Baz, acquired this offseason in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, is entering his fifth MLB season and has a career 4.25 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. The 2025 season was the first time in his career that he made more than 14 starts, and it was his worst season stats-wise with a 4.87 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, and 176 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings pitched. While finishing a season healthy was encouraging, the Rays' 2025 season, played at George M. Steinbrenner Field, did not help his cause. At 26 years old, Baz has a chance for a fresh start with the Orioles, which should give him confidence pitching in a ballpark that is more pitcher-friendly than in 2025. Under the hood, Baz had a 3.88 xERA, 3.95 SIERA, and a 3.88 xFIP, showcasing signs of positive regression in 2026. The former 2017 first-round pick struggled with his control in 2025, with a 9.0 percent walk rate (32nd percentile), and will look to improve that with his new ballclub. According to Fangraphs Roster Resource, Baz is projected as the No. 4 starter behind Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, and Chris Bassitt. RotoBaller ranks Baz as the 56th starting pitcher off the board, while NFBC ADP ranks him 204.0 overall. Baz has the upside to be a value pick as a backend starter for fantasy managers and is worth a flier for teams targeting a starting pitcher in that range.--Nicho Roessler
Source: RotoBaller