Orioles got meltdown they deserved after ruining Yankees' leverage with Shane Baz trade

The New York Yankees' 2025-26 winter might go down in history for being dominated by some of the oddest and most immediately outdated narratives of all time. Fans screamed from the rooftops that "running it back" would be an unmitigated disaster, based mostly on a brutal head-to-head with the Toronto Blue Jays that resulted in their undoing, a 94-win team bounced by another 94-win team that got all the bounces.

Fans specifically screamed that the Yankees needed an ace — or, at least, a No. 2 while Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole were both on the shelf — and that anyone who thought their pitching would be competent was an idiot. Why those fans ignored the bullpen, I'll never know, but through early May, it seems the Yankees used the chemistry they built in 2025's second half to breed more urgency throughout the organization this year. It also seems like their starting pitching is, uh, pretty good — and Ryan Weathers' contributions have helped.

The lone rotation asset the Yankees acquired this offseason (HOW COULD YOU PASS ON TATSUYA IMAI??? - oh), Weathers joined the Yanks just about a month after the Orioles' trade for Rays righty Shane Baz. He probably cost a little more than anyone was expecting for a high-ceiling, low-floor, oft-injured mystery Marlin. But Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones highlighting a four-prospect swap was the new standard thanks in large part to the O's paying through the nose for Baz.

Baz is ... fine. He's always been fine. He's been the hard-throwing equivalent of Andrew Heaney — special metrics, less-than-special production, and this may just be who he is. Of course, the Orioles had to make him the centerpiece of their pitching overhaul, and paid Tampa Bay four top prospects and a draft pick in order to acquire him.

That monster haul made it tougher for the Yankees to settle on an Edward Cabrera trade price point (they ultimately came up small), then led to a Weathers pivot (for a hefty price tag).

The Orioles not only traded for Baz, but extended Baz, and were praised for their ingenuity every step of the way. But ... if the Rays see the metrics, too ... and the Rays gave up on him ... the jury might have to side with the Rays.

Yankees destroy Shane Baz in first battle since Orioles trade that reset the market

In the Yankees' first showdown with Baz since the Orioles endorsed his as-yet-unseen breakout, he mostly served as the facilitator of magic moments rather than a worthy opponent. He dropped a curveball on a silver platter in the first inning for Aaron Judge to deposit into the stands and trigger a John Sterling tribute from Michael Kay. He matched his elite velocity with zero whimsy, allowing five earned runs in five walks in 5 2/3 innings. This outing upped his ERA to 4.99, which exceeds his career 4.34 mark.

The Orioles needed to match their Pete Alonso/Taylor Ward offensive splurge with a pitching overhaul this offseason. Instead, they jumped the market for Baz, an erratic righty whom the Rays were happy to surrender for the price they paid. Monday represented some nice little payback for the way the O's indirectly affected the rest of the Yankees' offseason — though maybe we should be thanking them. After all, we didn't need to "pay for an ace" to placate the grunting crowd anyway.

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