BALTIMORE -- The 2025 Orioles haven’t played up to expectations -- the challenging season has featured more losses than anticipated, the dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde and a Trade Deadline fire sale -- and Zach Eflin feels partially responsible for that.
Eflin made only 14 starts this year around three stints on the injured list, with his July 28 outing vs. the Blue Jays being his last of the season. The 31-year-old right-hander is scheduled to undergo a lumbar microdiscectomy on Monday to remedy his back injury. Then, he’ll begin to look forward rather than reflect on the past.
“I think, for me personally, it’s been disappointing, depressing,” Eflin said prior to Wednesday’s game vs. the Mariners at Camden Yards. “I’ve just tried to throw a baseball and I wasn’t necessarily comfortable all the time, and that’s not a really good place to be. It’s something I look back and I don’t like thinking back on it, because I didn’t necessarily feel good at times when I threw, but I also didn’t pitch well at the same time.
“I feel like I owed this team a lot more than I gave them. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to take care of my back, I’ve got to get something done, I’ve got to get it healthy again and show up next year ready to go.”
Will Eflin be returning to Baltimore, though? That’s the big question.
When the O’s acquired Eflin from the Rays before last year's Trade Deadline on July 26, 2024, they were excited about the righty being under contract for the ‘25 season. Now, he is set to become a free agent this upcoming offseason.
Eflin showed what he’s capable of late in 2024, when he recorded a 2.60 ERA in nine starts for the Orioles, who then named him the Opening Day starter for ‘25. This year, he underperformed, posting a 5.93 ERA over 71 1/3 innings. But the 10-year MLB veteran has a track record showing he can be better (a 3.76 ERA in 108 games from 2020-24).
If it’s up to Eflin, he said he would be interested in coming back to Baltimore in 2026.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I love this clubhouse,” Eflin said. “I’ve told pretty much everybody that we’ve had a conversation about that, I’ve told them I love this place, I’d love to be here. We’re going to get the operation done and kind of see where that takes us.”
The O’s have also enjoyed having Eflin for the past year-plus as a veteran in their clubhouse.
“He’s wonderful. He’s probably one of the more enjoyable conversations, I think, in the Major Leagues,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Just with the experience that he has, the knowledge that he has, his ability to listen. ... Incredible teammate, incredible guy to have around.”
During this injury-plagued season, the Orioles have further learned the importance of pitching depth. So they’ll likely be looking to add starters this offseason, even though they appear to have a solid returning core.
The locks for the 2026 rotation should be right-hander Kyle Bradish (expected to return from Tommy John surgery later this month) and lefty Trevor Rogers. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez didn’t pitch in ‘25 due to multiple injuries, but he would have a spot if healthy.
Among the other returning options for next year’s starting staff include righties Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Brandon Young, as well as lefty Cade Povich. Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano will be a free agent.
Baltimore would benefit from adding a top-of-the-staff starter (or multiple) to strengthen a unit that ranked 28th in MLB with a 4.90 rotation ERA entering Wednesday’s game.
Eflin is expecting to be ready by the beginning of Spring Training, so the Orioles could likely count on him for the start of next season if they re-sign him. He said he should have a normal offseason once reaching the 12-week mark post-surgery.
In the past, Eflin has dealt with nagging back pain, something he said he’s felt at least once a year for each of the previous five or six seasons. This time, a disc is pushing against a nerve and causing discomfort, but the issue should be permanently fixed by the procedure.
So it’s possible the 2026 version of Eflin will be even better than the ones seen before.
“I think this has really only fueled me to play longer, because I wasn’t happy about this year,” Eflin said. “I’m excited to see what that feels like, kind of pitch without having to think about other things.”