Trevor Rogers Loves Baltimore But Will Test Free Agency

The last start was a short one. Rogers went 4 innings and 55 pitches against the Yankees on Friday before Albert Suárez took over, and he gave up 1 run on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts. Baltimore won the first game of the doubleheader 10-2 in the Bronx, which ended a 9-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium. It was a nice way to go out, if this really was his last start as an Oriole.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

Trevor Rogers' final start of 2026 is done. He threw four innings on 55 pitches, but Albert Suárez replaces him. Rogers' season: 4.03 ERA, 169 2/3 innings

That line is what he takes into the offseason: 169 2/3 innings with an ERA just over 4. The innings are the part front offices will care about. Rogers is a 28-year-old lefty who stayed in the rotation all year and ate a full season's workload, and those guys don't come cheap in November. Plenty of teams are going to want one.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

The question quickly will turn toward Trevor Rogers' future. A qualifying offer is in play here. But Rogers, 28, will likely command a hefty market price as a left-handed option for teams that don't land Tarik Skubal

Andy Kostka@afkostka

Trevor Rogers' final start of 2026 is done. He threw four innings on 55 pitches, but Albert Suárez replaces him. Rogers' season: 4.03 ERA, 169 2/3 innings

The Skubal angle is the one to watch. There's 1 true ace lefty on the board, most of the league won't get him, and everyone who misses has to settle for someone. Rogers is right near the top of that list. The qualifying offer is how Baltimore protects itself. MLB Trade Rumors projected it at about $23.1 million, and if Rogers turns it down and signs elsewhere for $50 million or more, the Orioles get a draft pick right after the first round in 2027. That pick is basically why they kept him at the deadline. Baltimore sat at 54-58 and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot, and Mike Elias weighed the trade offers against the comp pick and the chance of a playoff push.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

More Trevor Rogers: "Would love to be back here, but the business side of baseball, you never know. So, as of now, I'm going to enjoy the last couple days with the fellas and really enjoying being with the guys, and then go home and see my dog."

After the game, Rogers didn't pretend he was sad about getting to free agency. He sounded pretty excited about it.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

Trevor Rogers on his future: “Get to test the market and see what that says, and that’s kind of the exciting thing about the whole ordeal. … I’ve made it known about this place, how I feel about this place, and we’ll see how the business of baseball shakes out.”

"I've made it known about this place" is doing a lot of work in that quote. Rogers has said all year that he likes Baltimore, and he repeated it, but he also clearly wants to hear what 29 other teams think he's worth first. That's his right. He's earned the chance to shop himself, and a lefty coming off a full, healthy season is exactly the kind of pitcher who gets a bidding war. He also listed what he'll be looking for in a new team.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

Trevor Rogers said he'll look for a "quality organization that focuses on winning, has a lot of really good talent, good coaching staff, solid fanbase. That's some of the things that I look at, as far as what the future holds. It's going to be fun talking through that with teams"

Winning, talent, coaching, fanbase. That's a list the Orioles can meet on paper, and they've shown they'll pay pitchers they believe in with extensions this year for Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish and Yennier Cano. The real question is whether Elias makes a serious offer once the market sets a price, or just makes the qualifying offer, collects the pick and moves on. For now Rogers says he's going to enjoy the last couple of days with the guys, then go home and see his dog. Once the World Series ends, the business side takes over.