Zach Eflin opened as Baltimore's planned staff ace in 2025, but injuries and a brutal decline rendered him ineffective and non-competitive. The club failed to replace Corbin Burnes with a true ace, and a cascade of IL trips and homers left Baltimore spiraling to a disappointing season.

From a fantasy lens, Eflin’s collapse underscores the risk of banking on a post-deadline breakout as a foundation for a rotation. With health uncertain and Grayson Rodríguez sidelined, Baltimore must retool for 2026 with healthier arms and smarter payroll moves.

Trevor Rogers has been the brightest花 spot in Baltimore, delivering elite numbers (1.35 ERA, 0.87 WHIP through 17 starts) and fueling serious trade chatter as the Orioles weigh direction this offseason. The front office may be tempted to sell high, even as Rogers is a true cornerstone with a ceiling that could anchor a rotation for years. With Corbin Burnes already gone from the past regime, the O’s face a fork: stand pat and risk a rebuild, or cash in on Rogers and reshape the future.

Meanwhile, the rumor mill links Sugano’s future to Baltimore’s fate and points to potential AL East shuffles, including big-market pursuits by the Yankees or Red Sox and a Tigers bid for upgrade. The piece underscores how fragile a franchise plan can be when one ace defines both present value and long-term risk, and how teams must balance win-now pressure against the cost of losses in rotation depth.

In this landscape, Rogers’ value is not just this season’s potential trade return but the leverage it gives Baltimore to chart a more sustainable path, whether that means keeping the ace or leveraging his contract year into a broader rebuild plan.

MLB will deploy the Automated Ball/Strike System in 2026. Human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game, with extra-inning chances. Signals are via helmet taps, and successful challenges keep the option alive. Reviews appear on outfield videoboards. The move aims to trim ejections tied to balls/strikes and shifts some leverage toward pitchers, catchers, and managers.

ABS uses Hawk-Eye and has been tested from Low-A to Triple-A, with Triple-A adopting an all-challenge format in 2024. Early tests showed mixed challenge success and a steady increase in total challenges this season. While framing remains relevant, the system reduces primitive umpire pressure and introduces a defined, strategic layer for fantasy managers to monitor and exploit.

MLB approved the Automated Ball/Strike System for 2026. Plate umpires still call balls and strikes; teams can challenge two calls per game and receive one extra challenge in extra innings. Challenges must be signaled by a pitcher, catcher or batter, and successful challenges keep the challenge. Reviews appear as digital graphics on outfield videoboards. ABS has been tested in the minors since 2019; Triple-A used an all-challenge format this season, with midseason adjustments and rising challenge rates and success.

The move aims to cut ejections tied to balls/strikes and to preserve pitch framing as a valued skill, though some worry ABS could erode framing. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, league executives, and players’ union reps weigh the impact on strategy, staffing, and late-game decisions as MLB prepares a measured roll-in and looks ahead to potential shifts in fantasy value and betting angles.