Shane Baz describes his excitement after extension with Orioles

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Shane Baz describes his excitement after extension with Orioles originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

On Friday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles and free-agent pickup Shane Baz agreed to a five-year extension before the former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher makes his season debut with the team.

After very solid spring training outings, Baz has seamlessly fit into the rotation while recording a 2.61 ERA with 14 strikeouts through 10 1/3 innings, and Baltimore is set to ensure he will be with the team in the near future.

Before joining the Orioles, as mentioned earlier, Baz was a reliable pitcher for the Rays but dealt with a few injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2023. He had his healthiest season in 2025, with 31 starts and 176 strikeouts.

More: Orioles make $68 million contract decision on offseason Rays trade pickup

After the announcement of the extension, Baz expressed his excitement about signing a long-term deal with his new team and explained why he feels it was the best move for his career.

"It's such a good opportunity. It's such a great team. I think it was kind of a no-brainer for us, this being such a great spot," Baz said.

The Orioles are hoping this move can pay dividends in the future, as they want to have a much better season after an underwhelming 75-87 record last season, when they finished last in the AL East and missed the postseason.

Baz is scheduled to make his season debut against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards Stadium in the deciding three-game series finale between the two teams, as the Orioles took the first game 2-1, and the Twins won 4-1 on Saturday afternoon.

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