This time a month ago, as far as any Orioles fan knew, the Opening Day rotation wasn’t going to have any need of Tyler Wells. Dillon Tate was something of a bonus for the bullpen after missing last year, with not a lot of pressure on him to match his 2022 performance. As February draws to a close, the roster picture has changed and the success of Tate and Wells is much more important to the 2024 team.
The trade for Corbin Burnes seemed like it sealed Wells’s place in the bullpen rather than the rotation. It also subtracted DL Hall from the bullpen mix.