In the second part of the “Let’s Make a Deal: Battery Edition” series, we will delve into the releiver market, which is something most O’s fans could argue this club needs help with the most.
We already visited starting pitching with possible scenarios that could land the Orioles a new rotation piece. In this article, we will look to see what bullpen pieces the Orioles could add to bolster their postseason chances.
O’s GM Mike Elias has already added right-hander Shintaro Fujinami to fill a role in the pen. The Birds might need one more piece that could give them a difference maker in their postseason drive.
Let’s take a look at who might be available for the Orioles.
RHP David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates: 45-58, -11.5 (Central), -10.5 (WC)
40 G, 3-1, 1.30 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 52 K, 41.2 IP
After a rocky start to his career in San Diego, Bednar has come into his own in Pittsburgh.
Caught in a crossroads of another soft rebuild in Pittsburgh, Bednar is entering his prime, with three years of club control remaining. As Pittsburgh has fallen short of expectations, yet again, they will look to unload some players to add to their talent pool.
Bednar has performed well in the closer role in Pittsburgh. But if Baltimore were able to acquire him, he would automatically be placed in the seventh or eighth inning setup role due to a certain mountain in the bullpen.
Bednar provides the opportunity for the Pirates to get both young and major league ready players to help push them to the next level in their rebuilding efforts.
PROPOSAL:
Orioles receive: RHP David Bednar
Pirates receive: INF César Prieto (O’s No. 16), OF Kyle Stowers, LHP Drew Rom (O’s No. 18)
RHP Scott Barlow – Kanas City Royals: 31-75, -23.0 (Central), -28.5 (WC)
38 G, 2-4, 5.35 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 47 K, 38.2 IP
Scott Barlow has spent his entire Major League career with the Kansas City Royals. Over the course of his six big league seasons, he has pitched in 277 games, amassing a career ERA of 3.39.
The issue for Barlow is that he plays for the Royals, who this year, along with the Athletics, are racing against history as one of the worst teams in baseball history.
To make matters worse, Barlow has struggled in July. Through nine games, Barlow has pitched nine innings, allowing nine earned runs. Opponents are hitting .333 this month against the right-hander, who has a WHIP of 2.55 in that span.
For Kansas City, this lowers the value of Barlow, who is 30 years old, and for interested teams, they get a veteran who has another year of club control. With a pitcher like Barlow, a change of scenery could be all that is needed to turn his season around.
PROPOSAL:
Orioles receive: RHP Scott Barlow
Royals receive: RHP Noah Denoyer (O’s No. 17), OF Kyle Stowers
LHP Josh Hader – San Diego Padres: 51-54, -9.0 (West), -5.5 (WC)
41 G, 0-1, 0.92 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 60 K, 39 IP
Josh Hader, who was surprisingly traded last season from the Brewers to the Padres, finds himself as a possible trade piece this season.
Hader is a free agent at the end of the season, which puts the Padres in a position of selling to add for a late-season push, or ready for next season with the hole they have dug themselves into.
A team that was supposed to compete for the top record in the NL, as well as be one of the top teams in all of baseball, finds itself underperforming, while Hader has put up impressive numbers. A ballooned payroll makes Hader’s return unlikely, especially since he is making just under $15 million this season.
The Padres do need outfield help, with the possibility of Juan Soto also getting dealt, and possibly another starter, with Blake Snell being in the center of trade rumors. With the season Hader is having, as well as a stellar career resume, it will take a steep price to land one of the top relievers in baseball.
PROPOSAL:
Orioles receive: LHP Josh Hader
Padres receive: OF Dylan Beavers (O’s No. 10), D.L. Hall (O’s No. 9), RHP Keifer Lord
RHP Paul Sewald – Seattle Mariners: 53-51, -6.5 (West), -5.5 (WC)
45 G, 3-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 60 K, 43 IP
Paul Sewald broke onto the scene in 2021 Seattle Mariners. Since then, he has posted a 2.90 ERA across 170.2 innings of work.
This season, Sewald has a strikeout rate just under 36% and a walk rate under 8% across 45 games. The 33-year-old veteran has one more year of team control before he enters free agency, barring an extension.
The Mariners, who are still theoretically in the postseason hunt, are looking for a big league bat, some outfield depth and a major league ready second baseman. Sewald will not come cheap, but for a team in need, he will be worth the pieces traded, especially if it pushes a team over the hump into the postseason.
We all know Félix Bautista is the lockdown closer in Charm City. Having Sewald as your eighth inning set-up man would make the O’s back-end one of the scariest in Major League Baseball.
PROPOSAL:
Orioles receive: RHP Paul Sewald
Mariners receive: 2B/OF Connor Norby (O’s No. 6 / MLB No. 64), OF Kyle Stowers, LHP Drew Rom (O’s No. 18)
RHP Jason Foley – Detroit Tigers: 47-58, -6.5 (Central), -12.0 (WC)
46 G, 2-3, 2.33 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 41 K, 46.1 IP
Appearing in 117 games in his big league career, the 27-year-old Jason Foley has amassed a 3.15 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over his career.
Foley has appeared in 11 games in July, pitching 11 innings. He’s 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP while holding opponents to a .231 batting average against in that span.
The crafty right-hander still has one year of club control left and is an immediate boost to any team he is added to. While the Tigers are just as content to keep Foley, he is one piece teams will be calling for as the postseason run starts heating up
Though not totally out of the AL Central race, it does look like it will come down to the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. This puts Detroit, once again, in a position to sell, but with the talent they are building, they could be a contender next season.
With the depth of pitching talent and needing a power bat and outfield depth, the Tigers could be looking to send a starter out the door, as well as a releiver or two.
PROPOSAL:
Orioles receive: RHP Jason Foley
Tigers receive: OF John Rhodes (O’s No. 19), OF Kyle Stowers
With the trade deadline just a few days away, the hot stove will be heating up with rumors, actions and disappointment. Once again, these are all speculative based on team needs for the Orioles and the other organizations in these scenarios.
This also does not include package trades or even additional teams being included to complete bigger deals. The Orioles could very well stand pat, go in a different direction or surprise everyone and make a huge splash. We will soon find out, and the smoke will all clear come August 1.
Make sure to come back for “Let’s Make A Deal: Battery Edition” Part III, and if you haven’t already, check out Part I.
What do you think of these proposals, and which releiver would you most want the O’s to trade for? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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