I know that we really want to smash the heck out of that panic button right now, after the disheartening news from yesterday afternoon.
With the Tommy John surgeries to Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells, along with the elbow surgery to Danny Coulombe, it’s easy to see that the Orioles pitching staff is falling apart. However, here’s why we, as O’s fans, shouldn’t panic just yet.
Before I get into the reasoning, let me explain why fans are panicking. The Orioles’ pitching has been the biggest bright spot of the season thus far, The staff is currently second in ERA at 3.11, third in starter ERA at 3.02 and fourth in bullpen ERA at 3.25. Those numbers show just how good O’s pitchers have been this season.
For context, when you take away Coulombe’s 26 innings pitched and seven earned runs, the bullpen ERA goes up slightly to 3.36. That drops the O’s down to fifth in MLB. In fact, the starters’ ERA actually goes down by .08 points to 2.94 if you remove the combined efforts of Bradish, Means and Wells (we would all much rather have those contributors, needless to say).
Statistically, we shouldn’t panic. Realistically, the panic is understandable. However, I have two scenarios in which the Birds will be just fine moving forward, and it starts with the rotation.
The Orioles should run a six-man rotation when Dean Kremer returns from his rehab assignment with Norfolk. The rotation should go Burnes, Rodriguez, Irvin, Kremer, Povich and Suárez.
Now, I understand that a six-man rotation is a small change, but if you run a five-man, who do you kick out of the rotation? Burnes, Rodriguez and Irvin are locks with how the season is going, Kremer is getting healthy and should look better, Suárez has a 2.35 ERA as a starter alone and outside his first start, Povich has looked promising, holding his own against the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. The only other argument that can be made is moving Povich to the bullpen or optioning him back to Triple-A.
Another idea that’s been floating around is acquiring arms via trade, specifically names like Tanner Scott, Jesús Luzardo and Garrett Crochet. I personally would love a Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. package. It would be expensive, but it would be a great addition for the team this season.
If moves are made and pitchers are acquired, do you send Povich back down and cause another issue where fans don’t believe the youth have a chance? Do you put a player like Suárez through waivers and risk losing him after how great he has been? These are the questions that need to be thought out.
It’s easy to sit here and say, “Trade Samuel Basallo, Heston Kjerstad and Connor Norby for a quality arm.” But there’s a reason why we are not a part of the Orioles’ front office.
Is Crochet or Luzardo the main answer for this team? Is risking the confidence of a young pitcher worth it? Is losing a plus center fielder in Cedric Mullins or a Gold Glover in Ramón Urías, who are both starting to get going offensively, worth it?
I’m not here to criticize decisions. I promise that isn’t the agenda of this article. The main idea is that I want to bring major light to these different possibilities before we start smashing the panic button.
All I ask is to move forward with an open mind. Remember, it takes more than one player to make a championship team. The O’s could make all these trades and make our team look like a superstar team for the year 2024, but do we really want to be put back into a rebuilding position within the next three to four years?
Do we want to throw away the best farm system in baseball that quickly? Do we want to give up on prospects for a bigger chance at a championship that is never guaranteed? Look at 2019 when the Nationals won the World Series after almost losing in the Wild Card Game.
This team is fine, and they can still make a deep run in the postseason. All we need to do is sit back, enjoy this team and let Elias and Co. do what they think will both help the team win now and set them up for future success.
What are your thoughts on everything? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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