All year long, the Birdland faithful have anticipated who the Orioles would target, acquire and move on from heading into the July 30 trade deadline.
Of course, a lot more pressure was added when not one but three rotational arms (John Means, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells) were lost for the season. Add in Danny Coulombe (bone chips removal), who will be back in early September, and a struggling Craig Kimbrel, and GM Mike Elias was left to try and manage a miracle.
Headed into July, many fans heard Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell, Max Scherzer, Tarik Skubal and a few others as possible targets. None of those pitchers were moved, though it was reported that Elias did inquire and offer for at least three of them.
In an under the radar move, Elias might have made the best unrealized acquisition when he acquired right-hander Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays last Friday.
With the overpayment for some of the players moved, Elias stole Eflin from the Rays and still has him under contract for next season. Between the pick up of Cy Young competitor Corbin Burnes and Eflin, you have a strong veteran book-end with Grayson Rodriguez in between. Come playoff time, a 1-2-3 of Burnes, Rodriguez and Eflin is a pretty good set.
The Orioles did make a flurry of moves between last week and yesterday, a total of 19 players switched teams and if you add in Jackson Holliday being recalled, 20 players were affected by the deadline dealings of Elias. Here’s a breakdown for you:
Acquisitions: RHP Zach Eflin, RHP Seranthony Domínguez, OF Cristian Pache, LHP Trevor Rogers, OF/DH Eloy Jiménez, OF Austin Slater, INF Liván Soto, LHP Gregory Soto, RHP Patrick Reilly
Departures: OF Austin Hays, INF Connor Norby, OF Kyle Stowers, OF Matthew Etzel, RHP Jackson Baumeister, UTIL Mac Horvath, RHP Seth Johnson, RHP Moisés Chace, LHP Trey McGough, UTIL Billy Cook
Elias went into the deadline looking to add at least one starting pitcher, at least one bullpen arm and a right-handed outfield bat. It was even made aware that both Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle were available as well.
Based on needs for the team, Elias accomplished that and more. Though it might not be big-name players, Elias was methodical in his moves. The rotation needed re-tooling for the stretch run and the Orioles got that. Both Eflin and Rogers are both under team control next season, where Burnes is a free agent.
In Rogers, you have a 26-year-old lefty, who has been an All-Star, finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 and is a former first-round draft pick (No. 13 overall). He has kept his ERA under 3.85 for the last two months and has allowed three or less runs in eight of his last nine starts.
Eflin is a veteran who has postseason experience and will provide a strike-throwing middle-of-the-rotation arm to slot in between Rodriguez and Dean Kremer.
With Bradish and Wells out for most, if not all, of the 2025 season, having Eflin and Rogers under team control provides the rotation with veterans while Rodriguez assumes a larger role.
The biggest area of need before the rotation was decimated was the bullpen. With All-Star closer Felíx Bautista already lost for the season, the Birds added future Hall of Fame closer Craig Kimbrel in free agency. His stretches of inconsistency have been costly, and he has already appeared in 43 games this season. To have Kimbrel at his best come playoff time, the Orioles need to limit some of his appearances and manage his workload just a little bit.
Elias did call about former Oriole left-hander Tanner Scott, but the asking price was too steep. The San Diego Padres would land Scott for three of their top five prospects and another ranked 24th in their system.
Once again, Elias made an early trade that netted Seranthony Domínguez. By the end of the day yesterday, Gregory Soto was acquired as well, and the bullpen was reshaped. This once again provides veteran arms, who are seasoned and will play a crucial role down the stretch and in the postseason.
While the moves weren’t flashy and bold, they were calculated and with merit without emptying the barn.
Acquiring Eloy Jiménez was the most risky piece, but if he rediscovers his 2020 Silver Slugger form and stays healthy, he could be the right-handed bat the Orioles need through the end of the year. Plus, the 27-year-old has two club options over the next two seasons for $16.5 and $18.5 million, respectively.
Overall, Elias made the moves that filled the needs of the team. They weren’t the bold and flashy moves most of Birdland or national pundits wanted, but based on the asking price for some of those high-end players, the value of a rental or not having a pitcher available for the postseason due to innings restrictions, the farm system held more value than throwing top talent away.
Final Thoughts and Trade Deadline Grade: B-
The reality is the trade deadline was not the excitement many expected. Big-name players like Skubal, Snell and Crochet remained in place, as did others many expected moved.
Reports flowed for weeks talking about how the Orioles were pushing hard for certain pitchers, and in the end those pitchers never moved. Whether the asking price was too high or other GMs thought Elias was desperate to make the World Series this year, rentals were not the way to go to help the roster.
Elias made moves that were necessary to fill needs of the team while only moving one player ranked in the organization’s top five prospects. While some are not excited for Rodgers or that the front office did not grab another closer, Elias was active and made moves that provided team control and opportunities not only for players acquired but for ones sent out as well.
While it’s easy to sit here and say based off needs that the club deserves a high mark, the reality is a B- final grade (Obviously, this is subject to change based on performance).
The reason for this grade is that both starters come in with ERAs over four and losing records. Now, both were playing for underperforming teams, but some of that cannot be masked. Domínguez right now stands as a strong pick-up, and if Jiménez can stay healthy, could prove a valuable bat.
While Birdland expected more, the truth is the market was not strong, and asking prices were steep for what was moved. Elias did his job to the best the market would allow and set the Orioles up for a long postseason run.
What are your thoughts on the way the Orioles front office handled this year’s deadline? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments?
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