Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orioles Rumors

Mariners Acquire Eduard Bazardo

By | at

The Mariners have acquired right-hander Eduard Bazardo from the Orioles in exchange for minor league righty Logan Rinehart, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link).  Baltimore designated Bazardo for assignment two days ago.

Bazardo has seen limited action in each of the last three Major League seasons, debuting with three innings for the Red Sox in 2021, 16 1/3 more frames (over 12 appearances) in 2022, and then 2 1/3 innings over three games with the Orioles this year.  The Sox also DFA’ed Bazardo after last season and he opted for minor league free agency, landing with the O’s on a minors deal during the offseason.  That minor league contract was selected in early July, with Bazardo only getting a few weeks of big league time before being designated once more.

Turning 27 next month, Bazardo has posted some solid numbers throughout his minor league career, including a 3.05 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate, and 7% walk rate over 38 1/3 frames with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate this season.  He makes for some interesting bullpen depth for a Mariners team who just dealt Paul Sewald, and could potentially have more openings in the bullpen depending on how other moves may shake out on deadline day.

Rinehart was a 16th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2019 draft, though between the canceled 2020 minor league and a Tommy John surgery, he missed two full seasons of work.  Returning to the mound in 2022, Rinehart has mostly pitched with Seattle’s high-A affiliate and looked good, particularly with a 2.84 ERA, 51.2% grounder rate, and 33.6% strikeout rate over 38 innings.  This is Rinehart’s first season as a full-time reliever, so the 25-year-old’s ultimate future may be in the bullpen.

Orioles, Mets Have Discussed Justin Verlander

By | at

Despite possessing the American League’s best record, the Orioles have had a quiet deadline. They rolled the dice on Shintaro Fujinami’s recent improvements and triple-digit heater, hoping to deepen an already strong bullpen, but the rotation — arguably their top need — has gone unaddressed. The O’s were linked to multiple starters who have since been traded elsewhere, but other targets (e.g. Michael Lorenzen, Rich Hill) remain available. And, Baltimore clearly hasn’t ruled out a much higher-profile addition. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the O’s are “on the periphery” of the Justin Verlander market, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets that the O’s are among the teams with whom the Mets are actively discussing Verlander. Morosi adds that the Orioles and Tigers are also talking — presumably about Lorenzen and/or Eduardo Rodriguez.

At least on paper, it’s hard to find a better fit for Verlander than the Orioles. Baltimore has the American League’s best record, is as deep in young talent as virtually any team in the game, and has a blank slate when it comes to long-term payroll. Perhaps no contending club could more easily accommodate the remaining $14.444MM on Verlander’s 2023 salary and the $43.333MM he’s owed in 2024. His contract also contains a conditional $35MM player option for the 2025 season that would vest if Verlander throws 140 innings next year. That’s been an understandable hurdle in talks with multiple clubs; Verlander will pitch the 2025 season at age 42.

The only guaranteed contract on Baltimore’s books in 2024 is backup catcher James McCann, and the Mets are picking up all but $2.5MM of next year’s salary as part of the trade that sent him to the Orioles. Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, John Means, Tyler Wells, Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle are among the many notable members of the Orioles’ arbitration class, but it’s nonetheless as close to a pristine payroll outlook as you’ll find for a contending club.

Meanwhile, starting pitching has long been reported to be the Orioles’ top need. It’s easy enough to understand why. Good as the team’s overall record is, their rotation’s 4.48 ERA ranks 16th in the Majors. With the exception of veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson, the bulk of the Baltimore staff is approaching or has already exceeded 2023’s innings total. Dean Kremer is just 15 innings shy of last year’s total. Kyle Bradish is 36 innings shy of his own 2023 total. Wells and Grayson Rodriguez have already topped last season’s workloads.

The Mets traded one high-priced, future Hall of Famer over the weekend when they sent Max Scherzer to the Rangers, paid down all but $22.5MM of the salary he was still owed, and acquired top prospect Luisangel Acuna in return. They’re reported to hold Verlander in even higher regard, setting both a higher prospect asking price and showing less willingness to pay down significant money.

The Verlander market is generally thought to be accelerating, and there’s a real chance he’s traded today. SNY’s Andy Martino reports that the Mets’ Verlander talks “picked up steam” late last night with multiple clubs. The Astros, according to Martino, have made a formal offer. At least one other team has done the same, and there are two to three more clubs also involved. Jon Heyman of the New York Post dusted off a time-honored trade deadline favorite this morning, tweeting that there’s at least one “mystery team” beyond the previously reported Astros and Dodgers.

That, of course, could be the Orioles, but given Verlander’s status and the league-wide need for starting pitching, it’s only natural to assume others are involved. The Reds, Angels and D-backs have all been rumored to be in the market for varying levels of rotation help as well, and virtually no major name hits the trade market without the Padres throwing their hat into the ring as well. None of those teams has been directly connected to Verlander, to be clear, but the day is young.

Orioles, Cardinals Have Discussed Dylan Carlson

By | at

The Cardinals’ sell-off is in full swing, with Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton already out the door. Prior to trading Montgomery and Stratton to the Rangers, the Cardinals spoke to the Orioles about the left-hander, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. He adds that the O’s have also talked to the Cardinals about switch-hitting center fielder Dylan Carlson.

Goold suggests that Carlson hasn’t necessarily been a focal point in talks but rather a value add in addition to the starters they’ve marketed. Even if Carlson were viewed as a standalone target for Baltimore, there’d be some sense to it. The O’s are bursting with young talent, but they’re currently without center fielder Cedric Mullins due to a groin strain. Aaron Hicks, who’s hit well since being released by the Yankees and signing in Baltimore, is also on the injured list at the moment (hamstring strain). The O’s have gotten strong production from corner outfielders Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, but top outfield prospect Colton Cowser has struggled immensely in his first 59 plate appearances since being recalled.

Carlson, unlike the other three players the Cardinals have traded in the past 24 hours, is not a free agent at season’s end. He has three years of club control remaining beyond the current season. A former top prospect himself, the 24-year-old’s standing in St. Louis has seemingly deteriorated as he’s produced at a roughly league-average level since turning in a strong 2021 campaign.

The O’s don’t necessarily need a long-term fix in center field, as Mullins is also under team control for multiple years beyond the current season (through 2025). However, even when Mullins returns, there’d theoretically be room for both him and Carlson in the lineup. Anthony Santander could see more time at designated hitter, perhaps cutting into the playing time of struggling Ryan Mountcastle (though Mountcastle’s offense has ticked up over the past couple weeks). A speculative outfield of Hays, Mullins and Carlson would be defensively superior to the current alignment. Adding Carlson to the mix would also open further avenues for offseason deals. Santander is only controlled through the 2024 season and is due a raise on his $7.4MM salary, for instance.

The Cardinals, notably, are virtually certain to trade 27-year-old right-hander Jack Flaherty before Tuesday’s deadline. If Baltimore’s interest in the Cardinals’ pitchers extended beyond Montgomery, then it stands to reason that a deal surrounding Flaherty and Carlson could still be discussed, though the extent of the Orioles’ potential interest in Flaherty isn’t known. The right-hander is three years younger than his now-former teammate, Montgomery, but is also having a weaker season. Flaherty’s ERA is a full run higher, and he’s sporting inferior strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates.

Orioles Designate Eduard Bazardo For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles have designated right-hander Eduard Bazardo for assignment, per a club announcement. In corresponding moves, the club has selected the contract of right-hander Joey Krehbiel and optioned right-hander Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie.

Bazardo, 27, made his big league debut back in 2021 with the Red Sox, pitching for them in parts of two seasons. Bazardo then elected free agency after being designated for assignment in October 2022. That December, he landed with Baltimore on a minor league deal before being selected to the roster earlier this month. In all, Bazardo sports a career 3.74 ERA and 5.26 FIP in 21 2/3 innings in the majors. He’s posted similar numbers at the Triple-A level in his career, with a 3.86 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate in 107 innings of work at the level, which includes a strong 3.05 ERA in 38 1/3 innings with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk this season.

The Orioles have a week to trade, waive, or release Bazardo, though of course any trade would have to come prior to the trade deadline on August 1. In the event that Bazardo clears waivers successfully, the Orioles will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues, though Bazardo has the right to reject that assignment as a player who’s been outrighted previously in his career.

Bazardo’s exit makes room for Krehbiel on the 40-man roster. A 12th-round pick by the Angels in the 2011 draft, Krehbiel broke into the majors with the Diamondbacks and the Rays before settling in with the Orioles midway through the 2021 campaign. He became a major piece of Baltimore’s bullpen in 2022, with a 3.90 ERA that clocked in at exactly league average by measure of ERA+.

While his work last season was certainly solid, Krehbiel was ultimately designated for assignment early in the 2023 season, before making an appearance at the major league level this season. He performed well at the Triple-A level this year after accepting an outright assignment, with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings of work. That performance has earned Krehbiel another chance in the majors, where he figures to cover the middle innings for the Orioles alongside the likes of Bryan Baker and Shintaro Fujinami.

Perhaps the most surprising news of the day is the club’s decision to option Wells to make room for Krehbiel on the active roster. Wells has pitched fairly well as a member of the club’s rotation this season, with a 3.80 ERA in 113 2/3 innings of work. That quality run prevention figure belies his recent control problems, however. In the month of July, Wells has walked 13 batters in 21 innings, nearly as many as he’s struck out (16). That’s contributed to a 6.43 ERA and a 7.76 FIP this month, the latter of which has ballooned his FIP to a worrisome 5.17 figure on the season.

It’s unclear how long Wells figures to remain in the minor leagues, but his struggles and subsequent demotion highlight the club’s need for starting pitching ahead of the trade deadline on August 1. Only eight teams in the majors have gotten less fWAR out of their starters than Baltimore, and of those only the Yankees, Reds, and Red Sox have any hope of making the playoffs this season.

Cardinals Rumors: Montgomery, Flaherty, Bullpen, Outfield

By | at

The Cardinals are perhaps the most intriguing seller of this trade deadline. The preseason favorite for the NL Central expected to build upon a 93-win campaign in 2022, the team has failed to live up to expectations with a brutal 46-60 record that leaves them in last place in the division and ahead of only the Rockies and Nationals in the NL. With the club’s eyes turned toward the future, speculation has run rampant regarding many of the club’s interesting pieces, both those who are set to hit free agency after the season and those who are under team control longer-term.

Despite their status as the league’s premiere seller, the Cardinals have largely been quiet to this point with the trade deadline just over 48 hours away. While reports earlier in the week hinted at the possibility of a blockbuster involving third baseman Nolan Arenado, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak firmly shut those rumors down yesterday. While Arenado may not be on the move, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently discussed a bevy of other rumors regarding the club’s options ahead of the trade deadline.

Most clearly positioned to move over the next two days are the club’s duo of mid-rotation rental starters: left-hander Jordan Montgomery and right-hander Jack Flaherty. Goold notes that both players, along with closer Jordan Hicks, are generating interest throughout the league, though the returns on each of those players, if traded by themselves, would reportedly not fit the mold of the Cardinals’ preferred return: controllable, major-league ready starting pitching.

That’s hardly a surprise, given controllable starters are typically regarded as some of the most valuable commodities in the sport. Given this, Goold indicates that the club could get creative and pair rental players with younger, controllable pieces would yield their desired return. In particular, Goold name-checks outfielders Alec Burleson and Dylan Carlson alongside relievers Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley as longer-term pieces who could be moved. In terms of potential Cardinals targets, Goold references both Yankees prospect Clayton Beeter and Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert, though Goold cautions that Gilbert would require a “high-ceiling return.”

Recent reporting had previously indicated trade interest in Burleson from multiple clubs, and Goold reaffirms the Yankees’ previously reported interest in Carlson. Goold adds that, in addition to Carlson, the Yankees have interest in Hicks, who has also drawn interest from the Rangers. Additionally, Goold notes that the market for Flaherty and Montgomery includes the Marlins, who have scouted Flaherty in person this trade season, while the Rays are noted to have interest in St. Louis’s available pitchers more generally.

While Miami is seemingly focused on Flaherty among the club’s duo of rental starters, Jon Morosi of MLBNetwork reported last night that talks surrounding Montgomery were “gaining momentum” and that a deal was becoming increasingly likely. While Morosi didn’t specify which team the Cardinals were discussing Montgomery with, he noted that both the Diamondbacks and Orioles have engaged in discussions with St. Louis in recent days.

Mike Elias On Orioles’ Deadline Plans

By | at

Orioles general manager Mike Elias spoke with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, Baltimore Baseball’s Rich Dubroff, and other reporters Friday about what the American League leaders might do in advance of the August 1 trade deadline.  Speaking in broad terms about needs, Elias said that “I think that if we are going to make additional acquisition trades, I would bet heavily they are going to be on the pitching side of things.  I think it’s no secret that that would be the areas of the team where we could (A) either use more depth, or (B) look for upgrades.”

Elias obviously didn’t address specific reports or players, but the Orioles have been linked to such pitchers as Michael Lorenzen and (before the Angels pulled him off the market entirely) Shohei Ohtani on the rumor mill, hinting that the team in looking for rotation help.  The Orioles’ current starters are roughly around the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, with Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells standing out as the best two starters in terms of pure results.  Kyle Gibson and Dean Kremer have been more hit-and-miss, while Cole Irvin and highly-touted youngster Grayson Rodriguez haven’t delivered much in the way of results.  Apart from one Keegan Akin start, the top six hurlers have taken the ball for every other Baltimore game this season, so this durability and reliability has been helpful.

Beyond the rotation, Elias also suggested that middle relief was a target area.  The O’s have made one move in this regard by acquiring Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics, with Elias saying that Fujinami can take over one of “a couple spots that were in flux.”  The Orioles gave up minor league pitching prospect Easton Lucas in that deal, a relatively minor expenditure given Baltimore’s deep farm system.

It remains to be seen if the O’s are willing to go into the upper levels of its minor league ranks for further trades.  On paper, the Orioles have enough top-tier prospects to get into the conversation about almost any trade asset, yet after years of rebuilding, “we can’t set the minor league system on fire just because we’re in first place,” Elias said.

“A big part of my job is worrying about the overall health of the team over the next several years.  So, you just try to balance all those things….Ultimately we’re measured on the results of how all these things go over a several-year period and it’s really not easy to do or get it right, so we’re just trying to take all of that into account.  But clearly, we’re going to want to stretch a little bit and try to help this really good 2023 team if we get within arm’s reach of something.”

While Elias didn’t close the door on the idea of trading any prospects, he also left open the possibility of moving big leaguers, even if that isn’t his first option.  “We have no intent of subtracting from the 26-man roster….but it comes up in conversations and if that’s something that we need to consider to make the trade that we want to make, we’ll balance all that.  I can’t rule it out,” the GM said.

In keeping with this overall “wide open” approach, Elias also said that the Orioles have some extra money to spend, as ownership has given the front office some ability “to make good baseball trades that could add to our payroll if we find them,” Elias said.

“I think the ball’s kind of in the court of the baseball ops department, which is great, and I think it’s a big testament to the management environment that we have here and how much trust this group’s gotten from partnership level, ownership level, John Angelos.  But it’s up to us to kind of navigate this and we have to find a match with other teams, and they’re doing their things, too.”

Given Elias’ generally cautious approach, it is probably safe to assume that the Orioles won’t suddenly take on a huge contract at the deadline.  For instance, their interest in a high-priced star like Ohtani might have been due diligence, or perhaps a singular pursuit given Ohtani’s uniquely elite skillset.  Still, considering that the O’s were spending $148MM as recently as 2018, adding one notable salary at the deadline doesn’t seem out of the question, considering that Baltimore has less than $61MM on the books for the season.  In theory, the Orioles’ potential ability to absorb salary might help them obtain a noteworthy player without giving up much of anything from the active roster or minor league ranks, though that naturally depends on how much financial “flexibility” Elias might truly have.

Orioles Interested In Michael Lorenzen

By | at

The Orioles are among the teams eyeing Tigers’ starter Michael Lorenzen, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). They join the Astros and Rays as clubs reportedly in the mix for the Detroit righty.

Just as Lorenzen is a sensible target for Houston and Tampa Bay, the fit for Baltimore is straightforward. Lorenzen seems highly likely to move before next Tuesday’s deadline. He’s an impending free agent on a Detroit club that fell 11 games below .500 upon getting swept in a doubleheader against the Angels today.

The first-time All-Star is having arguably the best season of his career. It’s his second straight season as a full-time starter. After posting league average numbers in 18 starts for the Angels last year, the 31-year-old has been a mid-rotation caliber arm this season. Even following a five-inning, three-run performance against the Halos this afternoon, he carries a 3.58 ERA across 105 2/3 frames.

Lorenzen’s underlying marks aren’t quite that strong, largely because he’s not missing a ton of bats. His 19.9% strikeout rate is a couple points below league average, while his 42.5% grounder percentage is right around par. The nine-year MLB veteran has walked only 6.5% of opponents, though, a notable improvement on last year’s 10.7% figure. He’s mixing five pitches with some amount of regularity and hasn’t had any platoon concerns.

That production makes him a logical target for win-now teams seeking rotation help. The Orioles certainly qualify. Baltimore  has the best record in the American League at 62-40. They’re up a game and a half (three in the loss column) on Tampa Bay for the AL East lead. The rebuild is over, and while there’s still some question about how aggressively the O’s will push chips in, they could make a competitive offer for Lorenzen without subtracting from the top of the farm system.

Detroit signed Lorenzen to an $8.5MM free agent deal. Just over $3MM of that salary is yet to be paid out. Lorenzen has already locked in an extra $250K in incentives by passing the 100-inning mark and would earn a matching amount at 125, 150, 175, 195 and 205 frames.

That’s a modest price to pay for a mid-rotation arm who’d likely step into the projected playoff rotation. Baltimore’s starting staff is its relative weak point. The O’s have an excellent offense and elite relief corps but rank 17th in MLB with a 4.52 rotation ERA.

Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells each have a sub-4.00 mark with slightly above-average strikeout/walk profiles. Kyle Gibson has offered his typically steady back-of-the-rotation innings. Dean Kremer has been a bit homer-prone en route to a fine but unexciting 4.59 ERA in 21 starts. Offseason trade pickup Cole Irvin has struggled and bounced in and out of the rotation, while top prospect Grayson Rodriguez has an ERA pushing 7.00 through his first 12 big league outings.

Orioles Outright Josh Lester

By | at

July 26: The Orioles announced that Lester went unclaimed on waivers and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He’ll remain with the organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster.

July 19: The Orioles announced they’ve designated corner infielder/outfielder Josh Lester for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Shintaro Fujinami, who has officially been acquired from Oakland.

Baltimore signed Lester to a minor league contract over the winter. The left-handed hitter had debuted with two MLB games for the Tigers last season after seven-plus years in the minors. Baltimore selected his contract in early June and has gotten him into 11 more MLB contests. He has collected four hits (all singles) and a walk in 23 plate appearances.

The 29-year-old has spent the rest of the season with the O’s top farm team in Norfolk. His .273/.326/.504 batting line over 292 plate appearances is around league average in a very offense-oriented International League. Lester can bounce around between the corner positions but is more of a bat-first player.

Baltimore will trade him or put him on waivers within the next week. Detroit successfully ran Lester through outright waivers at the start of last offseason. If he goes unclaimed again, he’d have the ability to test minor league free agency as a player with multiple career outrights.

Shohei Ohtani Drawing Widespread Trade Interest

By | at

The biggest question of this year’s trade deadline is whether or not the Angels will trade Shohei Ohtani. Unsurprisingly, several rival clubs are interested in acquiring his services, with Jeff Passan of ESPN connecting him to the Rangers, Dodgers, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays. That’s in addition to reporting from yesterday connecting him to the Diamondbacks and Orioles.

The fact that several clubs are interested in Ohtani is hardly shocking, given that the superstar has played so well in recent years to make it a legitimate question as to whether he’s the greatest player of all time. He’s hit at least 34 home runs in each of the past three seasons, having already hit 36 this year for the league lead with still a few months to go. His overall batting line of .302/.398/.674 amounts to a wRC+ of 184, which also leads all major league hitters. In addition to that, he’s thrown 408 innings as a pitcher since the start of 2021 with a 2.98 ERA, including a 3.71 ERA in his 19 starts this year.

Given the unprecedented nature of his performance, it would be a shock if any contender weren’t interested in him, so it stands to reason that several of them are reportedly on the phone lines. Whether Ohtani can actually be pried loose from the Angels is an open question, however. Recent reporting has suggested that the club will be listening to offers but that a deal is still considered unlikely. Ohtani is an impending free agent but the Halos aren’t completely buried in the standings. Their 51-49 record has them 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the final playoff spot, but with the Yankees and Red Sox in between. FanGraphs pegs their playoff odds at 13.7% while Baseball Prospectus puts them at 13.2%.

Rival clubs will only be able to acquire a few months of Ohtani’s services, but the offers will likely still be robust. Since a player like Ohtani has never previously existed, it’s hard to know exactly how much clubs would be willing to relinquish in order to acquire him. But since he’s the most impactful individual player that any club could conceivably add, it’s possible the bidding goes to unexpected levels. Beyond his on-field talents, there would also be opportunities for increased ratings and merchandise sales, not to mention the ability to try to negotiate an extension with the two-way player. It seems highly unlikely he would forego the open market at this point, but the opportunity to start the conversation early surely has appeal.

The Rangers make a ton of sense for Ohtani, in that their rotation has lost Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi to season-ending injuries. They also don’t have an everyday designated hitter and could easily accommodate Ohtani in their lineup. They are currently leading the American League West but the Astros are just two games back and Ohtani could go a long way to helping them fend off Houston. However, since they are in the same division as the Angels, lining up on a trade could be difficult. The Halos may not want to watch Ohtani thrive with their rivals, while the Rangers may have some hesitation about looking across the dugout at their former prospects for the next decade or so.

The Dodgers also make plenty of sense from a roster perspective. They currently have five starters on the injured list, including Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Noah Syndergaard and Ryan Pepiot. That’s forced them to bring up rookies like Bobby Miller, Michael Grove and Emmet Sheehan. The DH slot is usually taken by J.D. Martinez but he can at least play the outfield from time to time, a problem the club would likely be happy to work around. But the Angels may not prefer to send Ohtani across Los Angeles, given the public relations aspect. They and the Dodgers don’t compete in the same division, but they compete for customers and attention in the area, with the Angels usually the second fiddle to the Dodgers. Sending Ohtani to succeed in Dodger blue might be a bitter pill that they’d prefer not to swallow.

The other three clubs also make plenty of sense, given their tight American League East rivalry. The Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays currently occupy the top three spots in the division, separated by just 6.5 games. The Orioles have a 62-38 record but their rotation is clearly the weakest spot. Their starters have a collective 4.51 ERA that puts them in the bottom half of the league. They don’t have a clear DH either, often rotating various players through that spot.

The Rays actually have the strongest rotation ERA in the league, though that number may be skewed by their frequent use of openers. They certainly have a solid foursome in Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin and Taj Bradley, but have lost Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen to season-ending surgeries while Josh Fleming seems likely to miss significant time as well. Given their fondness for versatile players, they could easily slot Ohtani into the DH role and move other players around as necessary.

The Jays have some rotation question marks, particularly in the case of Alek Manoah. He struggled badly enough in the beginning on the season to get optioned down to the club’s Florida Complex. He’s since returned and made three starts without much consistency. Hyun Jin Ryu is on a rehab assignment and could be back with the club shortly, rejoining Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi. The Jays use Brandon Belt as designated hitter most of the time but likely wouldn’t mind replacing him with Ohtani and figuring out a solution to that problem. The bigger issue might be their relatively weaker farm system compared to the other clubs listed here, as Passan lists them as a longer shot for that exact reason.

All in all, it’s still unknown how seriously the Angels are entertaining any offers coming their way. It’s important for them to do their due diligence so that they have all the information necessary to make the decision that is best for their organization, but that doesn’t obligate them to make a deal. The club starts a road trip tonight with three in Detroit, three in Toronto and then the first game of a series in Atlanta before the August 1 deadline. It’s possible that the results of those games will push the club in one direction or another, for the most significant decision of this trade deadline and arguably ever.

Orioles Place Aaron Hicks On IL With Hamstring Strain

By | at

The Orioles announced that they have placed outfielder Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, with fellow outfielder Ryan McKenna recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Hicks departed last night’s game after appearing to injure himself making a catch and it seems he’ll need at least 10 days to recover.

Hicks, 33, had been struggling mightily with the Yankees in recent years, eventually leading to his release in May. He quickly landed with the Orioles and has had a resurgence since then, having hit .252/.349/.435 in 152 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 119, indicating he’s been 19% above league average. A lot of that time has been spent in center field, with Cedric Mullins having spent much of June on the IL due to a groin strain.

Since Hicks took over in center and played well, it allowed the club to avoid a significant drop-off while Mullins was away. He was reinstated from the IL in late June but landed back there last week, again due to a right groin strain. Hicks jumped back into the regular center field job in the past week but now he’s joining Mullins on the injured list. It’s unclear how serious Hicks’ injury is, but Mullins is without a clear timetable and may not be an option until late in the season. The club will now seemingly have to proceed without either player for at least the next 10 days.

The position might now fall to rookie Colton Cowser, who has logged 38 1/3 innings there so far this year and has been given the start for tonight’s contest. Unfortunately, his first 49 major league plate appearances have led to a batting line of just .128/.286/.154. That’s obviously a small sample and he has much better numbers in the minors, but the O’s will have a bit less certainty at the position for the time being.

Cowser figures to be flanked by Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, with McKenna likely in a bench role. Infielders Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn have also seen some time on the grass this year and could factor into the mix. If the O’s decide they need to supplement that group, they still have some time, with the August 1 trade deadline one week away. The club is 62-38, putting them 2.5 games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and clearly in buyer position.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top