As members of a Baltimore team that isn’t teeming with trade chips, right-handers Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner stand out as players who could end up on the move by the July 31 deadline. However, general manager Mike Elias said Wednesday it would be challenging for the Orioles to trade either hurler because of the team’s lack of major league-ready starting depth, as Dan Connolly of The Athletic was among those to cover.
Even if Elias does wind up dealing from the Bundy-Cashner tandem, neither would warrant a return capable of providing a noticeable boost to the Orioles’ farm system. The 26-year-old Bundy’s the more desirable of the two, though, considering his age, cheap 2019 salary ($2.8MM) and two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility. The former star prospect hasn’t developed into the ace Baltimore’s prior regime wanted when it drafted him fourth overall in 2011, however, having instead settled in as a back-end starter to this point.
Bundy owns a 4.76 ERA/4.88 FIP with a paltry 34.3 percent groundball rate in 88 career starts and 493 1/3 innings. Those mediocre numbers have come in spite of a quality strikeout/walk ratio, as Bundy has fanned about nine batters per nine and walked a bit fewer than three. Bundy’s K/9 has climbed closer to 10 since 2018, yet his velocity has tumbled into the 91 mph range – down from 92-94 from 2016-17 – and home runs have plagued him. Dating back to last year, Bundy has surrendered HRs on 17.3 percent of fly balls. Only three other qualified starters have struggled worse in that department.
Homers haven’t troubled Cashner to any major degree this year, on the other hand. In fact, the 32-year-old is having somewhat of a bounce-back season as he concludes the guaranteed portion of a two-year, $16MM pact. After logging an unsightly 5.29 ERA/5.32 in 153 1/3 frames last year, Cashner has recorded a playable 4.37 ERA/4.62 FIP with 6.12 K/9, 3.06 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent grounder rate in 82 1/3 frames this season. Cashner has also seen his average velocity increase from 92.4 mph to 93.7 since 2018. That said, it has been a bit of an odd season for Cashner in that right-handed hitters – not lefties – have done almost all of the damage against him. He has yielded far more runs the first time through the opponents’ order than the second.
Looking to 2020, Cashner has a $10MM option that will become guaranteed if he throws a combined 340 innings from 2018-19. He’ll come up well short of that mark, so the option’s not a concern to the Orioles or other teams. But Cashner did tell Connolly back in May that he’d at least consider not reporting to a new club if the O’s traded him. That may go down as a moot point, depending on whether Elias is willing to trade Cashner or if teams would even pursue a deal for the well-traveled hurler.
Who would want these guys???? They both give up a crap ton of homers and do not throw more than 94
They don’t throw more than 94!???! Who wants a guy who can’t throw at least 95????
94 is the new 88.
Average FB velo is around 92.5. We aren’t at the point to scoff at a 94 MPH heater like it’s trash….
I wouldn’t mind Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies … neither breaks 90.
They struggled with that but to be fair they are pitching in Camden Yards in the AL East
Bundy has to be the most frustrating pitchers in the league. Former top prospect who was highly rated, big arm, shows flashes of dominance, yet finishes with awful stats every year.
Not really frustrating at all at this point. He came back with a 90-91 MPH fastball after having a 95 MPH heater. He lost the velocity he lost the ability to be a dominant pitcher. He still pitches like he has that heater. He’ll never be dominant with that style.
Arm injuries have stolen 5 MPH on his fastball. It’s not surprising that he has not done as well as anticipated.
Seems to be a trend amongst Orioles pitching under the previous regime. Hopefully there were major shake ups in the development staff during the regime change, just for the sake of every pitcher they hadn’t ruined yet
Couldn’t agree more! The only pitcher the O’s developed was Britton and he had all the tools to be a starter.
The problem with the O’s is that they tend to trade away good, young pitchers instead of trading for them. The one I can think of they acquired via trade was Chris Tillman, but even he was acquired from trading a pitcher, veteran Erik Bedard. The Bedard trade ended up as one of the best in O’s history, but my point remains. Development has nothing to do with Bundy. He’s just struggled with too many injuries not to mention Tommy John surgery.
Why trade for these guys to make your rotation worse. Maybe throw them in the pen but what playoff team would these guys be an upgrade for
Shoulders pop. UCL’s tear. GM’s have false contending expectations. Someone can get desperate when the trade deadline approaches.
Teams also think they have identified something that will improve the player.
they have got fix the rules. sad how a team guts itself and try to lose. that is not good for the game. think about that. teams trying to lose. SAD.
I agree. You email MLB and let them know you want them To enact a major league rule that all teams have to win.
It’s sad that people like Scott Boras have to create accounts on here and intentionally make absurd posts like this.
With that said I think the first step is to create a draft lottery finishing last shouldn’t guarantee you the most draft budget.
But for years I heard from people like yourself that trying to lose will never work, and now every league is plagued by this issue and it’s been proven time and time again to be effective. Where as always trying to win and go for it has proven to be ineffective for most teams.
You’re correct. There shouldn’t be a draft budget at all. All players should just sign with whatever team that signs them for the standard minor league contract with no signing bonuses allowed at all.
Unique idea but it completely eliminates any chance for a team to sign a high schooler with any big commitment. On top of that, it eliminates most athletes from signing because they will go to other sports at a younger age for hopes of greener pastures.
What are you a guru of, it’s not baseball. This is how you reboot a team. You can’t flip a roster like you can in football. It takes time to develop players. Look at Houston, prime example. O’s are a medium market team can’t spend a trillion dollars like the Spankees and other big money teams
We didn’t have to hit rock bottom if the prior regime/owner would’ve had a steady pipeline of talent to flow in. We didn’t have a steady pipeline of talent so there was no way for us not to suck. We could’ve signed Corbin, mAchado, and Moose and probably would’ve won 65-70 games and our future outlook would be no better.
I’m a Twins fan and I really want them to go after Bundy. For now, we can put him in the pen until Perez or Pineda need to be replaced or next year after we lose three starters to FA. I think Bundy could be a change of scenery guy where some new ideas and getting him out of Camden might be able to make him better. And he wouldn’t cost a top prospect like Kiriloff to get.
If not, he might be a workable bullpen piece.
Two bullpen bounceback candidates.
Location, movement, velocity.
It’s always been that way.
Pitchers are now like heavy metal guitarists, playing as fast as possible, and yet playing useless gibberish.
Bundy would benefit moving to a bigger park, Seattle, San Diego, Oakland. He also needs to learn to pitch instead of throw.
how does it feel orioles fans….the laughing stock of baseball and fielding one of the worst teams in 100 years of the game. That is embarrassing. Proud of yall, quiet the accomplishment.
Thank God we have you to point out the quiet accomplishments of the Orioles. You’re a saint… or should I say, guru