The Orioles announced they’ve acquired reliever Kaleb Ort from the Phillies for cash considerations. Outfielder Peyton Burdick was designated for assignment to open space on the 40-man roster. Philadelphia had DFA Ort this morning as the corresponding move for the Whit Merrifield signing.
It’s another back-of-the-roster move for Baltimore. The O’s have been the sport’s most active team on the DFA market over the past few weeks. Ort himself has spent a decent chunk of time in DFA limbo. Since the 2023 season ended, he has gone from the Red Sox to the Mariners, Marlins, Phillies and now Baltimore via waivers or minor trade.
The 32-year-old righty has only ever pitched at the big league level in Boston. He appeared in parts of three seasons with the Red Sox, although all but one appearance came over the last two years. He owns a 6.27 ERA in 51 2/3 career innings, including a 6.26 mark over 23 frames a year ago.
While Ort hasn’t found much big league success, his various sojourns around the league suggest teams like him as a depth arm. He throws reasonably hard, averaging 95.8 MPH with his fastball at the MLB level last year. Ort’s arsenal has played at the Triple-A level. Over parts of four seasons there, he carries an impressive 3.09 ERA while striking out nearly 32% of opposing hitters. He still has a minor league option remaining. The O’s could send him to Triple-A Norfolk without putting him on waivers if they keep him on the 40-man roster.
Burdick, 27 next week, was one of the aforementioned recent DFA pickups by Baltimore. The O’s acquired from the Marlins in a cash trade last Wednesday. Within the next week, they’ll flip him themselves or try to run him through outright waivers.
The righty-hitting outfielder has appeared briefly at the MLB level in each of the past two seasons. Burdick has slumped to a .200/.281/.368 batting line while striking out nearly 40% of the time over his first 46 contests. Strikeouts have been an issue in the minors as well. The Wright State product fanned in an untenable 36.6% of Triple-A plate appearances last season. He has big raw power and has twice topped 20 homers in the minors — including 24 longballs in Triple-A a year ago — but he’ll need to take a significant step forward with his pure contact skills.
O’s picking up every AAAA player.
They’re going for the “winners” like Ort and Krook, both of whom will be cut eventually.
There is only AAA. As for MLB, you either are or you aren’t.
Ort is a hot potato this offseason. Most in-demand reliever on the market, isn’t this his 5th team this winter???
Ignorant – This is getting really expensive for me, I’ve now bought four Ort jerseys since October. For the love of God please Orioles keep him for at least a year.
Don’t tell me you bought the City Connect versions too!! I guess I can see it if you’re going to sit on them longterm and then give them to your grandkids as their inheritance.
Ignorant – Of course I did! At least none are all-yellow like the Red Sox one, actually Baltimore’s is the best – love the all black, makes me look 3 ounces thinner.
Excellent point Fever!!! Me too, only wear all black for that reason! But before they sell out, you really need a Yellow RS Alex Cora jersey…that one you could hang on the wall in your living room (signed!) & it will be a conversation piece for generations.
Ignorant – I’ll wait until they get marked down again, they are at $1 each right now …. should be BOGO within a few weeks.
So I need your help …. I’m placing my Cy Young bets and I have to choose between Luis Castillo at +1200 and George Kirby at +1400 …. who is the better pick? They are 6th & 7th favorites behind Cole, Gausman, Valdez, Burnes and Lopez.
Fever that’s a tough one !! I think you’re good picking either one, but if you put a gun to my head, I would pick Castillo. He’s been in the league 1.5 years now and ready to have a career season. Kirby will end up with a couple Cy Youngs himself in the upcoming years.
Ignorant – Thanks! I’ll plop down $20 on Castillo, $240 would be a nice return.
Hey Fever , I don’t know if you read Jeff Blair over at Sportsnet Canada but he had some interesting comments about Alex Cora being fat, unhappy; and depressed last season…every time I saw Cora address the media last season I thought those same things. Anyway it’s a great column worth the time sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/around-the-majors-its-a-w…
Ignorant – Thanks! I hadn’t read that particular column, but I did read similar elsewhere and I do read Blair occasionally because of my Toronto ties.
With any employee in any job I do agree it’s often best for both the employer and employee to change jobs after a decade or so. Cora clearly was not happy with the hand management dealt him last year, as well as the broken promise to add pitching at the deadline. I expect him to not be managing the Red Sox next year.
Can we just go ahead and sign another starter for God sakes. Stop playing tiddlewinks with us fans. Yanks want snell that’s fine but we gotta counter punch as well! These low names ain’t gonna cut it.
So if they have an opportunity to make the team slightly better for virtually no cost, they shouldn’t take it? Orioles fans are just desperate to be unhappy, it’s insane to me.
Most aren’t. Burdick seemed unnecessary to me. I’m all for trying to get a look at a bunch of relievers. The Bradish/Means injury didn’t necessarily force our hand to get a starter immediately. It did thin out the bullpen depth though. Definitely good to take a look at a few outside arms.
This has been a part of the Os FO mo since Elias took over in 2018. Nothing new here.
Of the new group the Orioles brought in to compete this year, I’m most curious about Suarez and Krook. Both throw a sinker. Suarez throws it very little even though it touches at an elite spin rate. And it looks like Krook throws it too much.
Burdick looks a little like Jud Fabian, but a little older.
It’s not just Orioles fans; there are shortsighted fans of all teams who complain about organization deals like this.
Bruh… dunno if you heard, but we traded for some guy named Burnes. I heard he’s pretty decent.
Also, we got Means, Wells and Irvin. So I’d say we’re good on SP depth.
In before Ort gets DFA’d again
There’s a guy named Kaleb Ort
Let’s hope he’s a team sport
Because every team
Him they thwart
The 2024 Kaleb Ort North American MLB Tour continues. Coming to a MLB city near you. Get your tickets now!
In other words the Phillies got 1 not 2 boxes of Big League Chew…
Dear O’s,
Thank you for the free money.
Sincerely,
Miami Marlins
Phillies should try to acquire Jo Addel from the Angels. They have a roster crunch, a full 40 man and Jo (out of options) needs a change of scenery. Addel hit the hardest ball in all of baseball last year in a AAA game, according to Statcast. Offer them two Cali kids Casey Martin (#47) & Gunner Mayer(#48) and carry him on the squad all year in lieu of Jake Cave. Insurance policy for Rojas, could move Marsh to CF (insert Addel LF) if Johan struggles and maybe let him do some 1B drills w/ Bryce. There’s room for a RH bat w/ pop on that bench.
Why the hell would the Phillies give two top 50 prospects for Jo Addel? He will be playing DFA hot potato next off-season.
As I mentioned, he has an elite trait that only a handful of major leaguers compare to on that level. He’s got a strong throwing arm and range in the OF. He has the pedigree of a former top prospect, and the Angels & Phillies line up on trades quite often. Casey Martin cannot hit, and even if he could he’s blocked up the middle for the next 10 years with Turner and Stott. And Gunnar is a 23 year old RH that hasn’t pitched past A ball and is a long shot to reach the big leagues. Ever. Adell is the type of player you take fliers on.
Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long could make a couple tweaks, shorten up that swing like he did with Schwarber, and let Addel’s natural power play to his advantage. It’s not like they would need him to bat cleanup, he would bat 8th or 9th in this hypothetical, and only against LHP.
@jack
Think that’s org prospects. I’ve never heard of either. Def aren’t top 50 overall prospects. They don’t look like they’ll ever find their way on a 40 man roster
There Ort to be a limit to how many times you can get DFA’d.
The Ort Rule?
Ort in a battle with Diego Castillo for the offseason DFA leaderboard. Making a late run.
Well so much for the prototypical son’s return!!!! Good grief…..
The Kangaroo Ort, jumping from team to team.
Competition at this level is good. Just got to hit on one.
The Ort saga continues!
#stateoftheOrt
Philly does not have a sound team building strategy. They’re bleeding young arms w/ upside from their 40 man bc they’re doing silly stuff like signing a utility inf w/ name recognition for the fans…when you could get the same level of talent in this market as a NRI. And they’re planning on tying up future payroll on expensive post-prime years contracts for Harper/Wheeler…thinking by 2025 they’re an under .500 team and ’26 they’re forced into a rebuild. So this is their make or break year.
Blue Jays batters welcome back Kaleb Ort to the AL East!
Ort vs Jays: 4.1 IP, 28 PA, .462/.500/.539/1.039, 20.77 ERA.
Someone tell Elias that he isn’t paid by the transaction nor do the Orioles generate slot money by doing this. Of course barely any of these wind of being moves of significance, they’re minor league depth or “very back end of the bullpen in case of injury” scenarios.
I am uneasy about Means coming back to previous level of effectiveness at the moment, that’s a bigger problem than the third guy they’d call at Norfolk when bullpen arms are tired.