The Orioles announced a batch of roster moves today, activating three trade acquisitions. Outfielders Eloy Jiménez and Austin Slater as well as left-hander Trevor Rogers have now been added to the roster and the club also recalled infielder Liván Soto. One spot was opened by placing infielder Jordan Westburg on the 10-day injured list with a right hand fracture, a development that was reported yesterday. To open three more spots, they optioned left-hander Keegan Akin and outfielder Heston Kjerstad and designated outfielder Cristian Pache for assignment. Vinny Nittoli, who was designated for assignment last week, elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.
The Orioles engineered a surprising outfield shuffle in the week leading up to the deadline. It started with a notable subtraction, as Austin Hays was sent to the Phillies, bringing back reliever Seranthony Domínguez as well as Pache. The Baltimore roster is loaded with position player talent and the outfield still looked strong without Hays, consisting of Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Anthony Santander and Kjerstad. Since Pache is more of a glove-first guy, he was likely ticketed for a bench role.
But in the final moments of the deadline, the O’s also acquired Jiménez from the White Sox and Slater from the Reds. Since Slater is generally considered to be a solid defender and hits lefties very well, perhaps they figured he was an upgrade on Pache for a bench outfielder role.
That would be an understandable position to take, as Pache has struggled to make an impact from the batter’s box. He was once considered one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball during his time in Atlanta’s system since it was believed he had the ability to be an all-around contributor. While the speed and defense have been as advertised, his hitting has been abysmal. He has hit .181/.244/.274 in his first 546 major league plate appearances. He exhausted his final option season in 2022, a year in which he hit .248/.298/.389 for a 68 wRC+ at the Triple-A level.
But he has continued to find work due to his glove. In just over 1,300 innings in the outfield, he has racked up 12 Defensive Runs Saved and 16 Outs Above Average. Oakland acquired him from Atlanta as part of the Matt Olson trade but was flipped to the Phillies at the start of last year, with the Phils mostly keeping him on the bench since he is out of options and can’t be sent down to the minors without being exposed to waivers. The O’s seemed to have some interest in a similar role for him but perhaps decided to move on when Slater became available.
With the deadline now passed, the O’s won’t have the ability to trade Pache elsewhere. He will be freely available to all 29 clubs at some point in the coming days as Baltimore will have no choice but to put him on waivers. Perhaps another team will take a flier on him based on his past prospect pedigree and the solid floor provided by his glovework. Many clubs have roster openings in the wake of the deadline and could perhaps find room for him. As mentioned, he is out of options but is still in the pre-arbitration phase of his career. If he lands a roster spot somewhere, he can be retained via arbitration for three seasons after this one.
Kjerstad getting sent down is somewhat surprising in that he’s been performing well, but it’s also not surprising since it’s not the first time. This is actually going to be his third optional assignment of the year, as he was sent down just prior to Opening Day, recalled in late April and optioned again in the middle of May before being recalled again in late June. In 81 major league plate appearances, he has struck out 29.6% of the time but also drawn walks at an 11.1% rate and hit .261/.370/.420 for a wRC+ of 125.
Despite that strong performance, the club’s stockpile of talented position players has bumped him down to Norfolk yet again. It’s perhaps a bit perplexing to see him nudged out for guys like Jiménez and Slater, but the deadline was essentially the last chance to meaningfully add talent. The O’s took that chance even though it meant bumping a guy like Kjerstad into a depth role for the time being, and those new additions are likely looking at part-time roles anyway.
Slater has a .274/.364/.433 batting line and 122 wRC+ against lefties compared to a .226/.316/.334 line and 84 wRC+ against righties. Jiménez is having a rough season overall but is hitting .304/.360/.370 against southpaws this year for a wRC+ of 109. The two of them will likely be in short-side platoon roles, Jiménez helping to shield Ryan O’Hearn from lefties while Slater protects Mullins. O’Hearn has hit .259/.286/.296 for a 67 wRC+ this year with the platoon disadvantage while Mullins is at .141/.164/.211 for a wRC+ of 3.
Rather than have Kjerstad collecting dust on the bench, the O’s will have him get some regular work for the Tides again, at least until an injury changes the calculus down the line. Even if he doesn’t carve out a role with the big league club this year, he should have a better path in 2025 as Santander is slated for free agency. Jiménez has a $16.5MM club option but the O’s will probably go for the $3MM club option instead.
Hate to see Heston get sent down but it is probably for the best. He hasnt been the same since his concussion from getting hit in the head. Let him work it out in AAA and then bring him back.
I agree entirely.
SewaldSwansonSwoon;
You called it.
clint Frazier wasn’t the same after his concussion. hopefully Heston and rest and get through it. concussions are a scary thing and have so many different variations.
“Wasn’t the same after his concussion”..Clint “Jackson” Frazier wasn’t “the same” before his concussion either.
Very true. Frazier was never the player he was hyped to be from the moment he came over from CLE.
Came here to say exactly that. Guess I can leave now.
They disposed of Pache really quickly. Less than a week.
Great glove.
No bat.
The league needs a designated glove
Braves… although I think Heston has a much higher ceiling, they are the same age. I wonder if the perception of Pache would be different if he wasn’t brought up early at 21 to struggle for 4 years. If he was just getting brought up this year while refining his skills and confidence all these years would his trajectory be different.
Rico – I think the perception that Pache can’t hit is because he really can’t hit. It has nothing to do with when he came up, he’s really never had great numbers even in the minors. If you look at his prospect bio, at his height he was a 70 run, 70 arm, 70 field talent. That’s incredibly rare and there’s value there.
I think where people missed the boat is that he was considered to have a 55 hit tool and he never really showed that. It sounds simple, but incredibly difficult in practice, but if he could develop the hit tool he could still be a really good player.
He is very similar to Victor Robles, who has seemed to develop the hit tool a bit at age 27, so there’s still possibilities I think.
For a brief, shining moment Pache was actually hitting last year in PHI, so it seemed like he finally blossomed. But then he went in the IL, and the magic vanished thereafter.
“Needs a designated glove”…Or, Christian Pache needs to simply work on his hitting. I can’t see a “designated glove” anytime soon.
I think Braveslifer may not have been completely serious. With the DH across the league, pitchers are designated gloves of sorts.
Why don’t we apply the same principle to guys who clearly don’t even bother with the glove?
They’re allowed to hang on to jobs for longer than they’re viable as actual players because of the DH rule.
The DH is the same thing…just in reverse. Say what you will about the pitchers hitting, without the DH you can’t just decide screw it, I’ll just hit. You actually have to provide value on both sides.
“Why don’t we apply the same principle to guys who clearly don’t even bother with the glove?”
Because owners and chicks dig the long ball.
Yes
DH’s usually provide negative value from the glove, so by not playing defense but still hitting, they are only applying that positive value and not the negative that they’d be if they also played defense. So by not playing defense, they are providing more value than if they did play defense.
Double D- Designated Defender, I like it.
Pache quickly became passé.
Thumbs up just for the name, DionJames.
I can’t believe he headlined a trade when he pretty much never hit at any level of the minors. A’s gonna A. At least Langilers has a lot of power at catcher.
John Fisher going to John Fisher.
Shea Langeliers headlined that trade…Pache was so Atlanta could free up a space on the then 25 man roster so basically he was a throw in.
I wonder if they even gave him a hat?
Orioles greatest all-time hitter at 1.000.
Why did they even take pache as a part of the trade return? Was that just a salary dump by the phillies?
In case they didn’t get someone like slater
He was making a little above league minimum (761k). The Orioles probably wanted a RH outfielder to replace Hays. Then they got Slater. So no salary dump
A defensive replacement/pinch runner can hold a lot of value. You won’t see it in WAR but it’s there
Pache has not stolen a base this season and has four total in his career.
Crap, I need to do more research before I open my big mouth
It was just a dump! Pache has one tool!
Mets need to trade for Kjerstad in the offseason and make him their everyday 1st baseman. I would rather have him over Alonso, especially considering their salaries. I can see Kjerstad putting up Freddie Freeman numbers. High BA and mid level power. The Orioles keep yoyoing him like the Mets did with Vientos last season. Give him a shot to play everyday and he’d be one of the best 1st baseman in the league
Nah. Mets probably wouldn’t want to deal with a terrible GM like Mike Elias apparently is…
He’s an OF.
He players a bit of 1st last year. It’s actually probably his better position. Regardless, he’ll cost them a mint. The Stowers trade cements Kjerstad as their outfielder of the future
What would have the Mets given up to get Kjerstad? Alonso is not someone the Orioles would have wanted. Besides, he alone would not be nearly enough anyway.
Santander is a free agent this offseason. O’Hearn has an option for next year at 7.5 million and the Orioles might decide not to pick it up and pay Kjerstad the minimum. So there will be room for Kjerstad
Be hard to not pick up Ohearn’s option. He should have (small) trade value on that even if we didn’t want him back.
But even if they trade O’Hearn they would need someone to replace him. And while 7.5 million isn’t going to break the bank the Orioles are going to have some expensive decisions to make this offseason. Sign Burnes? Rutschman hits arbitration. Do they try to extend Gunner Henderson? Mullins and Mountcastle are due raises in arbitration. The days of the Orioles being in the bottom of payroll is over. At least I hope so
I really hope they open up the pocket book for Burnes. But he’s going to seek 35-40 million per. I guess this winter will bring the answer what the ownership is willing to do.
I can certainly understand you wanting the Mets to be able to acquire Kjerstad, but IF he’s traded, the O’s would probably be looking for a top of the rotation arm. I don’t see the Mets as any type of fit there unless you somehow turn it into a 3 team trade to net the O’s that piece. Of course that could change if the O’s bring back Burnes and Means, but tough to know what new ownership will do in that regard. I’m working under the assumption they’ll need to replace at least one.
@Appalachian_Outlaw Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert should be enough to get a deal done. Mets can even throw in a mid level prospect like Dominic Hamel
Keep OF. The Orioles will want the best SP prospects for Kjerstad even if they want to trade him.
Except he’s not a 1B.
Kjerstadt has walked a lot this year but his chase rates don’t support that, they are always high in the mid 30s.
Alonso is much better in that regard and also more raw power.
Kjerstadt can hit and if he is hot he is hot but I feel when he is cold the obp could be low. Basically like a CJ cron when he was good, there was pop but low walks and obp dependent on batting average
False claim. Kjerstad has walked at a high rate in the minors – ~ .100 added to OBP – and has walked at the same rate so far in the majors.
He walked a lot this year but the years before he has walked 6-8% except for rookie ball.
His 35% chase rate in AAA doesn’t really Support a double digit walk rate and probably means he will walk more like 6-7% in mlb unless he improves a lot.
sss at ML level. If he hits well, he will be pitched around and get walks.
Regardless, I will take a high BA, high OBP.
@AlexAnthopoulous
Christian Pache was a member of the 2021 Braves……….
Christian Pache is not yet 22 years old and already 3 teams have completely given up on him. I wish him well, but at this point, his best option may be to go overseas for a couple years and round out some of the kinks in his game.
Maybe you reading something old he is 25 almost 26 years old.
Yeah it looks like they saw the debut age instead. I’ve made that mistake more than once lol
“Almost 26”..My bad. I read his debut age(on baseball reference) as his current age. Thanks for the correction.
Four teams
Pache was too busy spending all his cash on matching bling SUV’s with Acuna Jr. guy might be out of baseball soon if he doesn’t start hitting for higher average.
“Matching bling SUVs”…I hope you’re kidding, because this Pache kid is just a few weeks from waiting tables at Denny’s, so he’d better save or invest anything he’s made playing ball. Last time I checked, Pache doesn’t have a close relative with a $100M contract and endorsement deals like the Acuna kid.
He could absolutely fill a bench role for a club, and the ML minimum isn’t bad money. Denny’s will likely need to look for someone else to fill the position.
A lot of Phillies fans were so upset over Pache being traded. Why?
Sentimentality, he was a good teammate and good in the clubhouse.
Yeah, it was strange how quickly they formed an attachment, but I think that was due in large part to the fact that he started hitting almost as soon as they acquired him. Then he went on the IL, and that went out the window. Hasn’t hit since. PHI fans really wanted it to work out.
Feel bad for Colby Mayo who is raking in AAA and can’t get a call up for some reason.
imagine how Coby Mayo feels he’s also doing well with the bat
Orioles are trying to win a WS. Guys like Kjersted and Mayo are part of the future. This year same as last year. Like last year, when push came to shove the Orioles FO went with veteran Hicks over guys like Stowers and Cowser … enter Jiminez and Slater
But yet guys like Mateo who don’t produce continue to get significant AB’s. Ryan McKenna and Tony Kemp were on the team at the beginning of the season. They tried to make do with Cole Irvin and a journeyman in Alberto Suarez in the rotation hoping for a miracle rather than spending the $ or prospects to get proven starters.
Someone tell the Orioles you don’t get extra points for maxing the degree of difficulty to get wins.
Os are trying to win a WS.
Meteo is the best SS on the roster. The game is “played up the middle”. Get him back over there, give him consistent playing time and he’ll be fine.
On the hitting side, to me Jorge is quite the tease. Just when I can’t stand to watch him, he’ll win us a game with his legs. Plus he was one of just a few who showed up offensively in the playoffs last year.
They should be apart of your present. They are better players then a couple of players you run out their every day. The Orioles would probably be up ten games if they weren’t afraid of playing them.
I agree Mets6968??. Orioles FO seems to see it differently by opting for all this veteran inventory … exception being Holliday.
So..you understand the eloy jimenez move? When has he proven to be a dependable performer? I mean sure he has skills with the bat but depending inbhim for a playoff run?
@mlbfan. news-herald.com/2022/03/13/champion-braves-open-ca…
Pache is hopefully marlins bound
Great fit, as the Marlins could use a cleanup hitter.
LOL!
I am going down to Baltimore and match around Eutaw Street and get some satisfaction
Unless of course someone picks up Pache…then all will be forgiven
You never should have traded Austin Hays in the first place and now because of that mistake, you had to send Heston Kjerstad to assignment. I love the O’s but you made a mistake like when you got rid of Tre Mancini to the Astros and guess what, he won a Championship
Right now, the Orioles have Santander and Cowser hitting well with Cedric Mullins having a .275 AVG and .828 OPS since the start of June. Where else are they going to play Hays? Plus, I’m sure Mancini’s .622 OPS after getting traded to the Astros and his 1-21 with 8 Ks during their post season really helped out.
The 1st half of your post may be valid. The 2nd is bullshtt: Trey was washed up. He got a ring but sucked in Houston. And now is out of baseball. It was a GREAT trade for the Orioles
Kjerstad had a concussion, which is why he was sent down.
They are wasting away Hestons talents. He can be a hitting machine if given consistent playing time (or should have traded him). I bet Slater is gone in 2 weeks.
The orioles are wasting a lot of talent. Keeping players in the minors well past the time needed. It’s going to cost them down the road when most of these guys don’t re-sign in Baltimore and leave town.
Lol mets6986 says something stupid again, surprise
Gr81t2 – Heston hasn’t been hitting since getting beaned in the helmet.
Pache is the warning for Pete Crow-Armstrong.
I suspect they got Pache in case they didn’t get a better option in the OF on defense who can hit a little or if they dealt Mullins.
Kjerstad just can’t catch a break. Maybe next year as the decks will be cleared a bit.
That last sentence missed the proof readers desk.
White Sox should try to sign him. They already suck at offense, at least Pache would help the games end sooner with his defense.
I would’ve liked to have seen Nittoli stay around.
Agree. Maybe they sign him to a fresh contract after Webb and Suarez turned into pumpkins last night
Pache White Sox bound .
It’s sad that pache was a big piece of the matt olson trade .. teams should be lining up to trade with the A’s
Silent J has nothing to prove in AAA. Should not be blocked by a short term veteran.
Baltimore has all that young talent. IMO they traded for the Wrong White Sox Outfielder
They weren’t getting Robert. Especially not for Trey McGough.
Of course Not, but you can do a Heston for Robert Jr type of package, deal.
Heston gets fresh start, away from POS Elias and Hyde who both hate him, have no use for his talents.
The O’s get Robert Jr, RH hitter OF who for next couple yrs helps a lot with Balt OF.
But Elias has no balls, and is beyond clueless.
The awful Rogers trade, the Eloy joke addition and the horrible Slater decision – taking ABs away from a Kjerstad – will all lead to another early Balt exit in playoffs. Elias is a joke.
Balt is going nowhere fast until Elias and Hyde are replaced.
The Rogers trade will blow up in his face, badly, as we saw in that turrible loss to The Tribe.
What a stupid comment top to bottom. Deninzio now owns the dumbest comment of the week, and that’s saying something.
I would not have traded Kjerstad for Robert. And I don;t know if Getz would have done that deal. But I think it’s crazy talk to say Elias and Hyde “hate” Silent J.
Nobody can predict the playoffs based on last year’s outcomes.
PS: The abbreviation is “Balto.”