Orioles Notes: Kantrovitz, Dubin, Ragsdale, Rutschman

The Orioles reached out to Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz about a possible interview for their general manager opening, according to 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine.  However, it appears as though Kantrovitz declined the offer, as he isn’t looking to leave the Cubs organization.

Kantrovitz has over 21 years of baseball operations experience, split over stints with the Cardinals, Athletics, and Cubs.  He has been in his current position since leaving Oakland for Wrigleyville in September 2019, and he received some interest from the Angels (in 2020) and Mets (in 2023) for higher-level front office positions.  There wasn’t any indication that he actually interviewed for those jobs either, yet it isn’t surprising that clubs keep showing interest considering the Cubs’ strong prospect depth

Since Kantrovitz started overseeing Chicago’s drafts, the team has amassed a farm system that many pundits rank among the game’s best.  Such homegrown names like Cade Horton and Matt Shaw are contributing to the Cubs’ success in 2025, and the club has also used its prospect depth to swing some prominent trades, such as last winter’s blockbuster with the Astros that saw 2024 first-rounder Cam Smith included as part of the package that landed Kyle Tucker.

There are some past ties between Kantrovitz and Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, as the two worked together in the St. Louis front office from 2007-09.  This naturally doesn’t mean that the O’s are looking just for candidates Elias is personally familiar with, but Kantrovitz’s amateur scouting background is perhaps a hint about what the Orioles are prioritizing in their GM search.

It was only earlier this week that we learned a GM search was even underway, when news broke about Elias’ promotion to PBO last offseason and the Orioles’ plan to hire a general manager to act as Elias’ chief lieutenant in baseball ops.  Levine writes that Kantrovitz was a “short list” candidate for Baltimore, which indicates that the team might have moved beyond an initial stage of the process, even as they’re still rounding up interview candidates.

In other Orioles news, the club placed right-hander Shawn Dubin on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 13) due to right elbow discomfort.  Interim manager Tony Mansolino told the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer and other reporters that Dubin will undergo an MRI, and there is “some concern there” over a possible serious injury.

Dubin has been with the O’s for less than three weeks, since he was claimed off waivers from the Astros.  Now in his third MLB season, Dubin struggled to a 5.61 ERA over 25 2/3 innings with Houston this year, but he improved to a 3.38 ERA over eight innings and seven appearances since arriving in Baltimore.  Dubin didn’t allow a run over his first six outings as an Oriole, but in his final appearance before his IL placement, he was charged with three runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Injuries have been the larger story of Dubin’s season.  Shoulder problems and then a sprained ankle kept him sidelined through all of Spring Training and delayed his 2025 debut until May 11.  He later missed about seven weeks due to a forearm strain, and the combination of that forearm issue plus this new elbow discomfort raises the ominous specter of UCL damage.

To fill Dubin’s spot on the active roster, Carson Ragsdale was called up from Triple-A Norfolk, and the righty made his Major League debut in today’s 11-2 loss to the Blue Jays.  It was far from a dream debut for Ragsdale, as he allowed eight runs over three innings against the AL East leaders.

Ragsdale is another new arrival in the organization, as the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Giants in early August.  A fourth-round pick for the Phillies in 2020 draft, Ragsdale struggled with San Francisco’s Triple-A affiliate over the last two seasons, though his bottom-line numbers picked up in Norfolk.  For the season as a whole, however, Ragsdale’s strikeout rate plummeted to 19.7% after posting K-rates of well over 30% in the lower minor league levels.  His homer rate also spiked during his time with Triple-A Sacramento and the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he had better luck in keeping the ball in the park during his brief time in Norfolk.

Finally, it looks like Adley Rutschman is on pace to make it back to the Orioles’ lineup before the season is over.  The catcher hasn’t played since August 17 due to a right oblique strain, but Mansolino said Rutschman is probably going to be starting a rehab assignment in the near future.

Though Baltimore is playing out the string, getting into a few more games will hopefully allow Rutschman to finish a tough year on some kind of high note.  The former All-Star has hit just .227/.310/.373 over 348 plate appearances, while missing extended periods of time due strains of both his right and left oblique.