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Orioles Select Tom Eshelman

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The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tom Eshelman from Triple-A Norfolk. Lefty Josh Rogers, who is sidelined with a UCL injury, was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The Orioles have listed Eshelman as their probable starter tonight.

Baltimore acquired the 25-year-old Eshelman from the Phillies back on June 10 in exchange for international bonus allocations that the Phils used to sign Australian pitching prospect Josh Gessner. In 20 innings since being acquired by Baltimore, Eshelman has a 4.05 ERA with 11 strikeouts and six walks. Eshelman was originally drafted by the Astros when Mike Elias, now the Orioles’ general manager, was the scouting director in Houston. In all, the righty has pitched to a 4.46 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 74 2/3 minor league innings this season.

The Orioles have gotten disastrous results out of the final two spots in their rotation this season, with each of Dan Straily, Davis Hess and Alex Cobb throwing poorly in their time with the club. All-Star John Means and righties Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy have ranged from surprisingly excellent (Means) to generally serviceable (Bundy), but there are questions beyond that trio. Given the uncertain state of the rotation, Eshelman would seem to have a chance to carve out a long-term spot for himself if he can impress his new organization.

Orioles Option Tanner Scott

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Following today’s game, the Orioles have optioned left-handed pitcher Tanner Scott to Triple-A, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN on Twitter. Presumably, the move opens a roster spot for the club to add a starter for tomorrow night’s game, though specifics are not yet known.

Scott, just 24 years old, has functioned in a bullpen role for the Orioles this season. In his young career, the southpaw has displayed flashy strikeout stuff, notching 96 K’s in just 66 1/3 innings of work, good for a 13.0 average per nine innings. That’s the carrying tool for a youngster who profiles as a pure relief arm with potential to grow into a high-leverage role for the O’s, though he’s yet to actualize that potential: despite the high strikeout numbers, Scott has managed just a 5.56 ERA in his career, which has spanned parts of three seasons.

Though the corresponding move has not been officially announced, Kubatko additionally suggests (via Twitter) that Tom Eshelman could be the one to get the call for tomorrow night’s series opener against the Rays. Notably, though, Eshelman is not on the Orioles’ 40-man roster, meaning that an additional move would be required to clear a spot for him on the 40-man.

 

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/28/19

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Friday’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Reds have released right-hander Nick Travieso, per Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com. This ends a long Reds tenure for Travieso, who had been a member of the organization since it selected him 14th overall in the 2012 draft. As Gray explains, though, the 25-year-old Travieso’s velocity hasn’t returned to previous levels since shoulder issues kept him out of action from the end of the 2016 campaign until earlier this season. Travieso threw just three innings in rookie ball this year before the Reds said goodbye to him.
  • Orioles lefty Sean Gilmartin has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, the team announced. The Orioles designated Gilmartin for assignment Tuesday after he gave up five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings during his lone major league start of 2019. The 29-year-old has been far better this season in Norfolk, where he has pitched to a 2.48 ERA/2.83 FIP with 9.91 K/9, 2.72 BB/9 and a 47.9 percent groundball rate in 36 1/3 innings and 17 appearances (two starts).

Orioles’ Josh Rogers Getting Second Opinion On UCL Injury

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The Orioles received some grim news regarding left-hander Josh Rogers, as an MRI revealed structural damage in his left ulnar collateral ligament, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes. Rogers will seek a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes that Rogers is expected to require Tommy John surgery. Rogers explained that he felt “something different” in his elbow when exiting a recent start and acknowledged that the “level of concern for everybody is pretty high.”

If Rogers does ultimately go under the knife, it’ll be his second Tommy John surgery. He also underwent the procedure during his senior year of high school before recovering to enjoy a solid two seasons at Louisville. The Yankees selected Rogers in the 11th round of the 2015 draft and traded him to Baltimore last year in the Zack Britton swap.

Rogers would be the second upper-level arm acquired by the Orioles last summer to require Tommy John surgery this season. Right-hander Zach Pop, acquired from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado deal, underwent Tommy John surgery last month after pitching just 10 2/3 frames of Double-A ball this season.

The 24-year-old Rogers hasn’t pitched well in the Majors or in Triple-A this season, although it’s certainly possible that the state of his elbow impacted his results. He’s pitched to an ERA north of 8.00 in 55 Triple-A frames and in 14 1/3 MLB innings as well. That’s a vast departure from last season, when he tossed a combined 139 2/3 innings of 3.54 ERA ball between the Triple-A affiliates of the Yankees and the Orioles. While he’s not considered a premium prospect, Rogers ranked 28th among Baltimore farmhands heading into the season, according to Baseball America, who tabbed him as a potential fifth starter.

Even a serviceable fifth starter would be a welcome sight for the O’s, who haven’t received competitive outings from the final two spots of their rotation all season. David Hess is third on the team in games started but carries a 7.36 ERA. The trio of Gabriel Ynoa, the out-for-the-season Alex Cobb and the recently outrighted Dan Straily have combined for 17 starts but yielded 68 runs in 73 1/3 innings. Rogers was expected to be a rotation option in Baltimore this season but would be a non-factor until the second half of the 2020 campaign, at the earliest, if he requires surgery.

Orioles Acquire Patrick Dorrian To Complete Yefry Ramirez Trade

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The Orioles have acquired infielder Patrick Dorrian from the Pirates, the teams announced. This completes the May 27 trade that sent right-hander Yefry Ramirez to the Pirates.

Baltimore’s the third organization for the 23-year-old Dorrian, whose pro career began in strange fashion. The Braves spent a 12th-round pick on Dorrian in 2014, but after he signed and reported to their Gulf Coast team, he decided to go to college instead, as Sal Interdonato of the Times Herald-Record explained last summer.

Dorian played at Herkimer County Community College in upstate New York and Division II Lynn University in Florida before signing with the Pirates as an undrafted free agent last year. He has since logged impressive production at the lower levels of the minors, including a .256/.346/.443 with six home runs in 255 plate appearances this year in Single-A ball. Dorrian will report to the High-A level with the Orioles.

Mike Elias On Potential Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner Trades

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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.

Orioles Claim Tayler Scott, Designate Sean Gilmartin

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The Orioles have claimed right-hander Tayler Scott off waivers from the Mariners and designated left-hander Sean Gilmartin for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot, per a club announcement. Scott has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

The South African-born Scott, 27, made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2019, pitching 7 2/3 innings but yielding eight earned runs on 11 hits and six walks with seven strikeouts. Scott’s bottom-line numbers in Triple-A aren’t much more appealing — 6.43 ERA in 35 innings — but he’s posted a 57 percent grounder rate across his past two Triple-A campaigns and averages roughly 95 mph on his sinker. That, it seems, piqued the interest of the new-look Orioles front office. Because Scott only just had his contract selected for the first time in 2019, he has all three minor league option years remaining (2019 included).

Gilmartin, 29, yielded five runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout across 2 1/3 innings in his lone start for the O’s. The former first-round pick was once a fairly well-regarded pitching prospect but hasn’t found much MLB success outside a solid 2015 rookie season with the Mets when he was a Rule 5 pick out of the Twins organization. In 107 2/3 innings in the big leagues, Gilmartin has a 4.18 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 (5.90 ERA in 50 1/3 frames from 2016-19). He’s struggled throughout much of his time in Triple-A as well, though he did give the Orioles’ top affiliate 36 1/3 sharp innings this year prior to his selection to the MLB roster. The O’s will have a week to trade Gilmartin or run him through outright waivers.

Orioles Sign Adley Rutschman

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5:04pm: Rutschman’s deal is official, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com tweets. He signed for under slot at $8.1MM, according to Callis, who notes it surpasses the record $8MM the Pirates gave No. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole in 2011.

9:27am: The Orioles are close to a deal with No. 1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The former Oregon State catcher’s No. 1 overall slot carries a value of $8.42MM. Rutschman isn’t the only top O’s pick on whom there’s news today, however; MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (also via Twitter) that the team’s second-rounder, Gunnar Henderson, has agreed to a deal worth $2.3MM. A high school shortstop out of Alabama, Henderson will receive a bonus that is well north of his No. 42 selection’s $1.771MM slot value.

Rutschman, 21, entered the draft as the consensus top talent on the board. The switch-hitter posted a ludicrous .411/.575/.751 batting line with 17 home runs, 10 doubles and a triple through 266 plate appearances in his junior season with the Beavers. Rutschman’s eye-popping batting average and considerable power numbers almost overshadow his plate discipline at first glance, but his 76-to-38 BB/K ratio is every bit as impressive as the rest of his numbers — if not more so.

Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN all ranked Rutschman as the top player in the 2019 draft. ESPN’s Keith Law noted that Rutschman’s defense and plus power give him a high floor with the ceiling of a repeated All-Star, while BA’s report touts him as a potential .300 hitter with plus defensive tools and “excellent” makeup and leadership abilities. Rutschman was the only player in the draft that Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen tabbed as a 60 FV (future value) player on the 20-80 scouting scale. Over at MLB.com, Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo note that while some players who enter a season as a projected top talent struggle with that pressure and spotlight, Rutschman thrived and elevated his game en route to further cementing himself as this year’s best draft prospect.

Broadly speaking, Rutschman is regarded as a plus defender with power from both sides of the dish, strong plate discipline and a strong enough hit tool to post high batting averages as well. If all of that pans out, Rutschman has the makings of a franchise catcher for the new-look Baltimore front office.

Henderson, meanwhile, has yet to turn 18. Scouting reports were reflective of a split camp as to whether he can remain at shortstop or will need to move to third base down the road. MLB.com (No. 27) and Baseball America (No. 30) pegged him as a late-first-round talent, while ESPN (No. 40) and Fangraphs (No. 41) had him a bit lower. Henderson was Gatorade high school player of the year in Alabama and draws praise for his above-average power and the potential for an above-average hit tool. Henderson is young for his graduating class and still filling out his 6’3″ frame, leading to varying projections about his power potential and eventual defensive home. Even reports who project him to move to third base, though, suggest that he has the tools to be a quality defender there.

MLB Draft Signings: 6/23/19

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Here’s a look at the latest noteworthy draft signings, with the newest moves at the top of the post.  Click here for the full list of slot values and draft pool bonuses, and you can find prospect rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America’s Top 500,  Fangraphs’ Top 200, MLB.com’s Top 200, and the Top 50 of ESPN.com’s Keith Law….

  • Gunnar Henderson, the first pick of the second round (42nd overall), has decided to sign with the Orioles and will officially do so in a few days’ time, Maria Martin of WSFA 12 News reports (Twitter link).  Contract terms aren’t known, though the 42nd overall pick has a recommended slot price of $1,771,100 and Baltimore’s offer might well have exceeded that number to get Henderson to break his commitment to Auburn.  Henderson was ranked by MLB.com as the 27th-best prospect of the class, with BA (30th), Fangraphs (40th) and Keith Law (42nd) also giving high grades to the Alabama high schooler.  Henderson is praised for his hitting potential and some scouts feel he can remain at shortstop, though there is some thought that a move to third base is inevitable.

Orioles Outright Dan Straily

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Dan Straily has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. The club designated Straily on June 20.

There were unsurprisingly no takers via the waiver wire for Straily, who has struggled mightily since inking a major league deal worth $575K with Baltimore in early April. The 30-year-old Straily pitched to a 9.82 ERA/9.30 FIP with 6.23 K/9 and 4.15 BB/9 across 47 2/3 innings before the Orioles booted him from their roster. The club first tried switching Straily from its starting staff to its bullpen last month, but neither role has worked for him this season.

Straily’s fall from grace comes after a few useful seasons as a starter in the National League. He was effective in 2016 with the Reds, who brilliantly flipped him to the Marlins during the ensuing offseason in a trade that delivered Luis Castillo to Cincinnati. Straily then turned in a pair of decent seasons in Miami before the team released him prior to the current campaign.

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