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Orioles Rumors

John Means Sent For Second Opinion On Forearm Strain

By Steve Adams | May 24, 2024 at 5:53pm CDT

May 24: Means is headed for a second opinion, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters on Friday (X link via the Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich). Hyde didn’t specify if that indicates another surgery is potentially on the table.

May 23: The Orioles announced Thursday that left-hander John Means has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left forearm strain. Righty Jonathan Heasley has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the 26-man roster. Means exited last night’s start after reporting elbow discomfort and seeing a notable dip in his fastball velocity. The team has not yet commented on the potential length of his absence.

Ominously, the 31-year-old Means missed a significant portion of the 2023 season owing to this same injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2022 season and was limited to just 23 2/3 innings last year in his return from that ligament reconstruction, in large part became of complications in his forearm. He’s pitched a near-identical slate of 20 2/3 innings this season with uncannily similar results. After logging a 2.66 ERA last season, he’s at 2.61 in 2024. Means has fanned a below-average 20% of opponents this season but logged an outstanding 2.5% walk rate as well.

There’s little doubting Means’ talent on the mound. Since cementing his place in the Baltimore rotation early in 2019, he’s pitched to a 3.60 ERA with below-average strikeout tendencies (20.9%) but terrific command of the strike zone (4.9% walk rate). Unfortunately, persistent health troubles have severely limited his time on the mound. Over that span of what’s now five-plus seasons, he’s totaled just 397 2/3 innings of work in the majors.

Means, despite having worked as a starter for virtually his entire big league career, has just 401 innings in the majors in a season where he’s slated to reach free agency. He’s at five years of big league service already — much of it spent on the injured list — and will hit the open market for the first time when the 2024 season draws to a close.

With Means again sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period, the Orioles will likely scrap the six-man rotation they’d been planning. Fellow lefty Cole Irvin — who’d been slated to be included in that sextet — stepped up in long relief for Means last night. As such, his rest schedule will now align with what would’ve been Means’ spot in the rotation, meaning he can start on full rest the next time Means would’ve been slated to take the hill.

Irvin will join Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer on the starting staff for the time being, with Heasley presumably available for long relief and/or a spot start if eventually needed. He’s been working as a multi-inning reliever in Norfolk but pitched five innings in a start his last time out. That brought him to a total of 20 innings over seven appearances.

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Baltimore Orioles John Means

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Orioles Place Dean Kremer On Injured List

By Darragh McDonald | May 24, 2024 at 4:00pm CDT

The Orioles announced that they have recalled right-hander Dillon Tate and left-hander Nick Vespi. In corresponding moves, right-hander Jonathan Heasley has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk while righty Dean Kremer has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right triceps strain. Kremer’s IL move is retroactive to May 21.

The Orioles have not yet provided any information about the severity of Kremer’s injury, but it will provide the Orioles with a challenge nonetheless. Just a week ago, the club began a stretch of playing 42 games in 44 days and was planning to go to a six-man rotation to keep their starters fresh. However, John Means landed on the injured list yesterday due to a forearm strain and now Kremer is on the shelf as well.

That leaves Baltimore with a rotation of Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez. The latter two were also on the IL earlier this year, though each was reinstated this month. Cole Irvin and Albert Suárez were each in the rotation earlier this year but had been bumped to the bullpen. With the injury bug biting this week, both of them may have to return to starting roles.

That plan will come with a couple of challenges. Irvin threw 56 pitches in a relief outing on Wednesday and may not be available for a couple more days. Suárez was stretched out earlier this year but it’s been about two weeks since he pitched more than an inning.

Even if the O’s can find a way to smoothly transition Irvin and Suárez back to the rotation, that still leaves them with just five starters when they had planned on having six. Perhaps they consider that acceptable, but with Bradish and Rodriguez having already missed time this year, getting them a bit of extra rest during this tough part of the schedule could still be a priority.

Bruce Zimmermann is on the 40-man roster but has been on the minor league IL for almost two weeks now due to a hamstring strain. Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott, two of the club’s top pitching prospects, are pitching well in Triple-A but neither is on the 40-man roster.

Whatever the Orioles are planning, more information may be forthcoming this weekend. Burnes is taking the ball tonight but Kremer was scheduled for Saturday. Both Bradish and Rodriguez pitched too recently to take the ball on normal rest by tomorrow.

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Baltimore Orioles Dean Kremer Dillon Tate Jon Heasley Nick Vespi

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Mariners Acquire Mike Baumann

By Anthony Franco | May 23, 2024 at 10:00am CDT

May 23: Baumann reported to the Mariners’ roster today. The team announced that right-hander Cody Bolton has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to open a spot on the 26-man roster.

May 22: The Orioles and Mariners announced a trade late Wednesday evening. Seattle acquired reliever Mike Baumann and catcher Michael Pérez in exchange for younger catcher Blake Hunt, whom the O’s have optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore had designated Baumann for assignment over the weekend. Hunt and Baumann will each occupy spots on their new teams’ 40-man rosters. Pérez was on a minor league contract and will not assume a 40-man spot. Seattle’s roster is at capacity, while the O’s count is up to 39.

Baumann changes teams for the first time in his career. Baltimore drafted the right-hander in the third round back in 2017. A starting pitcher for most of his minor league tenure, he kicked to the bullpen in 2022. Baumann has turned in solid results over the past couple seasons. He tossed a career-high 64 2/3 innings of 3.76 ERA ball last season and has allowed 3.44 earned runs per nine through 17 appearances this year.

While Baumann’s run prevention marks have been good, his strikeout and walk profile is middling. He had a league average 22.3% strikeout percentage with a lofty 12.1% walk rate in 2023. His strikeout rate is down to 19.5% over 18 1/3 innings this season, while his 11% walk percentage remains higher than average. Baumann’s 9.9% swinging strike rate is a couple points below the league mark for relievers.

That certainly contributed to Baltimore’s decision to DFA him, but the more immediate driver was a lack of roster flexibility. Baumann is out of options, so the O’s couldn’t send him to the minors. He was one of six Baltimore relievers who can’t be optioned, and two who can be sent down (Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin) have been far too valuable to take out of the MLB bullpen.

Seattle has four out-of-options relievers of their own, but they can send down one of Eduard Bazardo or Cody Bolton to plug Baumann into the bullpen. Despite lacking huge swing-and-miss tallies, he should deepen their middle relief group. The Jacksonville product has induced ground-balls at a solid 46.4% clip. He averages north of 96 MPH on his fastball and mixes in a knuckle-curve and slider with regularity. Baumann has between one and two years of major league service. He’s controllable for four seasons beyond the current campaign and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2025-26 offseason.

The Mariners liked Baumann enough to part with Hunt, who is a more intriguing player than teams typically land for someone they’d designated for assignment. A former second-round pick of the Padres, he went to the Rays as part of the Blake Snell blockbuster. Hunt topped out at Triple-A in the Tampa Bay farm system. Despite a .256/.331/.484 showing in 2023, the Rays decided not to add him to their 40-man roster last fall. Rather than watch him depart for nothing in minor league free agency, Tampa Bay flipped him to Seattle for recent draftee Tatem Levins.

Seattle added Hunt to the 40-man to keep him in the organization. The 25-year-old has spent the season in Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s out to an excellent .293/.372/.533 start in 86 plate appearances. Hunt has already connected on four homers while striking out in only 11.6% of his trips to the plate. He slots in behind Adley Rutschman and James McCann on the organizational depth chart. There’s a chance Hunt makes his MLB debut at some point this year. Even if he spends the rest of the season in Norfolk, he could compete for next year’s backup catching job if the Orioles let McCann depart in free agency.

Pérez is a 31-year-old journeyman who signed a minor league deal with Baltimore over the offseason. He’s hitting .221/.294/.325 over 21 games in Norfolk. Pérez has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns and owns a .179/.248/.306 slash at the highest level. Including him in the deal allows Seattle to send an experienced, glove-first veteran to Tacoma after Hunt’s departure. He’s behind Cal Raleigh and Seby Zavala on the organizational depth chart.

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Baltimore Orioles Seattle Mariners Transactions Blake Hunt Michael Perez Mike Baumann

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MLBTR Podcast: The Likelihood Of A Juan Soto Extension, What’s In Store For Pete Alonso, And Corbin Carroll’s Struggles

By Darragh McDonald | May 22, 2024 at 11:58pm CDT

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • Yankees’ chairman Hal Steinbrenner expressing openness to a Juan Soto extension (1:05)
  • The Mets, Pete Alonso, extension talks and trade possibilities (9:00)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What do you think about a trade between the Tigers, who are desperate for hitting, and the Orioles, whose bullpen hasn’t been great? Detroit has a surplus of good relief pitchers, could they be trade partners? (21:05)
  • If Mason Miller were to be traded from the Athletics to another American League team and go on to win A.L. Rookie of the Year, would that team get an incentive draft pick? (26:30)
  • Say Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finish at the top of Rookie of the Year voting in the National League, will the Cubs and Dodgers get the draft compensation for having them in the majors the whole season? Considering they both signed MLB contracts, that seems antithetical to the new draft compensation for well performing rookies rule. (28:05)
  • Corbin Carroll? That’s pretty much the question: Corbin Carroll? Is there hope this season? How long can the Diamondbacks keep running him out there with no improvement in sight? I love the guy, I have as a keeper, and he was a big part of my plans for this season. Needless to say, it’s not going so well. (31:00)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Paul Skenes, The Prospect Hype Machine, Willson Contreras And Rising Catcher’s Interference Rates – listen here
  • Luis Arráez To San Diego, Other Marlins Trade Candidates And Discussing A Potential Automated Strike Zone – listen here
  • Mailbag: José Abreu Demoted, The Positional Surplus Myth, Erick Fedde’s Trade Value And More – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

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Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Trade Rumors Podcast New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Juan Soto Pete Alonso

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John Means Being Evaluated For Elbow Soreness

By Anthony Franco | May 22, 2024 at 9:05pm CDT

Orioles starter John Means left this afternoon’s appearance against the Cardinals after three innings. Postgame, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that the left-hander had experienced elbow discomfort (link via Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner). The team was sending Means for further evaluation to determine the severity of a possible injury.

Means was working with diminished stuff. According to Brooks Baseball, his fastball averaged a season-low 88.8 MPH. He has been in the 90-92 range in every other start. Means’ heater topped out at 90.3 MPH today, his lowest maximum velocity of the season.

It’s discouraging news for a pitcher who has battled repeated arm issues over the last couple years. Means was generally durable between 2019-21, his first three full MLB campaigns. He suffered an elbow sprain just two starts into his 2022 season. Means underwent Tommy John surgery not long after, keeping him out of MLB action for nearly 18 months. Baltimore reinstated the former All-Star in the middle of September. Means had a solid four-start run — a 2.66 ERA over 23 2/3 innings — but felt renewed elbow soreness in October.

Baltimore left him off their playoff roster and slow-played his offseason. Means opened the 2024 season on the injured list as a result. He missed the season’s first month. Hyde plugged Means back into the rotation on May 1. He has again been quite effective, turning in a 2.61 ERA with 16 strikeouts and only two walks (both of which came in today’s outing) through 20 innings.

The team will know more about a potential timetable for Means’ return in the coming days. It would appear that another trip to the injured list is a possibility, though the bigger question is whether there’s any kind of structural issue.

If Means goes to the IL, Cole Irvin should draw back into the rotation. The left-hander has been available out of the bullpen for the past few days. (He tossed 3 1/3 innings behind Means today.) Irvin spent most of the year in the starting staff but was briefly pushed to relief once Grayson Rodriguez returned from the injured list last week. Rodriguez slots in behind Corbin Burnes and alongside Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer as Baltimore’s currently healthy starters.

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Baltimore Orioles Cole Irvin John Means

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AL East Notes: Houck, Kahnle, Santander

By Mark Polishuk | May 19, 2024 at 4:28pm CDT

The Red Sox locked up Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela to contract extensions this past spring, but no deal developed between the team and Tanner Houck, even though the two sides had some negotiations.  Houck confirmed to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo that some “discussions” took place, “but we’re at where we are now.  I put that behind me whenever we shook hands and said, ’Let’s go out and win as many games as we can.’ ”  There’s nothing preventing Houck and the Sox from restarting talks, though it would seem that Houck (like most players) prefers to save contractual matters for the offseason to cut down on potential distractions.

The right-hander also doesn’t even reach arbitration eligibility until this coming winter, so since he is already under team control through 2027, Boston might not feel too much urgency to lock Houck up on an extension.  Of course, given how Houck has pitched this season, the Sox might’ve missed their window for landing Houck at a relative bargain price.  Houck has broken out with a 2.17 ERA over 58 innings and nine starts, and his secondary metrics are highlighted by impressive grounder (55.2%), walk (4.7%) and barrel (3.7%) rates.  Even in a season marked by impressive pitching around baseball, Houck has stood out, as his 1.9 fWAR is behind only Tarik Skubal as the highest in the league.

More from the AL East…

  • Tommy Kahnle is on pace to be activated from the 15-day injured list prior to the Yankees’ game on Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Greg Joyce of the New York Post).  Kahnle threw ten pitches in a scoreless inning for Double-A Somerset today, which marks his fifth and likely final rehab outing.  The reliever hasn’t pitched in a big league game since September 20, as a bout of shoulder inflammation prematurely ended his 2023 campaign, and then more inflammation this spring led to a season-opening stint on the 15-day IL.  Getting Kahnle back in good health will add another yet quality arm to a New York relief corps that led the majors in bullpen ERA entering today’s action.
  • Anthony Santander has been battling a bruised left knee since Wednesday, when he collided with the outfield wall in pursuit of a Bo Bichette fly ball.  After the Orioles had an off-day Thursday, Santander felt well enough to serve as the DH in Baltimore’s last two games, but didn’t play at all in today’s 6-3 win over the Mariners.  Santander told MLB.com and other media that he is hoping one more day of rest will help calm the still-lingering soreness in his knee, and he described his knee as feeling “about 75 percent” when running, so some more DH duty might be in order.  Santander is hitting .210/.290/.427 with seven homers over 176 plate appearances this season, still good for a respectable 106 wRC+ but also a comparative weak link in the powerful Orioles lineup.
  • For most on the Red Sox, Orioles, and Blue Jays, check out another set of AL East Notes published earlier today on MLBTR.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Notes Anthony Santander Tanner Houck Tommy Kahnle

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AL East Notes: Mata, Mayo, Gausman

By Nick Deeds | May 19, 2024 at 8:29am CDT

The Red Sox are approaching a crossroads with regards to right-hander Bryan Mata. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Mata has begun a rehab assignment as he works his way back from a hamstring strain that he suffered back in February. The 25-year-old was once one of the club’s top pitching prospects but has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness over the past two seasons, pitching to a combined 6.39 ERA in 31 innings of work across all levels of he minors since the start of the 2023 campaign.

While the rehab assignment for a struggling pitcher who has yet to make his big league debut wouldn’t typically be especially notable, Mata’s rehab assignment is particularly worth noting because the righty is out of options. Given that, the Red Sox will have to make a decision regarding his future in the organization once his rehab clock runs out on June 12. If the club isn’t willing to offer Mata a spot on the active roster, they’ll need to designate him for assignment and risk losing him on waivers to get the chance to outright the young righty to the minor leagues. MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported back in February that the Red Sox expect Mata to be claimed if he’s exposed to waivers, though it’s possible that could change depending on how he looks throughout his rehab assignment.

Losing Mata on waivers would be a frustrating outcome for the Red Sox given the tantalizing talent he flashed prior to injuries sidetracking his career. In his most recent healthy season, the right-hander pitched to a strong 2.49 ERA in 83 innings while advancing through four levels of the minor leagues, including a 1.85 ERA in 10 appearances at the Double-A level and a 3.47 ERA in five starts at Triple-A. That season, Mata struck out a whopping 30.3% of batters faced, albeit with an elevated 13.3% walk rate. If the righty can get anything close to those huge strikeout numbers during his rehab assignment, it could certainly make sense for the club to offer him a role in the bullpen given the number of optionable relief arms they’re currently utilizing.

More from around the AL East…

  • Orioles fans received some tough news from down on the farm on Friday, when the club announced that top third base prospect Coby Mayo suffered a fractured rib and has been placed on the minor league injured list. The Orioles indicated that Mayo will be out for “several weeks” due to the injury. It’s a frustrating setback for the 22-year-old, who is a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport and has impressed with a .291/.359/.605 slash line in 42 games at the Triple-A level this year. It was certainly plausible that the club could turn to Mayo as a starting option at some point in the near future given his fantastic play and the struggles of fellow top prospect Jackson Holliday, though this injury surely represents a setback for Mayo’s timeline to be called up to the majors. Jorge Mateo is currently rounding out the club’s starting infield mix in the majors alongside youngsters Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson.
  • Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman has been off to a rough start this season, with a 4.89 ERA through nine starts despite a decent 3.50 FIP. Gausman’s struggles this season are particularly surprising given his utter dominance in recent years; from 2021 to ’23, the right-hander pitched to a 3.10 ERA (132 ERA+) with an even better 2.79 FIP. Gausman spoke to reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) yesterday about his frustrating results this season and described the campaign as an “uphill battle” to this point before suggesting that he “probably should have gone on the IL” at the start of the season. The righty battled shoulder soreness throughout Spring Training but nonetheless opened the season in the club’s rotation amid injuries sidelining much of the club’s starting pitching depth, including Alek Manoah and Yariel Rodriguez.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Notes Toronto Blue Jays Bryan Mata Coby Mayo Kevin Gausman

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Giants Claim Ryan McKenna

By Mark Polishuk | May 18, 2024 at 2:32pm CDT

2:32PM: Both teams have announced the transaction, and MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via X) reported that the Giants placed Lee on the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for McKenna.

1:57PM: The Giants have claimed outfielder Ryan McKenna off waivers from the Orioles, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (X link).  McKenna was designated for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now change teams for the first time in his nine pro seasons.

It’s an obvious fit for a Giants team that is battling through a swath of injuries, particularly in the outfield ranks.  Jung Hoo Lee just underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and both Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are also currently sidelined.  With shortstop Nick Ahmed and both catchers (starter Patrick Bailey and backup Tom Murphy) out, San Francisco has been forced to dig deep into its depth chart, and also pursue outside help like the recent signing of veteran catcher Curt Casali.

McKenna represents another external add, and he brings versatility in his ability to play all three outfield positions at at least an average level.  Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos have gotten a lot of the playing time in the outfield with so many of the regulars out, and both have played well alongside Mike Yastrzemski in the makeshift starting arrangement.  McKenna will bring some extra depth to that mix, since Blake Sabol has been limited to catcher and utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald could be deployed more strictly in the infield.

McKenna is also a right-handed hitter who can complement the lefty-swinging Yastrzemski, though McKenna has never brought much punch at the plate.  Over 517 career MLB plate appearances, McKenna has hit just .224/.302/.332 with eight home runs.  He also has a much more impressive .261/.359/.556 slash line over 274 PA at Triple-A, with much of that damage taking place during a big 2021 campaign.

Despite the lack of pop, it is possible the Orioles might not have felt compelled to part with McKenna if the team wasn’t so absurdly stacked with outfield talent.  In a sense, having a clear-cut bench player like McKenna was valuable for the O’s since it wasn’t a huge deal if McKenna only received sporadic playing time, whereas sitting a Heston Kjerstad or a Kyle Stowers for days at a time wasn’t helpful for their development.  Matos and Ramos are both playing well enough that this type of situation might not present itself in San Francisco, as there should be plenty of playing time available until some of the injured position players return.

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Baltimore Orioles San Francisco Giants Transactions Jung Hoo Lee Ryan McKenna

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Orioles Reinstate Grayson Rodriguez, Designate Mike Baumann

By Mark Polishuk | May 18, 2024 at 10:37am CDT

The Orioles announced that Grayson Rodriguez has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list, and he’ll make his return to the mound today in a start against the Mariners.  To make room on the active roster, right-hander Mike Baumann was designated for assignment.

Rodriguez was retroactively placed on the IL on April 30, and the righty’s bout of shoulder inflammation ended up being minor enough that he’ll return after less than three weeks on the sidelines.  Baltimore’s star pitching prospect has done well over his first two MLB seasons, and he has a 3.71 ERA in 34 innings and six starts thus far in 2024.

In the definition of “good problem to have,” basically all of the Orioles’ starters have fared well this season, allowing the team to pretty easily navigate IL stints for Rodriguez, John Means, and Tyler Wells.  The logjam of quality pitchers bodes well for a team that has entered a very busy portion of the schedule.  Yesterday’s game with Seattle kicked off a stretch of 42 games in 44 days for the O’s, so the team will be moving to a six-man rotation to keep everyone as fresh as possible.

Even with this oncoming rush of games, the pitching logjam filtered down to the bullpen, making Baumann the odd man out.  Baumann is one of several Baltimore relievers who is out of minor league options, so the O’s had to designate him in order to try and move him to Triple-A, thus exposing the reliever to waivers.  It certainly seems possible that another team might scoop Baumann off the DFA wire, but the O’s will surely first test the trade market for any particularly keen suitors.

Baumann has spent his entire pro career with the Orioles, since his selection as a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.  Debuting in the majors in 2021, Baumann started four of his 13 appearances in 2022 but has since worked out of the bullpen, posting a 3.69 ERA in 83 bullpen innings since Opening Day 2023.  With a pretty average 21.7% strikeout rate and an 11.8% walk rate that is on the high side, Baumann isn’t necessarily a darling of the advanced metrics, though his expected statistics (via Statcast) have improved this season, and he is doing a much better job at limiting barrels.  All of this combined with Baumann’s ability to work beyond one inning out of the pen might add up to a good deal of interest for teams in need of bullpen depth.

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Baltimore Orioles Transactions Grayson Rodriguez Mike Baumann

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Orioles Release Andrew Suarez

By Anthony Franco | May 15, 2024 at 8:58pm CDT

The Orioles announced they’ve released left-hander Andrew Suárez from his minor league deal. The 31-year-old had been pitching for Triple-A Norfolk.

Suárez, not to be confused with Baltimore righty Albert Suaáez, had been working out of the bullpen in Triple-A. He surrendered 11 runs (nine earned) through 13 2/3 innings. He fanned 12 against five walks with a roughly average 44.2% ground-ball percentage.

A former second-round pick of the Giants, Súarez started 29 games for San Francisco back in 2018. He turned in a 4.49 ERA over 160 1/3 innings in what has been his most productive MLB work. The Miami product saw scattered action over the next two seasons before making the jump to Korea in 2021. He parlayed a strong year with the KBO’s LG Twins into an opportunity in Japan, but Suárez didn’t find the same level of success for the Yakult Swallows of NPB.

The Cardinals brought Suárez back to the affiliated ranks on a minor league deal a year ago. St. Louis selected his contract shortly after the All-Star Break and used him in low-leverage relief during the season’s second half. He tossed 27 2/3 innings across 13 appearances, struggling to a 7.16 ERA. Suárez’s 13.1% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk percentage were each well worse than average. His ability to work multiple innings and career 4.35 ERA at the Triple-A level could nevertheless get him another minor league opportunity as a free agent.

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Baltimore Orioles Transactions Andrew Suarez

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