For the Baltimore Orioles, the 2022 MLB season was about escaping the basement and bringing back competitive baseball to Camden Yards. Mission accomplished. The goal last year was for the young team to come of age and solidify itself as a future title contender. A 101-win season and divisional crown is definitive proof of another job well done. In 2024, however, the objective is clear.
Reach the World Series. The 2023 campaign provided the Orioles with crucial experience and tough lessons they would need to learn eventually. They should still theoretically be ahead of schedule, but this October will present them with an excellent opportunity to win their first AL Pennant in more than 40 years.
With that type of pressure dangling above the franchise, general manager Mike Elias knows he has to be aggressive heading into the MLB trade deadline. He did just that on Friday, in what could be a sign of what is to transpire in Baltimore the next few days.
The O's acquire starting pitcher Zach Eflin in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. While there are definitely more glamorous options than the veteran right-hander, this move allows the front office to still be in play for premium hurlers like Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet.
Infielder Mac Horvath (Orioles' No. 10 prospect), pitcher Jackson Baumeister (No. 17) and outfielder Matthew Etzel make up the prospect package that Baltimore is sending to Tampa in exchange for Eflin. One club hopes to draw closer towards a historic postseason, while the other stays true to its blueprint and tries to reload for the future.
Simply put, the Zach Eflin trade is important for both the Orioles and Rays. Hence, they must walk away from this transaction in position to meet their respective goals. We will do our best to determine if that is indeed the case, as we hand out our trade grades.
Orioles' grade for Zach Eflin acquisition
Because Baltimore is a championship contender and desperate for pitching– Kyle Bradish, John Means, Tyler Wells and closer Felix Bautista are all out for the rest of 2024– Elias does not have much leverage. Tampa Bay was certainly going to make any deal with a divisional rival worth its while, and thus it squeezed three promising talents out of the O's farm system.
It feels like an overpay for a nine-year pitcher who sports a 4.26 career ERA and has logged over 170 innings in a season just one time. But that might not necessarily be a problem, just as long as the gap between both sides is forgivable. And I think it is.
Adding starters and relievers comes at a hefty cost, considering their importance in the playoffs. The Orioles would be wise to pair ace Corbin Burnes with another high-caliber arm. Waiting for Grayson Rodriguez to fully bloom into a star is not a luxury that management can afford. Eflin does not check that box as of now, but he will have a great chance to earn an invaluable role during this title pursuit.
Eflin is further evidence of the Rays' mystical pitching assembly factory. He, like several others, struggled on other teams before ascending to his peak in St. Petersburg. The 2012 first-round pick posted a 3.50 ERA, 186 strikeouts and 1.024 WHIP in 31 starts last season. He has reverted closer back to his Philadelphia Phillies form, recording a 4.09 ERA and surrendering a .261 opponents' batting average this year.
If Elias is trading for the man who finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting, he and the organization might be disappointed. But if they were looking for someone to bolster the middle and back end of the starting rotation, they should feel quite satisfied.
Grade: B
Rays' Grade for Eflin haul
Tampa Bay president of baseball operations Erik Neander is a practical individual. He knows that the most optimal path to success for this bottom-barrel payroll is by constantly replenishing the minor leagues with prospects, churning out valuable contributors and repeating the cycle until it culminates with a World Series title. Despite being only four games out of the current playoff picture, a 52-51 record is all the justification ownership requires to ship out Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin.
Parting with the former was always going to be tough, especially when factoring in emotional impact and star power. But dealing away the latter was basically a foregone conclusion. Eflin's annual salary spikes to $18 million in 2025, which means his cost is no longer worth it for the Rays. That is just how they do business.
With so much roster turnover, however, there is the responsibility to maximize return value. Although I do not think they met that standard in the Arozarena move, I find little to fault in the package that Tampa Bay secured on Friday.
All three of the players have a ways to go before making their MLB debut, but there are reasons for fans to feel optimistic. Mac Horvath has solid power upside. He has taken a step back in 2024, though, batting .233 with nine home runs in 71 games in High-A ball. He is still slugging a passable .417. The 2023 second-rounder can also play the outfield, making him the versatile type of talent who manager Kevin Cash likes to have in his lineup.
Jackson Baumeister, a 22-year-old righty who went 10 picks after Horvath, has a 3.06 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 70.2 innings in the South Atlantic League. Perhaps he could develop into another Rays standout like Shane McClanahan or Taj Bradley. Fans will have to wait a while before finding out, however.
Matthew Etzel, despite being the least heralded member of the trio, might be best-suited to produce at the MLB level. He is the pure contact hitter Tampa could use, hitting .307 in High-A in 2024 before being called up to Double-A. He is scuffling a bit with the Bowie Baysox, but with time, his bat-to-ball skills and impressive speed could enable him to become a dependable big leaguer.
Neander is banking on at least one of these guys panning out, which would already be fair compensation for a pitcher the team had no intention of paying next year.
Grade: A
Follow Us
Subscribe
