The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have taken turns at the top of the American League East, and entering play Saturday the two clubs were separated by just two games.
The Orioles, however, would like to maintain and even increase that lead, and went out and strengthened their pitching staff with a pair of deals Friday.
First, Baltimore shipped outfielder Austin Hays to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.
Hays, 29, offers the NL East-leading Phils a right-handed bat with another year left until free agency. He was batting .255/.316/.395 in 63 games for the Orioles but has averaged 18 homers a year the last three seasons. He’s considered a below-average but capable corner defender.
Dominguez gives the O’s another hard-throwing option in the bullpen. Despite a 4.75 ERA through 38 games in 2024, a deeper dive suggests he’s pitched closer to his career norms than his standard ERA will have you believe.
He’s a free agent at season’s end but has a 95-100 mph four-seamer that opponents haven’t touched this season (.143 BAA), and a power slider that’s produced a 38% whiff rate. He will mix in a two-seamer about 20% of the time, but the pitch has been hit fairly hard (.344 BAA, .438 SLGA).
Dominguez has been bit by the long ball more than ever this season — six in 36 innings, but he’s throwing more strikes than ever, too, and overall hitters are batting just .224 off him for the year.
His addition to the bullpen gives the Orioles another arm to go to as a bridge to Yennier Cano and Craig Kimbrel.
The 25-year-old Pache is a plus centerfield glove and runs well, but he isn’t a base stealer and has battled a raw approach at the plate in his 200-plus games in the big leagues since beaking through in 2020 with the Atlanta Braves.
Pache was traded from the Braves to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that sent first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta. The A’s then swapped Pache for Phillies right-hander Billy Sullivan in March of 2023.
Baltimore wasn’t done for the day, however, adding right-hander Zach Eflin to their rotation in exchange for three prospects.
Eflin, 30, is the ultimate command-and-feel starter, pounding the strike zone with quality stuff. After a career year in 2023, Eflin hasn’t been quite as good this season, but in 19 starts, he has covered 110 innings and walked 2.8% of the batters he’s faced.
His strikeout rates have sunk more than 7.5% from a year ago (26.5 to 18.9), and batters are lifting the ball more against him (ground ball rate is also down 7%). He should fit nicely in the middle of the Orioles’ rotation, behind Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, and Dean Kremer.
While he doesn’t throw hard, Eflin still gets a lot from his fastball. Below are his results from this season:
If he can get any semblance of his secondaries back to where they were a year ago, he’s in business, and the Orioles have themselves another frontline starter. Here are his results from 2023:
Eflin’s contract extends through next season at $18 million. He’s owed just under $4 million for the remainder of 2024.
The Rays get right-hander Jackson Baumeister, infielder Mac Horvath, and outfielder Matthew Etzel from the Orioles. Horvath also has experience in the outfield.
Baumeister, 22, is the prize here. He’s 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds and employs a power arsenal, starting with a fastball at 93-97 mph, a potentially plus cutter, and a developing changeup. He also has a curveball that flashes. While the stuff projects well, he’s had problems finding a consistent release point, which has resulted in well below-average control, but he’s punched out nearly 30% of the batters he’s faced in High-A.
Baumeister was the No. 63 overall pick in the 2023 Draft out of Florida State.
Horvath, who just turned 23 this week, brings above-average raw power, average speed, a chance to manage at second base, and a real shot to excel at third. He went No. 52 in the last year’s draft and has shown an ability to get on base and it for some power in pro ball thus far.
Etzel, 22, is a left-handed hitter with a line-drive swing, plus speed, perhaps double, and a chance to hit for average.
The Orioles rank in the Top 5 in the American League in most runs allowed metrics (ERA, xERA, FIP, xFIP), but are middle of the pack in bullpen performance.
The club stands to improve upon that if Eflin and Dominguez perform to their season trend, perhaps giving the Orioles a leg up on the Yankees — and the rest of the American League.
The deadline is not until Tuesday, however.
TRADE GRADES (20-80 Scale)
Orioles: 55
Phillies: 45
Orioles: 60
Rays: 55
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