The Baltimore Orioles have made their second big trade of the day Friday.
The Orioles are acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Zach Eflin from the American League East rival Tampa Bay Rays. This comes shortly after the Orioles acquired right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Austin Hays.
Read more: Orioles Trade Outfielder to Phillies in Shocking Move Between 2 Contenders
Heading back to Tampa Bay is outfielder Matthew Etzel, right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister, and utility man Mac Horvath, as first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired RHP Jackson Baumeister, OF Matthew Etzel and INF Mac Horvath from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Zach Eflin and cash considerations.
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) July 26, 2024Horvath is Baltimore's No. 10-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Baumeister is Baltimore's No. 17-ranked prospect in the team's loaded farm system.
Eflin, 30, was expected to be one of the best starting pitchers traded this deadline. The nine-year veteran has been a solid innings-eater since arriving in Tampa ahead of the 2023 season. This year, he has a 4.09 ERA across 19 starts and 110 innings pitched.
Eflin is by no means a No. 1 starter, but he'll add great depth to a Baltimore rotation that's headlined by AL Cy Young candidate Corbin Burnes. The right-handed Grayson Rodriguez is also having an impressive season in the Orioles' rotation.
The Orioles greatly needed to add at least one starting pitcher this deadline. They've lost three starters to season-ending elbow surgery this year in right-handed pitchers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, and left-handed pitcher John Means. Eflin will now provide some much-needed stability in the middle of the rotation.
As for the Rays, this is their second big trade of the deadline as they continue their surprising sell-off. Late Thursday night (early Friday morning in Tampa), the Rays and Seattle Mariners agreed to a blockbuster deal to send All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Pacific Northwest. Now, the Rays are trading another one of their key pieces, this time to a division rival.
Read more: Rays Trade Randy Arozarena to Mariners in Blockbuster Deadline Deal
Rays general manager Erik Neander said last weekend that the team would be both buying and selling this deadline. Thus far, though, they appear to be leaning significantly more toward the selling direction.
The Orioles enter Friday at 61-41, two games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Rays are 52-51, four games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL. Without Arozarena and Eflin, though, it's hard to imagine the Rays continue pushing for a Wild Card spot. Instead, they may continue to take advantage of this sellers' market.
They've already acquired two top-20 prospects from the Orioles and two top-30 prospects from the Mariners.
More news: Diamondbacks Make First Trade Deadline Splash, Acquire Pitcher From Marlins
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqynqKqkqHyuuMFopquhn6GytHnMmqKeZaOasLC6w2aZop9dqb%2BisMRmmJyppZ6%2FpnnSrZirrJmjtG68yK2aoZ2iYq6tecSaqq1lop7DoriManBsaGltfg%3D%3D