Baltimore Orioles rumors leading up to the MLB trade deadline made it clear that adding a starting pitcher was a priority for the front office. With Zach Eflin now on the fold, pitching reportedly remains a need with new Orioles trade targets emerging.
The Orioles could still conceivably make an aggressive move for a front-line starter such as Garrett Crochet or Tarik Skubal. However, a high asking price (Skubal) and contract demands (Crochet) make that unlikely. Instead, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, MLB trade rumors are revealing a new set of Orioles trade targets who the team appears to be pursuing.
Blake Snell, San Francisco Giants
Months after signing Blake Snell, the San Francisco Giants have seemingly waved the white flag on their season and the Snell experience. Two IL stints didn’t help matters, but the decision to make him available is a greater reflection of the Giants’ struggles. The Baltimore Orioles still have one of the lowest MLB payrolls in 2024, which positions them to add Snell’s contract $(62 million over 2 years), especially if San Francisco is willing to include some cash. While Snell is an injury risk, he’s coming off a 15-strikeout performance and has a 0.75 ERA with a 30/7 K/BB rate in his last 24 innings pitched. If he stays healthy, Snell makes Baltimore the best team in the American League.
Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays
As Rosenthal reported, the Baltimore Orioles might not have another splashy move up their sleeve but there is interest in Yusei Kikuchi. A half-season rental from the Toronto Blue Jays, Kikuchi (4.75 ERA) hasn’t been great this season. With that said, the 33-year-old’s underlying numbers (3.98 expected ERA and 20.1% K-BB rate) suggest he is capable of more. Kikuchi would just be a back-end starter in Baltimore, but he would be a quality innings eater who could help keep the Orioles bullpen fresh.
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Frankie Montas, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas is also reportedly among the Baltimore Orioles trade targets. It’s been a very rough year for the 31-year-old hurler who missed the majority of last season with arm issues. Montas has a 5.01 ERA in 93.1 innings this season and a 1.44 WHIP doesn’t inspire confidence. With that said, Baltimore knows the swing-and-miss stuff (3.67 ERA, 9.5 K/9 in 331 IP from 2021-’22) is still there. The hope is the Orioles pitching coaches can get a lot more out of Montas. We don’t deny the upside, but he’s also a risk of falling out of the Orioles rotation.
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Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers
The Baltimore Orioles acquired Jack Flaherty before the MLB trade deadline last year, hoping he’d turn it around. While he struck out 25.5 percent of batters faced, opponents also hit .309 off him and posted a 6.75 ERA. Flaherty has turned things around with the Detroit Tigers (2.95 ERA and 32 percent strikeout rate). The All-Star pitcher is frequently mentioned in Orioles rumors and since his price is slightly driven down as a half-season rental, he could be the most affordable front-line starting pitcher for Baltimore to add.
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