Earlier today, with 90 minutes left before the Trade Deadline, I wrote that the deadline had been uninspiring for the Birds.
The O’s kept working, and made four more deals this afternoon.
Eloy Jimenez was added for Trey McGough.
Gregory Soto was added for Seth Johnson, and Moises Chace.
Austin Slater and Livan Soto for Cash Considerations.
Patrick Reilly for Billy Cook.
Quick Hits:
1) Jimenez is a DH at this stage of his career, and the RHH doesn’t murder LHP. Still 27 for a few more months, he’s only two years removed from an .858 OPS season over 292 ab’s for the White Sox. This year, his ISO is down to .105. He has a negative fWAR of -0.5. His Average Exit Velocity, Barrell Percentage, and Hard Hit Percentage remain strong. The O’s now hold club options for Jimenez over the next two seasons. In ’25 he’s owed $16.5M, in ’26, he’s owed $18.5M The O’s can buyout his deal for $3M for either year, and you would expect they would.
2) The announcement of Soto came through a few minutes after the 6PM EST deadline. He’s a former closer, who throws hard, and his a high K%. I like the addition. Seth Johnson was the O’s 8th overall prospect according to MLB.com, so the price wasn’t cheap, but I think it’s livable. The O’s needed another pen option, and kudos to Orioles GM Mike Elias for finding some help. With Suarez moving to the pen, and the Soto and Dominguez additions; the bullpen has added some power. That’s a good thing. Soto is not an Unrestricted Free Agent until after 2025. EDIT: I had missed that Moises Chace was also part of this deal. Chace is 21, and had reached Aberdeen. Nice power arm, with 76 k’s in 52 innings. It makes the price paid that much steeper, but I still think it was a price worth paying.
3) Now looking at the trades as a whole, I think I’d give the Orioles a C+ on their additions. I do feel a bit better overall, with Soto in the fold. They got some reinforcements to the rotation, and the pen. I think the sights could have been set a bit higher, but their deficiencies are no longer quite so deficient. Their limitations are no longer quite so limiting. And they accomplished that without giving up any piece which wasn’t superfluous. They do get credit there.
4) Slater is a 31 year old OF, batting .185 over 133 plate appearances this year. Even the defensive grades look below average. I guess he’s MiL depth. Livan Soto has experience at 2nd, 3rd, and SS. He’s 24, and had 3 ML ab’s with the Reds this year. He did have a .754 OPS over 279 ab’s at AAA. Again, depth.
5) Reilly is 22 years old, and was in High A for the Pirates. At High A, he’s had a 5-4 record, with a 3.38 era, over 88 innings. In those 88 innings, he’s allowed 61 hits, with 108 k’s, and 41 bb’s. That looks like an interesting arm. Cook was a 2021 10th round selection for the O’s, and was at AAA Norfolk. He was having a nice year for the Tides, but had no ML future here. Turning him into a interesting MiL arm is a good deal for the O’s.
With the deadline in the rearview, the discussions go back to looking internally to the Minor Leagues (Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo) in regards to any further tinkering to the Major League roster.
Past that, and beyond any dreams of adding true difference makers; we were always going to get back to the point that how the 2024 O’s end up is largely going to be about the Orioles which were already here.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.