BALTIMORE — The trade for left-hander Trevor Rogers was always made with an eye toward the future for general manager Mike Elias and the Orioles.
After all, you don’t acquire a starting pitcher with a 4.53 ERA and other peripheral numbers that have been moving in the wrong direction for three years thinking he’s suddenly going to be a critical piece to winning the pennant. Still, Rogers had pitched to a 3.17 ERA over his final nine starts in Miami and at least looked the part of an acceptable fifth starter while carrying two additional years of club control. The presumed vision was to make some subtle tweaks to help Rogers for the stretch run before going to work in the offseason and next spring trying to help him regain the form that made him an All-Star pitcher and second-place finisher in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021.
It also became apparent at the trade deadline that outsiders overvalued the prospects dealt to the Marlins — infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers — to complete the trade based on the sticker-shock reactions from some media and fans alike. In reality, the 26-year-old Stowers continues looking more and more like a Quad-A player than a legitimate prospect while Norby, 24, was just recently recalled after a crash course learning how to play third base in Miami’s system, making his development more of an unknown. Time will tell for both, of course.
Meanwhile, not even the minimum expectation for Rogers has been fulfilled with him allowing 15 earned runs, 25 hits, and 10 walks while striking out 12 over his first four starts covering 19 innings. And even after losing starters Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin to injuries since Rogers’ arrival, the Orioles optioned the 26-year-old to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, signaling they prefer Cade Povich and Cole Irvin — two lefties who had already lost spots this season — in the rotation for the time being.
“Just kind of where we are bullpen-wise,” said manager Brandon Hyde about Rogers’ demotion Thursday afternoon. “We feel like we needed to get some help in the bullpen, get some guys that are able to pitch tonight. Cade is going to throw tomorrow, so we want Trevor to stay ready. We’ll see what happens here. We just want him to stay ready, and we’ll see how things shake out the next couple weeks.”
Yes, the bullpen.
What had been a point of contention and concern all season has become an utter disaster in August with the Orioles entering Thursday ranked last in the majors in bullpen ERA (6.16) for the month. That Baltimore needed to option Rogers to the minors for fresh bullpen arms is ironic considering many clamored for Elias to make more impactful relief additions at the trade deadline. Instead, already trying to get the embattled Craig Kimbrel back on track, the Orioles went all in trying to recreate the 2023 Phillies bullpen by acquiring right-hander Seranthony Dominguez and lefty Gregory Soto, who both carried ERAs north of 4.00 with their old club this season.
In fairness, Dominguez had been very good before allowing home runs — two of them walk-off blasts against the New York Mets — in each of his last three outings, meaning he shouldn’t be buried just yet. But Soto was a mess from the start and has barely been trusted for even a medium-leverage situation in a couple weeks now.
It’s clear that Norby and Stowers alone weren’t going to land the Orioles a stud starting pitcher or a standout closer at the deadline, but was there another deal to be made for a more dependable starter carrying less team control or a rock-solid reliever who would really help right now?
Trading for Rogers was always questionable from an opportunity cost standpoint for a club with World Series aspirations this year, and he hasn’t been able to deliver even the bare minimum in the present.
That’s not to say the Orioles won’t be able to get Rogers straightened out in the minors as Hyde noted that the organization was “putting together a plan” to help him at Norfolk. Perhaps he still becomes a useful pitcher at some point in the coming weeks and especially over the next couple seasons, meaning we’re not making a final judgment here.
But sending Rogers to the minors when you already have five starting pitchers on the injured list sure doesn’t say much for the trade, especially when pondering alternatives. That’s putting it kindly.
“He’s had a couple of funky injuries. He’s had some lat injuries to both sides of his back. He’s missed some time from that,” Elias said the day after the trade deadline. “He’s still young. He gets a lot of ground balls, [and] he throws from the left side. Both of those things are something that our rotation has been lacking a little bit. There are a few years of control with him and youth and a really good pedigree, so we’re hopeful for a bounceback. But he fits a profile and a need in our rotation.
“I think he’s shown that he’s got the ability to kind of be anywhere from a No. 3 to a No. 5 starter in the past, and any one of those things we’ll welcome with open arms right now.”
