Orioles Acquire Zach Eflin in Trade With AL East Rival Rays, per Report

Zach Eflin is headed to Baltimore after the Rays and O's agreed to a trade on Friday.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zach Eflin (24) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have been busy ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, which is slated for July 30, and they made another move on Friday afternoon in order to shore up their starting rotation.

The Orioles reached an agreement with their AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays to acquire right-handed starting pitcher Zach Eflin, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Heading the other way in the trade will be a package of minor league prospects in outfielder Matthew Etzel, right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister and utilityman Mac Horvath.

Of the three prospects, Horvath is currently the most heralded. He ranks as Baltimore's No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, which forecasts the 23-year-old could reach MLB by 2026. Currently playing in class High-A, Horvath has a .745 OPS with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 71 games.

Baumeister is rated as the O's No. 17 prospect. He is also at High-A where he's logged a 3.06 ERA across 18 starts, racking up 91 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. Etzel, 22, has a .808 OPS with six homers, 47 RBI and 41 stolen bases in 83 games across High-A and Double-A ball.

This season, Eflin, 30, boasts a 4.09 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 110 innings of work. He's made 19 starts and posted a 5–7 record. He'll join a rotation consisting of Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Albert Suarez.

Baltimore also acquired Seranthony Dominguez in a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Austin Hays in a rare trade between two World Series contenders.