Baltimore Orioles Shockingly Option Trade Deadline Acquisition Amid Roster Moves

The Baltimore Orioles have made a bunch of roster moves, but the most shocking one was sending their offseason acquisition down to the minors.

Aug 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) greeted by catcher Adley Rutschman (35) after the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Things have been a constant uphill battle for the Baltimore Orioles and their starting rotation this season.

After aggressively landing Corbin Burnes during the winter, the idea was he would push this group to the next level after they were swept out of the playoffs last year in large part due to their inexperienced staff.

With Burnes alongside rising stars Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez at the top of their rotation, the Orioles looked to have one of the best starting units in all of Major League Baseball.

Fast forward to now, and everything is a mess.

To try and address some of the pitching issues Baltimore has had, the front office went out and landed two starters ahead of the trade deadline by bringing in Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers.

Like has been the case for the Orioles all season, those additions have not gone smoothly either.

Eflin has been fantastic for Baltimore with a 2.13 ERA across his four starts, but he has been placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation.

As for Rogers, he has struggled mightily since joining the team, posting a 7.11 ERA in his four starts.

Because of that, the Orioles shockingly optioned him to the minors as part of their multiple roster moves.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/CcEiGL2X41

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 22, 2024

These moves are emblematic of what Baltimore has been forced to do all season.

Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells all underwent season-ending surgery. Rodriguez is on the injured list with a concerning issue that sidelined him for multiple months in the past, putting the rest of his campaign in jeopardy.

The Orioles have been searching for roster combinations that has both top-end talent and depth amid all of these injuries, but with certain players struggling, it's been difficult to find consistency.

Rogers getting optioned is a disaster.

Baltimore gave up two of their top prospects to bring him in from the Miami Marlins. He was supposed to be someone who came in and was a reliable option behind Burnes, but he's been anything but that.

Hopefully this time in the minors allows him to regain his form and gives him a chance to come back and pitch well in the Majors, but if not, this will be one of the worst trads of Elias's career.