Should the Baltimore Orioles Add Top Reliever in Trade Market?

The Baltimore Orioles should look to the trade market for another reliever before the MLB deadline.

Dylan Sanders | May 9, 2024

Mar 6, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech against the Los Angeles / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the best records in baseball, but there is another move they could make to round their roster out.

Baltimore lost its closer Felix Bautista for the entire season due to Tommy John surgery and they signed Craig Kimbrel to fill the role, but is that enough?

The Chicago White Sox are expected to trade away their top pieces, which include reliever Michael Kopech.

If that name sounds more familiar to you as a starter, you’d be correct. He was a starting pitcher for the first four years of his career, but has now moved into the bullpen and is looking more valuable than ever before.

With his new role, he has pumped up his fastball an average of 3.7 MPH, making great use of the smaller workload.

Through the first 16 outings of the season, the 28-year-old has a 3.93 ERA which doesn’t tell the whole story. The advanced stats show that he has been a victim of poor defense, which tracks as Chicago has one of the worst in the league.

His xERA and xBA are both above average. HIs xBA of .176 is one of the best in the league. He should be one of the most inquired about relievers on the market and for good reason.

The Texas native is young and is under team control through next season. The White Sox desperately need more bats in their farm system, so expect to say goodbye to at least a top 10 non-pitching prospect.

Kimbrel bas been fine overall for Baltimore, but is starting to show signs of worry as he has given up a run in four of his last five outings and six runs overall.

It might not be the biggest need, but certainly worth thinking about. Kimbrel is a future Hall of Famer, but doesn't have the best history late in seasons and in playoffs.

Even when Bautista returns, Kopech still has plenty of value in the bullpen.

Some may view the move as overkill, but it could be the difference in a win or a loss in the playoffs.

Published May 9, 2024

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders