MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is Tuesday, July 30 at 6 p.m.
It used to be July 31 at 4 p.m., but the Commissioner’s Office now sets the deadline for any date between July 28 and August 3 in an effort to avoid conflicting with games; which sounds reasonable. But then, so, too, did players wearing their own uniforms in the All-Star Game for nearly 90 years.
And how hideous were those American League uniforms the other night? Straight out of the Giorgio Manfred line, right?
Anyway, the Baltimore Orioles, who open the second half of the season tonight in Texas in first place of the AL East by one game over the New York Yankees, will be a team we’ll be hearing about a lot in the next 11 days because they are a team in dire need of starting pitching and depth in the bullpen.
Ideally, the Orioles will add at least one starter and two relievers before the trade deadline expires, because currently their injury-riddled pitching staff, while having done an admirable job through all of the injuries, is running on fumes.
One name connected to the Orioles in the rumor mill is that of Detroit Tigers lefthander Tarik Skubal, who is a bonafide ace and who, at 27, still has two more seasons of team control after this season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are also linked to Skubal, which makes sense since the Orioles and the Dodgers have the most top prospects in their minor leagues that the Tigers would require should they decide to move Skubal, who has been spectacular for Detroit.
Controllable and affordable are what teams look for in pitchers, and lefthanded is just as high on the list, which brings us to left-handed starter Garrett Crochet, of the Chicago White Sox, who is only 25, is making $800,000 a year and is under contract until 2027.
Crochet, too, is an All-Star and, like Skubal, has been spectacular, leading MLB with 150 strikeouts to just 23 walks.
There are, however, some warning lights here: Crochet is in just his first season as a starting pitcher, having been a reliever, who has already doubled the highest number of innings in one season that he had previously pitched in his MLB career, which is not promising through the stretch run given the way all analytical-minded organizations count pitches.
On top of that, this is also his first season coming off of rehab from his 2022 Tommy John surgery (yes, just like John Means was when he went down for his second TJ surgery in two years).
There is no indication Crochet is on the market, though given the White Sox’s standing and their needs for the future, any player is likely available for the right price, as Chicago GM Chris Getz proved with the Dylan Cease deal.
To get either Skubal or Crochet, the Orioles will have to pay high; but do they want to buy too high in prospects and wipe out so much of the equity and depth that now defines this organization?
We shall see, but keep in mind, the Orioles big-league team, currently in first place, is still a young team, which gives GM Mike Elias a little wiggle room on the trade front. And though they rarely draft pitching (hence the need), the Orioles draft very well.
Elias, who is very smart, is one to keep it close to the vest, as the trade he made for Corbin Burnes over the offseason came out of the blue, given absolutely nobody had that one on their radar.
Elias is going to do something, because he has to if the Orioles are to build on last year’s AL East Championship and their very disappointing first-round playoff sweep to the Rangers.
Since the new ownership has arrived, the organization has been championing “The Next Chapter” all through its marketing. Well, the first step of the Next Chapter should be and will be taken in the next 11 days.
If the Orioles do land a starting pitcher from the White Sox, though, don’t be surprised if it’s 31-year-old right-hander Erick Fedde. The guy’s not Crochet, but he’s pitching pretty well.
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals are showing they are who and what we thought they would be this season with a host of promising possibilities on the not too distant horizon; while, as we discussed at length last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are now at .500 in the standings, are proving themselves to be a very intriguing team with immediate possibilities available should their front office receive the green light from ownership to pursue them.
Washington very quietly traded reliever Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals this week. Don’t be surprised if they also trade All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan, who is arbitration eligible for one more year before becoming a free agent.
Also, outfielder Jesse Winkler is likely on the market now that James Wood is on board.
The Nats are getting there, but there’s still a ways to go, so GM Mike Rizzo, who baseball insiders say had a great draft this week, is going to be busy.
Hopefully, Pirates GM Ben Cherington will be allowed to be busy, too, because this team, with that starting rotation, can make the postseason.
All you need is a bat here, and a bat there …
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @MikeBurkeMDT