The Baltimore Orioles got put in quite a predicament yesterday. After trading for their surefire experienced ace to place at the top of the rotation, they essentially had put together a top-10 rotation in baseball. However, the best second half AL pitcher from last season (in terms of ERA) just had it announced that he will be out for the start of the season.
Add that to the fact that John Means is a month behind schedule, and now the Orioles have to figure it out. They know three starters for sure to start the season — Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer — but the rest is unknown right now.
This begs the question: who should fill in for Bradish and Means? Obviously, part of this depends on how long both pitchers will actually be out, but there are a few pitchers that come to mind.
Bruce Zimmermann and/or Jonathan Heasley
These are the two most likely candidates considering they are two of the more experienced relievers in terms of starts.
Just two years ago, Zimmermann was an off and on starter for the Orioles. He had a couple trips back down to the minors in between, and he missed most of last year after an injury, but it sounds like he is back and ready to prove himself again. What better way to do so than filling in and pushing for a solidified spot in the rotation, or as a long reliever.
Heasley is another mid-to-late-20s pitcher with starting experience with the Royals. He got moved to the bullpen last year, but he should be ready to step back into a starting role, especially short-term.
Tyler Wells and/or Cole Irvin
Wells and Irvin are two other pitchers with a lot of starting experience, including last year. They both split time in the starting rotation and in the bullpen, so they can easily step in to fill the void.
Trevor Bauer
Bauer has not been shy to admit he wants to play in the MLB again this year, and he also recently said on Twitter he would not mind pitching for the Orioles. The issue is the reasoning behind why he was not in Major League Baseball last season.
Bringing Bauer in could cause a lot of controversy, but there is also no question he is a very good starting pitcher. Adding him to the rotation regardless of the timeline for Means and Bradish to make their returns would do wonders.
Michael Lorenzen
Remember last year when the Orioles were in talks to acquire Lorenzen at the deadline but wound up with Jack Flaherty? Yeah, hindsight is 20/20.
Hindsight is also giving the Orioles another chance to get this man, even if they do it on a one or two year deal. They were already linked to him before trading for Burnes, so it would not be that far off base. The only issue would be, if Means and Bradish come back healthy and ready in the earlier parts of the season, would they have one of them stick in the bullpen, or would they run a Dusty Baker-esque six-man rotation?
Mike Clevinger
Clevinger has had a struggling past couple seasons after a solid five-year run as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, so he is a guy that you would be taking more of a flier on than anything else. The question is, is he worth the money he might be demanding, and is he potential trade bait when Means and Bradish come back?
Johnny Cueto
Johnny Cueto is 38 years old, but he also has a World Series ring to his name and he has a lot of experience. He could be the older experienced pitcher you want in that room to replace Kyle Gibson.
Hyun Jin Ryu
Ryu is another solid later-30s candidate. He has had some really solid seasons throughout his career, and he gives you another lefty to move to the bullpen after he is done being a fill-in starter.
Dallas Keuchel
Keuchel has had a rough three-year stretch, but he is another later-30s fill-in candidate with a World Series ring.
Chayce McDermott/Cade Povich/Seth Johnson
This could be another chance to give another pitching prospect a chance. They did it last year with Rodriguez and the year before with DL Hall, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Johnson is already on the 40-man roster, so he would make the most sense as the fill-in pitcher in the starting rotation. McDermott and Povich were both ranked ahead of Johnson on the 2023 prospect rankings, so they are also potential candidates.
Dylan Cease
This one might make the most sense out of all the potential candidates, especially if Bradish happens to miss even more time than originally expected. They have said Cease was not out of the running even after the Burnes trade, so they could make a move for him still.
No matter what the Orioles choose to do, it is definitely not an easy choice to make. They have to consider the long-term implications of who they have replace Means and Bradish for now, and they need to figure out what their rotation plan will be when one or both of these pitchers come back this season.
댓글