The Orioles have acquired an ace.Baltimore announces acquisition of 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner corbin burns Acquired new infielder from Brewers Joey Ortiz,left handed DL hall, and a 2024 Competitive Balance Round A draft pick (34th overall).Milwaukee designated left-handed ethan small for assignments to clear the required 40-man roster spots.
There has been speculation since last offseason about the Orioles' potential acquisition of a top-tier starting pitcher. Baltimore has a solid farm system and has graduated a lot of young talent over the past two seasons. Most of this has been concentrated on the position players side, and it has become a natural progression to take advantage of the depth of the farm and bring in impactful starters.
Barnes certainly qualifies. He established his place in Milwaukee's rotation during the shortened 2020 campaign. The right-handed pitcher has finished in the top 10 in National League Cy Young voting in each of the past four seasons. He won the award in 2021 after pitching 167 innings and posting an MLB-best 2.43 ERA. Barnes led the National League the following season with 243 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA in 202 frames.
Last season was perhaps his most unimpressive performance since his 2020 breakout. But by Burns' unfathomable standards, this year could only be classified as a “down” year. He remained a top pitcher in the rotation, starting 32 games and pitching 193 2/3 innings with a 3.39 ERA. His 25.5% strikeout rate was several points better than league average, as was his 12.2% swinging strike rate. He finished eighth in Cy Young voting.
He didn't have the dominance Barnes had shown in the previous three years. He fanned over 30% of his opponents with a swinging strike rate of over 14% every year from 2020 to 2022. But Barnes gradually seemed to be resembling his old self. He had a 3.94 ERA and 23.1% strikeout rate up until the All-Star break. In the second half, he allowed just 2.71 earned runs per nine while attacking 28.6% of his opponents. After the Midsummer Classic, opposing batters posted a dismal slash line of .187/.259/.294.
Dating back to the beginning of 2020, Barnes appeared in 105 games and posted a 2.86 ERA. He struck out almost 31% of the batters he faced, with a low walk rate of 7.1%. The batter has a batting average of .197/.262/.308 in approximately 2,500 at-bats. Neither left-handed nor right-handed opponents have had success against him. He hasn't missed a game in the last three years, except for a two-week stint on the disabled list in early 2021 due to a finger contusion.
Barnes is a true ace and ranks among the 5-10 best pitchers in baseball. He suddenly rose to the top of a rotation that suddenly went from being Baltimore's biggest question mark to one of the top staffs in the league. Kyle Bradish After making a big break in the 2023 season with a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts, he became established as the second-armer. Grayson Rodriguez The second half seemed to have turned a corner. The former top pitching prospect posted a 4.35 ERA in his rookie season. After posting a 7.35 ERA in his first 10 MLB games, he posted a 2.58 ERA in his final 13 regular season games (though he took a hit in his only playoff appearance).
That's potentially an elite top three.former all star John Means He returned from Tommy John surgery late last season. Remaining soreness in his elbow kept him off the club's playoff roster, but he is expected to be fully healthy until 2024. If that's true, he could very well be slotted in as the No. 4 starter. dean kramer It will probably occupy the last spot. tyler wells and cole irvin He was pushed into a relief role from the start of the season.
The O's could probably benefit from another depth addition or two, but they acquired a true No. 1 that should represent the final move on an already excellent roster. Baltimore's young batting lineup and talented relievers led the team to 101 wins and the AL East title a year ago. O's Lost Star Closer felix bautista He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the year, but was signed early in the offseason. craig kimbrel as a substitute.
The acquisition will probably take place within a year. Barnes is scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, shortly after her 30th birthday. If his production is at his typical level, he'll get a massive contract that could be in excess of eight years and $200-250 million. Burns has made clear his desire to test his worth on the public market. Asked in December about the possibility of signing an extension if traded this winter, he said such an offer would have to be “absolutely shocking to keep him from testing the free agent market.” It must be done,” he said.
As recently as last week, O's fans would never have dreamed that the organization would put such an offer on the table. Baltimore has significantly cut back on spending since John Angelos took over control of the franchise. On Tuesday, the Angelos family agreed to sell the organization to private equity magnate David Rubenstein. It remains to be seen how that will affect long-term salary prospects, but if Rubenstein assumes control of the team after MLB approves the sale in the coming months, Baltimore fans could expect to receive a large sum of money. They may become more optimistic about the possibility of making investments.
Either way, the main focus is to have Barnes at the top of next year's rotation. The three-time All-Star settled with Milwaukee on a $15.637 million contract to avoid arbitration in his final season of eligibility. This makes him the highest-paid player on Baltimore's roster, with a projected salary of about $96 million in 2024, according to Roster Resources calculations. This is his highest season-opening salary since 2018 and is significantly higher than last year's nearly $60 million.
Still, they are in the bottom third of the league in terms of expected spending. They strive to defend their title in what is one of the most competitive divisions in the sport each year. Their only promise after this season is Bautista's $1 million salary and a handful of cheap option buyouts. This gives them the flexibility to further strengthen their roster near the deadline, even as they approach spending limits this offseason.
That Baltimore accomplished this without giving up any true top-level prospects reflects both the strength of their talent pipeline and the cap on the value of players who are only a year removed from free agency. are doing. Ortiz and Hall are each highly regarded young players, but Baseball America ranks them in the bottom half of Baltimore's top 10 prospects.
Ortiz, 25, was a fourth-round pick out of New Mexico State in 2019. He had been praised for his defensive acumen since his college days. The right-handed hitter has been more productive at the plate than many amateur scouts expected. He has a slash of .286/.357/.449 in his minor league career. Ortiz posted similar numbers a year ago at the top two levels of the minors.
He appeared in exactly 600 at-bats between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, posting a slash of .284/.349/.477. He had 35 doubles and 19 home runs, averaged a modest 8.3% walk rate and a modest 16.3% strikeout rate. Ortiz spent most of his time at shortstop while logging some action at both second and third base. Baltimore promoted him for the first time in late April. Despite this, he spent most of the season on option duty and appeared in only 15 major league games.and jackson holiday and Gunnar Henderson Ortiz, who was expected to be used as a left infielder for the time being, would have struggled to secure much playing time.
Baseball America's scouting report rates Ortiz as a potential 70-grade (plus-plus) defensive shortstop. Assuming he isn't traded for the next six weeks. Willie Adams He will begin the season at shortstop. However, Milwaukee will likely lose Adames to free agency next winter at the latest, leaving a clear path for Ortiz to emerge as a long-term solution.In the short term he should fight Andrew Abbey and owen miller Regarding playing time at third base. Ortiz will be a replacement if Monasterio or Miller warrant extra run in the hot corners. Bryce Turan Second. Turan is a talented defender, but struggled at the plate during his rookie year.
Hall, also 25, was a first-round pick out of Georgia high school seven years ago. The 6-foot-2 southpaw has had a similar profile throughout his professional career. That's a huge player with concerning control issues. Hall made his MLB debut in 2022 and has logged 33 innings in the major leagues over the past two seasons. He posted a 4.36 ERA and a 29% strikeout rate while working almost exclusively as a reliever.
His walk rate of 7.6% at the MLB level is not unusual. However, Hall was much less consistent throwing strikes in the minors. He gave up free passes to more than 13 percent of the batters he faced in 49 innings against Norfolk a year ago, which is comparable to his 13.4 percent walk rate during his minor league career.
The fact that he struck out nearly a third of the batters he faced in Triple-A hints at the superior weapons he possesses. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph in major league relief work. Hall also used a mid-'80s slider and changeup, along with occasional curveballs. BA's scouting report notes that all four offers have the potential to be positive or better.
That's a top-tier player in the rotation, but Hall's strike pitching has many evaluators projecting him as a high-octane reliever. Milwaukee could use him in either position.The Brewers have ample opportunity with a rotation of new staff aces. freddy peralta.veteran left handed wade miley It has a stable presence.After that, Milwaukee can rely on either Colin Reainjured returnees joe ross and Aaron Ashby Hall and robert gasser In rotation.
Neither Ortiz nor Hall have been in the major leagues for more than a year. They have each been under club control for at least six seasons, with three years remaining before arbitration. They are high-minor players that Milwaukee frequently targets. Their organizational philosophy is very similar to that of other small teams like the Rays and Guardians, building their farm system by trading veterans as they approach free agency while avoiding traditional competitive windows. That's true.
GM Matt Arnold said Barnes trade doesn't signal a traditional rebuild (Relay) Kurt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).Last week's autograph session Rhys Hoskins He has signed a $34 million free agent contract with the option to opt out after next season, and it has become clear that he has not given up on competing in the vast Central Division of the National League. They have shown time and time again that they are open to offers for most players in order to remain competitive nonetheless.After transaction josh hader With the 2022 deadline looming, there was discontent within the clubhouse, and the front office indicated it was less willing to make that type of trade during the season.
During the shoulder injury that led to Milwaukee being out-bid. Brandon Woodruff And with tonight's move, the Brewers subtracted their top two starters this offseason. According to Roster Resource, Milwaukee's salary projections come down to about $102 million. That's well below last year's season-opening mark of $118 million. That leaves the door open for Milwaukee to backfill its rotation in free agency. Arnold did not say whether the team plans to reinvest salary savings (Via Hog).
Milwaukee should add a third notable young player with the draft pick they acquired. If they had let Barnes go in free agency, Milwaukee could have gotten a compensatory pick — he would certainly decline a qualifying offer — but that wouldn't have happened until 2025. Baltimore can (and likely will) QO Barnes next offseason unless he suffers a serious injury). As a revenue-sharing recipient, he would receive a compensation pick after the first round in 2025 if he signs elsewhere for at least $50 million.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported that the Orioles were close to a deal for Barnes. John Heyman of the New York Post It indicated that the deal was agreed. ESPN's Jeff Passan It was reported that Ortiz and Hall were among the players headed to the Brewers. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com It was reported that draft picks were included to complete the deal.
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