Top prospects in O’s pitching plans
This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE — A crowded rotation mix is likely to get more congested for the Orioles this offseason. They’re in pursuit of a big league-caliber starting pitcher, a goal that general manager Mike Elias first stated at the GM Meetings in November and then reiterated at the Winter Meetings earlier this month.
Whomever Baltimore acquires will join a rotation picture that already features four pitchers who made at least 20 starts for the O’s in 2023 — right-handers Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells. There’s also lefties John Means (now healthy after missing most of ‘23 while recovering from Tommy John surgery), Cole Irvin and DL Hall.
It seems likely a new starter would slot into the rotation alongside Bradish, Means and Rodriguez, with Kremer, Wells and Hall left to battle it out for the fifth spot in Spring Training. The other two could then join Irvin in the bullpen and serve as starting depth.
How about Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich? When could the Orioles’ top two pitching prospects also be viewed as viable big league rotation candidates?
Our plan with McDermott and Povich is hopefully we can bring enough in on the Major League side to where we can prioritize their development,” Elias said at the Winter Meetings. “They both got to Triple-A [Norfolk], but I don’t think their work there is done, at least from what we’ve seen so far.”
With plenty of solid big league starting options, Baltimore has the luxury of not rushing the top arms on its farm. McDermott and Povich likely have bright futures ahead of them — as they’ve shown in the Minors — but both just completed their first full season in the O’s system after being acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline.
McDermott (the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline) came over from Houston in the Trey Mancini trade. The 25-year-old right-hander had a 3.56 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) for Double-A Bowie this year, then reached Triple-A for the first time and recorded a 2.49 ERA in 10 outings (eight starts).
