MLB Notebook: Orioles reportedly scouring the market for closing help
Photo credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
By Brett Holden
May 13, 2024, 19:00 EDTUpdated: May 13, 2024, 19:51 EDT
Orioles reportedly scouring the market for closing help
The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly searching around the market for a new closer. With Craig Kimbrel’s discouraging start to his Orioles career and Felix Bautista out for the year after Tommy John surgery, the O’s are searching for help closing out games.
Craig Kimbrel has three blown saves already this season, tied for the third most in the MLB, causing the Birds to deploy three other pitchers to secure a save throughout the year: Yennier Cano, Jacob Webb, Danny Colomube, Keegan Akin, and Mike Baumann have all been handed closing duties for Baltimore this season along with Kimbrel, and each has blown at least one save opportunity. All told, the Orioles have eight blown saves this season, again tied for third in baseball.
But that could change soon. Bob Nightengale from USA Today reports the Orioles are scouting the closer market, and they have some names in mind: St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley, Houston’s Ryan Pressly, and Toronto’s Jordan Romano.
Among the names on the list is Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano. The Toronto native still has a year left on his contract after the 2024 season and will not hit free agency until 2025.
Romano has converted on all six of his save opportunities this season after missing the first 17 games of the Blue Jays season recovering from right elbow inflammation. The Canadian has converted on 103 of his 115 career save opportunities, reaching a career-high 36 in 2023 and 2022. Last season, Romano only blew four of his 40 save opportunities, only one more than Kimbrel through 11 tries. The issue for Baltimore doesn’t come from his ability, it comes from the willingness to let go of Romano from Toronto.
Drafted by the Jays in 2014, Jordan Romano has been the go-to arm to close out a win for his hometown team since 2021, becoming a two-time All-Star and an absolute fan-favourite. If the Blue Jays were to give up Romano, while the return would be substantial from their AL East rivals, it would suggest Toronto is already relinquishing the 2024 season, but would also force questions of what the future may hold for the rest of their young stars.
Romano’s 2025 free agency class includes teammates Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Chris Bassitt, and Erik Swanson. While trading Romano would give more space to extend Bo and Vlad with bigger contracts, it would also show a potential lack of loyalty to homegrown talents like Bo and Vlad.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley has had a very solid start to the season. Registering 12 saves on 13 opportunities, Helsley currently sits atop the MLB with the most saves, along with Washington’s Kyle Finnegan. The Cards sit last in the NL Central and are 4.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. Like Romano, Helsely is under team control until 2025, but unlike the Jays, the Cards are looking to build around a younger core. Young players like Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman have made an impact on this team already, and trading Helsley would only bolster that youthful talent. The Cards and O’s seem like the most likely trade partners for a potential closer deal.
The most convenient team for the Orioles would be the Astros and Ryan Pressly. This winter, the Astros invested in Josh Hader, paying him $95 million over the next five years. However, that investment has yet to pay off for Houston. Hader has converted five of his six save opportunities but currently holds the worst ERA of his career with a 5.29, allowing 10 earned runs in 17.0 innings. In all of his 61 games in 2023, Hader allowed only eight runs in 56.1 innings pitched. Hader’s contract is not only beyond difficult to move, but why would a team move on from a guy they signed up for five years to bolster the backend of the bullpen? It wouldn’t happen, making Pressly the odd man out.
Right now, one interesting name on the market is the Oakland Athletics closer, Mason Miller. Miller has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year for the floundering A’s. Miller has a 1.10 ERA this season, allowing only two runs in 16.1 innings pitched while striking out 33 batters. Plus, if you check out his Baseball Savant page, it looks like a scene from Scream with the amount of red that litters his percentile ratings. Miller sits in the 100th percentile in numerous categories, including xERA, xBA, Fastball velo, Whiff%, and K%. Miller also leads the MLB in Fielder fielder-independent pitching, or FIP for us normies, with a nearly unheard-of -0.17. Miller could be the hipster option for Baltimore.
Who would make the most sense for the Orioles’ closing problems?
Paul Skenes makes his highly anticipated MLB Debut
The first overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft, Paul Skenes, made his MLB debut over the weekend against the Chicago Cubs. Skenes’ highly anticipated debut came after he carved up not only Triple-A in 2024 but throughout the minor leagues throughout his short professional career.
In 27.1 innings pitched in Triple-A this season, Skenes struck out 45 batters, allowing only three earned runs for an ERA of 0.99. And that domination continued in his MLB debut. Tossing four full innings, Skenes struck out seven and was dinged for the three runs, including a solo home run to Nico Hoerner with one out in the fourth. Skenes allowed the first two batters in the fifth to reach before getting the yank from manager Derek Shelton, exiting his debut to a curtain of applause from the Pirates crowd.
Unfortunately for Skenes and his ERA, relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas walked home both of the batters Skenes allowed on, tacking two more runs onto his line. The Cubs would score six runs in the inning, taking a two-run lead, but a three-run homer from Yasmani Grandal and a solo bomb from Andrew McCutchen led the Pirates to an impressive comeback win, leading to a no-decision for Skenes. The young blazing arm hit over 100 mph on the radar gun 17 times in his Major League debut, including the six hardest thrown pitches in the game. A game that also included Aroldis Chapman.
While Skenes’ fastball fooled four of his seven strikeouts, it was his signature ‘splinker’ that stole the show.
The splinker is a hybrid between a slider and a sinker and is a pitch that Skenes can control and throw with velocity.
But he doesn’t only have velo with the pitch, it also comes with some insane movement, a movement that even veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal can appreciate.
Skenes does not yet have an official date for his next start, but judging from what we have already seen from baseball’s No. 2 prospect, I think we’re gonna see him a lot more throughout the rest of the season.
Quick Notes:
- Jung Hoo Lee is expected to miss significant time with a shoulder injury. Lee dislocated his shoulder after leaping to rob a Jeimer Candelario homer in the top of the first inning. Lee will undergo an MRI on Monday.
- Heston Kjerstad returned to Triple-A after a disappointing call-up. After going just 2-14 since his call-up to the Majors, Kjerstad has been returned to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday. The Orioles recalled OF Kyle Stowers to counter the move.