Orioles Acquire LHP Cole Irvin from the A's for Darrel Hernaiz

[btdart20]

20 minutes ago, Aglets said:

i think our rotation may surprise a lot of people next year, assuming everyone gets / stays healthy.  Which almost certainly won't happen.

And if there is an SP or two who goes down, there's a better degree of depth for the next man up with Voth and Wells.  And upside with Hall.  And then Means back in the fold.  Elias is definitely answering the 'health regression' questions we have.  Maybe not with top shelf talent but solidifying the floor.

[sportsfan8703]

18 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

It’s a good trade. I like the depth. Makes pen better as well. We have greater depth all over the roster. 
 

Issue is the quality at the top. I don’t want a repeat of the 12-16 teams. Just felt like we needed an airtight bullpen and a rotation to go as well as possible to get by. Be nice to have a legitimate margin for error. 

We do have Means coming back sometime. Also, we have the trade deadline. 

[interloper]

The Holt whispering begins.... 

[oriole]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

Look at the parks Gibson and Irvin pitched in.  One a bandbox, the other one of the biggest in baseball.

Gibson home away ERA splits are 4.57 at home, 5.79 away.

 

You were saying?

[btdart20]

How do you think the Irvin acquisition impacts Halls role?  Are they quicker to convert him to an RP?  Give him a longer leash in AAA to develop?

[waroriole]

3 hours ago, DirtyBird said:

 

Replace Frazier with Westburg, and who do you get rid of from the infield to make room for Hernaiz on the 40 man?

Don’t have to make that decision until next off-season. Also doesn’t have to be an IF who’s booted. 

[interloper]

Just now, btdart20 said:

How do you think the Irvin acquisition impacts Halls role?  Are they quicker to convert him to an RP?  Give him a longer leash in AAA to develop?

I think this is the most interesting question about the trade for sure. Right now, I don't even know if Hall has a spot in the bullpen let alone the rotation. But a lot can happen in the spring. 

[wildcard]

2 minutes ago, oriole said:

Gibson home away ERA splits are 4.57 at home, 5.79 away.

 

You were saying?

I was saying he had a 2.87 ERA in Texas when he was an All-Star.

[wildcard]

2 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

How do you think the Irvin acquisition impacts Halls role?  Are they quicker to convert him to an RP?  Give him a longer leash in AAA to develop?

I think he begins the season as a starter at AAA.   Proves that he can master that level.

[TommyPickles]

I don't think Elias trades one of his top 20 prospects, for the first time in his Oriole tenure, unless he fully expects Irvin to be in the rotation.

My guess on who starts the first five games:

1. Kremer

2. Gibson

3. Bradish

4. Irvin

5. Grayson 

 

Then, after the All Star Break, I could see a six man rotation to ease Means back in and keep the inning counts under control for guys like Grayson and Bradish. (If a lot goes well) It could look more like this:

1. Grayson 

2. Means

3. Kremer

4. Bradish

5. Irvin/Gibson

6. Irvin/Gibson

Edited January 27, 2023 by TommyPickles

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

Grayson will probably have the best stuff on any starter in camp.

 The pen has Bautista, Perez, Tate, Baker, Givens, Voth, Akin and a competition between Politi, Krehbiel and Irvin for the last spot.  Wells is probably needed more in the rotation.

Irvin pitched away from the Coliseum to an ERA of 5.26.  He is not pitching in the Coliseum any more.   Voth ERA was 3.04.

It doesn't matter how many innings Irvin can pitch if he can't pitch them well.

Irvin is an established average MLB starter. Volume matters to keep from burning out your bullpen and at the moment Gibson is really the only dependable guy. Having two dependable quality start guys going to help everyone. No way Irvin is the last guy in the bullpen. I think he is ahead of Bradish and Voth. The one thing Voth has going for him is he is out of options but I'd rather have him come out of the pen.

 

[TommyPickles]

Last season, Irvin had a streak of 11 games in a row in which he pitched at least 6.0 innings. 

When was the last time an Oriole starter did that?

(Not saying he's an ace or something, but we could use that)

[vab]

Best thing with the pitching is a lot of depth and a lot of options. The days of scraping together a staff and praying no one gets hurt or is ineffective are over. 

[interloper]

 

[tntoriole]

2 hours ago, DirtyBird said:

I think people ignore the impact of having a full season of Gunnar and Adley with pretty much a full season under his belt.

Also, when you look down our lineup, most of our guys are more likely to improve from last season than are to regress.

We didn't add a stud starter, but we have added depth. Ideally, a guy like Spencer Watkins won't be getting 20 starts next season. And we will have competition for bullpen spots.

The only high probability area for regression on the roster is the back end of the bullpen.

I agree .. it is what makes each season .. some regress but then others progress and in magic seasons unexpected performances seemingly come out of nowhere. 
 

Could Jorge Mateo hit better in 2023? Sure , odds say no, but who knows really.  Could Ryan Mountcastle surprise us offensively? Sure .. could Anthony or Cedric regress and slump? Sure 

Putting a winning team is so complex because human performance is complex.  Yes, a level of talent is needed but all ML players are talented just as all symphony orchestra musicians are talented.  But the right mix, the right conductor, and performances exceed expectations 

Bring on the season!!!