During the Orioles’ recent five-game losing streak, their pitching struggles made headlines. Baltimore allowed eight runs per game during that span.
The Orioles’ starting pitching has been an area of debate during the last month, but with Kyle Bradish now out for the rest of the season, it is clear they need another arm.
“There’s only so much the bats can do when that is what the pitching staff is yielding,” MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince said on Glenn Clark Radio June 25. “They had really a great run of health on the pitching front last year until the [Félix] Bautista injury, and then this year it’s just one hit after another. It goes without saying that they’re a team that’s going to have to be uber aggressive at this trade deadline.”
However, unlike most years, there is not an abundance of pitching options on the market, nor are there many teams willing to sell a month before the deadline. But there is one team ready to unload valuable assets: the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox comfortably have the worst record in baseball and have some intriguing starting pitchers in left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Erick Fedde.
This season, Crochet leads the major leagues in strikeouts with 141 and is tied for the league lead in starts with 18, while boasting a 3.02 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Meanwhile, Fedde has also started 18 games, recording a 3.13 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 94 strikeouts.
Of the two, Crochet is the more enticing player long-term. The 25-year-old is making just $800,000 in his first year of arbitration and is not a free agent until after the 2026 season. However, Crochet does carry some concerns — chiefly, how fresh he will be in October.
“He’s got some pedigree, in terms of his stuff and what was expected of him going into his big league career,” Castrovince said. “Practically, he blew his elbow out, he lost all of 2022 [and] he lost the majority of 2023. He’s now converted into starting duty and he’s thriving. He’s proven he can pitch like an ace starter, but he’s never pitched in the playoffs, he’s never pitched a full season. It’s a very valid question. What are you getting for the second half?”
Fedde may come at a cheaper cost, but concerns follow him as well. The 31-year-old spent the first six years of his major league career with the Nationals but struggled to perform at an acceptable level, resulting in a one-year stint in Korea last season. He signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox this past offseason.
Fedde has been good since his return to the big leagues, and Castrovince believes his production is sustainable.
“It feels sustainable because of the command, which has become, unfortunately, a rare asset among pitchers in today’s game,” he said. “… That would be an interesting, ‘What do you have to give up for him?’ Is it like a top-100 prospect for Erick Fedde? Which, again, none of us would have thought going into the year, but he’s pitched great and that profile’s really strong. … It’s not going to be one where you’re striking fear into the hearts of men by lining up Erick Fedde in your playoff rotation, but he’s a guy who I can certainly see getting the job done at that stage just because of his ability to limit damage in contact and not walk the park.”
As far as the bullpen goes, Castrovince mentioned the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan and the Angels’ Carlos Estévez as top options, but he does not believe Baltimore should be looking for a reliever right now.
“When it comes to relievers and trades, I just kind of shrug my shoulders and say, ‘Ask me in a month,'” he said, “because profiles of a guy can change so much. And then, even then, ask me a month after July.”
For more from Castrovince, listen to the full interview here: