Fastball

Baltimore Orioles Could Trade Away a Trio of Starting Pitchers at Deadline

The O's have played better of late, winning six of their last 10 games, but they are expected to deal Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, and they could move on from Zach Eflin as well.
Brady Farkas|
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton (50) delivers in the first inning against the New York Mets at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 10.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Charlie Morton (50) delivers in the first inning against the New York Mets at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 10. | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are expected to trade away a slew of pitching from their disappointing roster, even in addition to dealing away reliever Bryan Baker earlier this week.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

Baltimore Orioles starter Zach Eflin, who has been out with back discomfort since late June, is expected to return to the Orioles rotation after the All-Star break, and will become immediate trade bait.

The Orioles also are expected to trade Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano barring a dramatic winning streak after the break.

Baltimore enters play on Sunday at 43-51 and in last place in the American League East. They are also 6.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot, registering as one of the most disappointing teams in the sport this season.

Morton, 41, is a two-time World Series champion (2017, 2021) and a two-time All-Star who could certainly help a team get to October. Though his overall numbers are rough (5-7, 5.18 ERA), he's been better of late, giving up three earned runs or less in all of his last five starts.

Sugano, 35, has made 18 starts for the O's since coming over from Japan this past offseason. A pitch-to-contact specialist, he's struck out just 59 in 99.1 innings. He is 7-5 with a 4.44 ERA.

Like the other two, Eflin is also a free agent after the year. He's made just 12 starts, going 6-5 with a 5.95 ERA.

The Orioles will finish out the first half on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Marlins.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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