San Diego Padres Acquire Former Orioles Pitcher
One reason why the Baltimore Orioles have progressed their franchise to the point they're currently at has been the ability to use their farm system to create Major League prospects.
Many of their top-level guys came in with that pedigree, but they have also used their developmental system to get the most from their minor leaguers.
That's what the Orioles did with their former reliever Logan Gillaspie, who made it to the Majors, before eventually being claimed on waivers by the San Diego Padres following being designated for assignment according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The bullpen piece was originally undrafted in 2017 and signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 and working in their farm system for a year before getting released in 2019.
After not playing in 2020 due to minor league baseball being cancelled because of the COVID pandemic, Baltimore took a chance on Gillaspie by signing him to a minor league deal in June of 2021.
The right-hander worked his way up from High Single-A to Double-A during that season and represented the Orioles at the Arizona Fall League.
Baltimore then promoted him to their 40-man roster prior to Opening Day in 2022 to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Gillaspie made his Major League debut in May of 2022, appearing in 17 games and having an ERA of 3.12 after going back and forth between the MLB and Triple-A.
It was much the same this year for the reliever, but this time, he struggled in his appearances, posting an ERA of 6.00 across 11 games.
The Orioles eventually designated him for assignment in September where he was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.
Now, the Padres are taking a shot on Gillaspie, claiming him off of the Red Sox's waivers, as they look to add some bullpen depth following their departures earlier this offseason.
