Former Top Pitching Prospect Sent by Orioles to Championship Contending Dodgers

Chayce McDermott was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft, quietly raising his stock over his early years in the league. However, the past few seasons he has begun to trend downward.

May 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chayce McDermott (59) throws during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are ushering out the old.

And welcoming in the new.

On Thursday, April 16, the Orioles decided to move on from former top pitching prospect Chayce McDermott, officially trading him to the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The trade comes following the front office's decision to designate him for assignment just last week.

Righthander Chayce McDermott is being traded to Dodgers from Orioles

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 16, 2026

Due to the fact that, at one point in time, he was one of Baltimore's most highly-touted prospects, teams were willing to explore trade opportunities.

With the Dodgers not having much to lose, especially considering they have one of the best major league rosters in baseball, they decided to take a chance on McDermott. He will likely play a good chunk of time in Triple-A with the club unless he impresses enough to earn a late-season call-up when the roster expands.

In return for McDermott, the Orioles were able to get a worthwhile prospect that may have some high upside.

The front office was able to land 6'4", 158-pound starting pitcher Axel Perez. The 20-year-old out of the Dominican Republic played 10 games in the 2025 Dominican Summer League last season, pitching to a 5.48 ERA and 1.391 WHIP.

He strikes out a good bit of batters at a clip of 12.8 per nine innings and doesn't allow much heavy contact with a home run per nine innings mark below 1.0, but he did allow a relatively high 14 earned runs on just 16 hits in 23 innings pitched.

But either way, seeing McDermott be moved for such a major question mark is a disappointing fall from the hype he once drew.

McDermott's Stock-Rising Minor League Season

After putting together three strong years at Ball State, averaging a 3.43 ERA and posting a 12-4 overall record while on the mound, McDermott drew interest due to his low 1.149 WHIP and high 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

He had good command on the ball and didn't allow heavy contact, making him an intriguing mid-round selection for the Houston Astros back in 2021. They ended up moving on from him in a three-team trade in the 2022 campaign, shipping him to the Orioles.

In 2023, McDermott really made his name known.

He pitched to a 3.10 ERA across Triple-A and Double-A ball, with his efficiency on the mound not wavering no matter the level of competition. That season, he also struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings and gave up a measly five hits per nine innings.

Eventually, when he attempted to make his major league debut, that jump to the highest level of the game rattled his pitching. He didn't do too hot, and the Orioles just bounced him around between the minors and the majors as they tried to figure out what to do with him.

However, with him being able to get a few new faces and a new system around him, the Dodgers will try to return him to that 2023 form.

For now, the baseball world can just stand and wait to see if McDermott can rebound in a new environment, putting his career right back on track.