The Orioles are acquiring southpaw starting pitcher Trevor Rogers from the Marlins, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Marlins will receive second baseman/outfielder Connor Norby in the deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Miami also gets outfielder Kyle Stowers, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Rogers marks the Orioles’ second recent rotation addition, after they acquired Zach Eflin from the Rays four days ago. Rogers, 27 in November, owns a 4.53 ERA, 18.0 K%, 9.7 BB%, and 46.9% groundball rate in 105 1/3 innings this year. Rogers has a 3.17 ERA over his last nine starts, but with no apparent improvement in his skills.
Rogers was at his best three years ago, when he made the All-Star team and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting by posting a 2.64 ERA in 133 innings. He averaged 94.6 miles per hour on his fastball that year, and looked like one of the game’s best young starters. The lefty had a strong pedigree, as well, having been drafted 13th overall out of high school in 2017.
Things took a turn in 2022, as Rogers’ strikeout rate plummeted and he missed a month with lower back spasms. That season also ended a bit early due to a lat strain. 2023 was worse, as Rogers’ season ended in April after four starts due to a left biceps strain and a partial tear in his right lat.
Rogers then entered the arbitration system, and is earning $1.53MM this year. He remains under team control through 2026. Rogers has avoided the IL thus far this year, but it’ll be up to Orioles pitching coach Drew French and the rest of the staff to attempt to help him regain his 2021 form.
Having lost Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells to Tommy John surgery, the first-place Orioles have a rotation of Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Eflin, Dean Kremer, and Rogers. Burnes and Means are eligible for free agency after the season, leaving Rodriguez, Kremer, and new additions Eflin and Rogers for 2025.
The Orioles had been connected to Garrett Crochet and Blake Snell, and could theoretically add one of them in the next three-plus hours, but are likely done with their rotation at this point. Aside from Eflin and Rogers, Orioles executive vice president and GM Mike Elias also bolstered his bullpen by acquiring Seranthony Dominguez last week.
Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix did quite well in adding a pair of Major League-ready position players for two-plus years of Rogers. Norby, 24, ranked 93rd on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects heading into the 2023 season. Prior to this season, BA gave Norby a 50 grade, calling him a “bat-first second baseman” who can also handle left field. The former 2021 second-rounder has spent most of the season repeating Triple-A, and has shown quite well with a 134 wRC+ in 80 games. He’s gotten a few brief looks with the Orioles due to Jorge Mateo’s injuries, but has only played in nine big league games so far. Norby is under the Marlins’ control through 2030 and will likely receive regular playing time at second base for the rest of the season.
Stowers, 26, was drafted by the Orioles in the second round out of Stanford in 2019. Known for his big raw power from the left side, Stowers has been unable to secure regular playing time on the stacked Orioles since his 2022 debut. Stowers, who is best-suited for right field, will get that chance with the Marlins. If the Marlins did indeed come up with a pair of controllable regulars for a back-end starter in Rogers, it’ll be quite the win as Bendix makes his mark on the team.
At the time of this writing, Bendix still has three-plus hours remaining to further remake the Marlins, likely by dismantling his bullpen and possibly trading outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. The team’s 2024 rotation is particularly bare with the departure of Rogers, leaving Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer, and Kyle Tyler. Jesus Luzardo is working his way back from a lumbar stress reaction, Ryan Weathers is recovering from an index finger strain, and Braxton Garrett is on the IL for a forearm strain. Next year, the team will get Sandy Alcantara and eventually Eury Perez back from Tommy John surgery.