Back in January, the O’s signed reliever Andrew Kittredge to a one-year, $10MM deal. They haven’t yet received any return on that investment but that may soon change, since he’s currently on a rehab assignment.
“All good news with how he’s throwing the baseball and how he feels,” said manager Brandon Hyde, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. “I think he throws again this weekend and then he’ll do a back-to-back and maybe another one. We’ll see how it goes.”
Kittredge required a left knee debridement procedure in March and has been on the 15-day injured list all year so far. He’s now made four rehab appearances, the last three being scoreless Triple-A outings. Based on Hyde’s comments, it seems he’ll get into a few more games and should join the Baltimore bullpen after that.
The righty had a 2.80 earned run average in 70 2/3 innings with the Cardinals last year. His 23% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate were all solid figures. If he can get back to that level of performance, he’ll be a nice upgrade to the relief corps. However, it might require a tough decision on who goes out. The only members of the bullpen who are optionable are the high-leverage arms: Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin. That could put pressure on a struggling pitcher like Cionel Pérez or Charlie Morton, who both have ERAs north of 8.00.
Regardless of that decision, it’s possible that Kittredge could eventually emerge as a trade candidate this summer, if he performs well after being reinstated from the IL. The O’s are now 15-27 and will have to engineer a big winning streak to avoid being deadline sellers. Kittredge’s deal contains a $9MM club option for 2026 with a $1MM buyout.
Kubatko also relayed a minor update on outfielder Colton Cowser, saying that he did some “light outfield work” yesterday. He suffered a broken thumb just a few days into the season, an injury which came with a timeline of six to eight weeks.
He was subsequently transferred to the 60-day IL, so he’s not eligible to return until late May, though that doesn’t seem likely even though it’s been over six weeks now. He will presumably need to ramp up his activities further before even beginning a rehab assignment. Kubatko notes that the injured thumb is still wrapped in a brace. For now, the Orioles will continue with the outfield mix consisting largely of Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano, Tyler O’Neill and Heston Kjerstad.
The club also announced to reporters, including Kubatko, that pitching prospect Patrick Reilly had UCL surgery yesterday. The O’s didn’t provide a timeline for Reilly but he’ll surely be sidelined into the middle of the 2026 season.
Acquired from the Pirates last summer in a deal which sent Billy Cook the other way, Reilly has been with Double-A Bowie since the deal. He has logged 41 innings for the Baysox with a 3.29 ERA. For his entire minor league career, he now has 139 2/3 innings with a 3.54 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate and 12.3% walk rate.
Coming into 2025, Baseball America ranked him the #16 prospect in the Orioles’ system while FanGraphs had him at #25. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December of 2026 if not protected before then, but he’ll spend most of the intervening time rehabbing from this surgery.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
When it comes to trades and free-agent signings, Mike Elias seems to have the opposite of the Midas touch.
That Trevor Rogers trade was really bad. Kyle Stowers is looking like one they should’ve kept.
They gave up 2 solid prospects for Trevor Roger’s, who was the 4th starter on a 100 loss team. Absolutely terrible job by Elias.
Rogers and Luzardo were very similar talents at the time of their respective trades. How would anyone know which guy was going to flop and which one would he a Cy Young contender. They should have traded for both.
Trevor Rogers hadn’t really been any good since 2021 at the time of the trade. Luzardo wasn’t totally healthy, but had a much better track record of success (and has better stuff, when healthy). They most definitely picked the wrong one to trade for. And the Phillies didn’t give up nearly as much for Luzardo as the Orioles did for Rogers. The Rogers trade could end up going down as one of the worst in recent memory if Stowers and Norby continue breaking out for the Marlins.
They have remarkably similar career FIPs. So does Alcantara by the way.
Caba is the 69th rated prospect in baseball. I don’t think the Phillies gave up less for Luzardo
Norby isn’t doing anything special. Stowers looks good. Both are very small sample sizes.
Caba can’t hit and is years away from the majors. Norby has crushed minor league pitching and has already shown flashes of being a solid regular since being traded to the Marlins, despite some inconsistency. I’d say there is a very good chance that both him and Stowers develop into above average regulars. I absolutely think the Orioles gave up more than the Phillies did for Luzardo.
So much focus on a completely meaningless trade.
Luzardo has pitched 1.5 times as many innings as rogers and Alcantara has picked nearly 3 times as many. You keep mentioning FIP as though all things are equal here. Rogers FIP being such a significantly smaller sample size that it in no way carries as much weight. Rogers also hasn’t pitched more than 81 innings in a season, so a stat derived off averages he’s had benefit statistically of his #s coming with much lighter workload on his arm. Using FIP for Rogers would be like using a cumulative stat like total Ks and pointing at Alcantara.
Bottom line is when using statistics contributing factors have to be weighed in. So cherrypicking one particular stat is anything but indicative of reality.
@Joel So in regards to Stowers you want to mention sample sizes. Yet when you keep mentioning FIP you haven’t mentioned sample size once. Talk about trying to paint a narrative…
@HBan Yeah it seems the O’s gave up a ton for Rogers. Seems odd now and it seemed odd at time of trade. What I find even more strange is they ve seemed very reluctant to part with prospects in most cases, then there’s the Rogers trade.
Do you want to look at Stowers career numbers? He’s a negative win player. The only thing that makes him look like a good player is this 40 game stretch in 2025.
When I mention FIP i am talking about THEIR CAREER FIP. I didn’t cherry pick just this season because Luzardo has been amazing and Alcantara has been terrible. And Rogers isn’t healthy. I used their career stats. It’s not a small sample size it’s their entire careers. And even with Luzardos amazing 2025 and Alcantaras Cy Young 2022 all 3 guys have nearly identical FIPs. Thats a fact.
This is the first year Stowers had played regulary. So I don’t put much stock into short stints where players barely get to become acclimated to a higher level of the game where the opponents are exponentially better.
Yes you cherryicked one specific statistic front their careers(FIP).
Joel it is comical when you have your little tantrums and type in all caps, make claims to have watched every single game, make things up,hurl accusations, etc.. You clearly cherrypicked here and doubled down doing so with Stowers and juts career WAR, ignoring not only all other stats but his lack of ever being a regular every day player at MLB level.
Its called scouting.
Connor norby is not projected to be anything more than a utility player. Stowers is 27 and has a 400 babip.
Stowers .379 babip isn’t some ridiculous amount above his career .329. He’s also hit 7 more HRs then his career high for a season. 7 of 166 ABs makes up almost the difference between that .329 and .379
Considering league average babip is around 300 he’s due for regression
You do know that not all players are equal. If everyone had a babip of .300 nobody would have ever hit over .300
He was a 240 hitter in triple a
He’s 27 in his prime, it’s very conceivable that he finally put it all together. You can nitpick his stats all u want in an attempt to diminish his play thus far in 2025 time will ultimately tell.
Then you and everyone else should stop calling it a failed trade from Elias
Where did I critique the trade in any way shape or form?
My bad bro. I’ve been dealing with a lot of Os fans acting like our window is closed and acting like Elias is the worst gm ever. Been getting a bit defensive
Stowers was a 240 AAA hitter – he will fade as as the league adjusts. Norby is a decent utility guy. Rogers has basically been hurt since the trade. Maybe not a great trade but hardly impactful either way.
Amazing how everyone ignores that Eflin was the best trade at last year’s deadline.
Plus Soto and Dominguez were solid if not spectacular trades as they gave up nothing. Hays no longer in Philly.
Obviously Morton has been terrible, I did not understand signing Sanchez and it was mistake to let Coulombe leave while keeping Perez.
Yes this season is a nightmare but how do you all just ignore the most wins in the Al for the last 2 years?
I forgot about them non-tendering Coulombe. I thought that was a bad move at the time, and even more so now. He had been really good for them.
tuck 2;
Your posts are spot on.
The O’s FO put together a bunch of young position players that pretty much play the same positions. They had/have an abundance of corner OF’s and 3B’s – some of whom can sort of play 2B.
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As for signing Sanchez – they let McCann go because he wanted 2 years and they want to bring up Basallo. OK. But a catchers main job is handling a pitching staff which McCann was great at, and Sanchez has never been good at. And the small market O’s found $8.5m to pay the guy. For example, the Guardians signed Austin Hedges for $4m as a back-up C, and not only does he handle a staff well but he’s in line to be a solid ML manager in time. While he can’t hit much….so what!…..they only need him a few times a week and he helps the team win.
He traded Jorge Lopez for cano and povich.
He signed Felix Bautista as a free agent
He traded for eflin
So tired of every fan acting like he’s never made good moves.
Orioles Manager is on the hot seat – Totally underperforming
More like the front office
Here’s an Oriole’s note for you, Rubenstein is a fool & Elias is a clown. Ahahahahahaha!
Fire Hyde (Clyde)!🤣
Better off with Jeckyl (or Heckyl)
Sugano 13 million
Morton 15 million
Kittredge 10 million
Gibson 5 million
Carlson 1 million
Sanchez 8.5 million
ONeill 16.5 million
Laureano 4 million
These 8 players have combined to produce negative WAR in 2025. 73 million for negative WAR. This is the problem.
King. Of. Cards;
The most reveling post I’ve read about the O’s situation….including mine.
Beginning to believe the O’s new owner gave them money and demand the FO spend it this past offseason.
Three points:
1. The Rays entire payroll is $91m – about 25% higher then those 8 players alone; and the Rays are a far better team.
2. With the exception of Sugano, those guys are garbage.
3, It’s not only pitchers that don’t want to come to the O’s, position players will come only if they don’t have another option…..and the O’s overpay them anyway.
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This downturn started in mid-2024. The new owner took control earlier that year.
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I find this Orioles rebuild and current situation the most fascinating MLB story in years. There have been failed rebuilds. But this one is one for the ages.
When you mention that nobody wants to play for them I always think about the mid 2000s Tigers. They were a bad team. They had to overpay guys like Pudge and Ordonez to play there but they did and thet signed them and then they became a good team. But the Orioles are/were already good. They should have been able to sign good players. And if they couldn’t they should have made some trades. Not trading Crochet and him going to the division rival Red Sox was a huge mistake.
King. Of. Cards;
If you’re still reading.
Ahhhh…..
Someone that knows baseball. Welcome sight!
Pudge and Ordonez were brought in to fill the 2 most important defensive positions (the foundation of a winning team), as well as be team leaders. They were perfect fits.
The O’s had team leaders, which is a big reason they won 101 games in 2023. But they’ve been systematically moving them out to play younger guys. So why would a veteran player sign with a team knowing that he’s going to be moved as soon as they want to play some prospects? They can sign the types they’ve signed: Veteran players that are past their prime (if they ever had one); have few offers if any; and can make some nice money for a year or so as a rental player hoping to rebuild value. They have no loyalty to the team and the team has no loyalty to them.
Not really. The problem is all of the pitching injuries (an entire rotation injured) and core players regressing or getting hurt
Double A for the Orioles is no longer called Bowie. They are now the “Chesapeake Baysox”
And periodically the OysterCatchers (‘)