Baltimore Orioles: Finding Intriguing Possible Waiver Claims

The Baltimore Orioles need pitching and there may be some help on the waiver wire.

RHP Justin Shafer (Toronto Blue Jays)

Shafer, 27, has a few things going for him that may make him intriguing to the Baltimore Orioles. The former eighth-round pick still has two options remaining, giving him a bit of roster flexibility, he’s has experience working out of the bullpen against the American League East, and he doesn’t give up a lot of home runs.

He spent much of his minor league career posting impressive groundball numbers, but those have significantly dipped over the last two-three years. Still, Shafer could be worth a serious look.

In 24 Triple-A outings, Shafer struck out more than 10/9 IP and recorded one of the lower walk rates of his career (2.35/9 IP) with a 3.52 ERA. He logged 34 outings at the major league level, but saw his strikeouts drop to 8.85 per game, his walks take a big leap to 5.67/ 9 IP, and his FIP climb to 5.18, a jump from his 3.86 ERA.

Per Baseball Savant, Shafer throws four pitches, including a high-spin four-seam fastball that put him in the 89th percentile. His slider produced a 40.5% whiff rate and had an expected batting average against of .200, 77 points lower than his actual average against. That’s two solid pitches to work with, should the Orioles take a look.

RHP Luis Escobar (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Originally a third baseman when he was signed by Pittsburgh out of Colombia, Escobar is a 23-year-old righty who spent much of the season in Triple-A and made his major league debut with four outings out of the bullpen.

He’s currently ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the Pirates system, possessing a 60-grade fastball and 55-curveball that is described as a real strikeout pitch by both MLB Pipeline and this report on PiratesProspects.com.  His fastball averaged 95 mph in his very brief stint in the major leagues and most reports believe he can add a tick or two as a reliever.

In his 5.2 innings of work with the Pirates, Escobar gave up five runs on ten hits, walking four and striking out two in the process. He struck out 57 in 55 Triple-A innings. Command has been an issue for the young reliever as he climbed the Pittsburgh organizational ladder, but opponents have hit just .219 against him 498 career innings.

Escobar seems to have all the makings of a major league reliever, he just needs to solve his walk issues and take the next step in his development. Could Mike Elias and his team unlock his potential? Escobar has one option remaining, giving him the same flexibility that Shafer would also bring.

RHP Jharel Cotton (Oakland Athletics)

As I was doing my digging around for this piece, Cotton’s name came up multiple times as an option that provides a bit of intrigue to Baltimore Orioles fans. Just based on name recognition alone, he demands a deeper look.

While guys like Pelham and Escobar are raw arms with high upside in need of development, Cotton is a bit of a project. A former top prospect in the A’s system, Cotton was once viewed as a potential two/three starter in the major leagues, according to The Athletic’s Eno Sarris, and started to gain a lot of traction heading into the 2017 season.

Unfortunately, he struggled in his first full season in the majors, going 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA, a 105/53 K/BB ratio, and 28 home runs allowed in 129 innings. He was then forced to miss all of 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery and pitched just 27 minor league innings in 2019 due to hamstring troubles and another surgery.

He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2017 but he has an option remaining and won’t become a free agent until 2023. At 27, he may not be a longterm option, but if he is able to rebound, he can pitch out of the pen or as a spot-starter and potentially be flipped.

It’s been a while, but his 2017 numbers show a 93 mph fastball and a 78 mph changeup as part of his five-pitch mix. His changeup limited hitters to a .218 average (.180 expected average) and produced a 30% whiff rate. I like his stuff and upside a lot more than Nate Karns, last year’s failed project.

RHP Conner Greene (Kansas City)

Last but not least, let’s take a look at former Royals pitcher Conner Greene. A seventh-round pick of the Blue Jays back in 2013, Greene spent five years in the Toronto organization before being traded to St. Louis ahead of the 2018 season and then being designated for assignment and claimed by Kansas City before the 2019 season.

He made 29 total appearances (16 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A, working a 5.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and .266 average against. He struck out 95 hitters and walked 54 in 112 innings. That’s been the story with Greene throughout his career, a lot of walks with very few swings and misses (career 541/343 K/BB ratio).

The 6’3″ righty was ranked as a Top 100 prospect by Baseball Prospectus in 2016, owning a powerful fastball that can touch triple digits. He’s been effective at limiting home runs and producing groundballs throughout his career, two positives for a pitcher looking to make a home at Camden Yards.

In this interview with MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo last year, Greene discusses his relationship with Cardinals pitchers Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright and what he’s learned from working with the two veterans. He also touched on some changes the Cardinals were looking to make with him.

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From an analytics standpoint, they have a lot of good information that shows me who I am. I’d been trying to be a sinker ball guy while I have a high spin rate, so it’s like I’m fighting myself there. There are things we’re going to focus on more than other areas.

The lack of strikeouts are concerning, but the stuff is there, he can work as a starter or reliever, he has an option remaining, and he seems to be a pretty good fit.

Will Mike Elias and the Baltimore Orioles take a look at any of these arms in the next few days? We will have to wait and see, but there certainly are some interesting options, all of whom could provide more entertainment and value than more Tom Eshelman and Ryan Eades type arms.

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