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Baltimore Orioles Get Another Prospect for a Proven Reliever

By Kristen Bentley

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: Miguel Castro #50 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 26, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: Miguel Castro #50 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 26, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Orioles have been surprisingly busy at the August Trade Deadline.

Yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles traded away two pitchers for five prospects, and today they’ve done it again.

This time, the O’s traded Miguel Castro to the New York Mets in exchange for a left-handed pitcher named Kevin Smith. The O’s will also get a player-to-be-named-later or some cash in the deal.

The Orioles have now traded their two top veteran relievers. Mychal Givens went to the Rockies in exchange for a pair of infielders and a PTBNL. And, they traded Tommy Milone to the Braves for two PTBNL.

The news about Castro and Smith was shared via Twitter by the team, as the trade was made just minutes before the 4:00 PM deadline.

So, who is the newest known addition to the Orioles. The Mets drafted him in the seventh round in 2018. Before joining the Mets, he played in three seasons at the University of George in Athens where he pitched to a 4.17 ERA. In the Mets system, he made it to Double-A where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 31.1 innings over six starts.

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In the Mets organization, he was the 12th best prospect, and the second best left-handed pitcher according to the MLB Pipeline. He was estimated to make his MLB debut in 2020 and with the Orioles starting pitchers either being traded or dropping to injuries, he just might.

According to Fangraphs, Smith’s pitches grade out around 45-50. His top pitch is his slider. His command grades out around the same as Keegan Akin who is also a left-handed starter. It’s likely that the Orioles will spend some time working on Smith before he hits the Major-League mound.

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The trading of so many veterans shows that the Orioles are still in the midst of a rebuild. It’s rather shocking to look at the roster and see so many players born in the 1990s. Only four pitchers and two position players were born in the 1980s. This is one young team and with the signs of excellence they showed earlier in the season, they could be rather tough to beat in the next few years.

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