How Did the Baltimore Orioles Do at the MLB Trade Deadline?

With the MLB trade deadline in the rearview, how well did Mike Elias and the Baltimore Orioles’ front office do at improving for the future?

On Friday, Major League Baseball’s annual trade deadline, set for 4:00 PM ET this season, passed. Although several more trades were announced following the deadline, the four o’clock hour marked the end of a very busy day around baseball. Some of the biggest deals around the league included Javier Baez being traded to the New York Mets, Jose Berrios being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring both Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals. Within the flurry of moves was the Baltimore Orioles‘ pair of trades, in which the O’s shipped out right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong and veteran shortstop Freddy Galvis for future assets.

According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, Orioles GM Mike Elias came close to trading a reliever but stayed put. While Elias didn’t mention the name of the reliever the team was close to dealing, it’s safe to assume the player in question would be either Paul Fry or Tanner Scott, both of which The Athletic’s Dan Connolly reported (subscription required) were receiving a significant amount of interest on the trade front.

Baltimore trades Shawn Armstrong to Tampa Bay for cash considerations

One of the earliest deals on Friday involved the Orioles sending right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. Tampa Bay has made itself well-known as an organization that has the ability to find diamonds in the rough, especially when evaluating pitchers, and this deal seems to be another attempt at that for the Rays.

Since being claimed off waivers by the Orioles in April of 2019, Armstrong made 85 appearances out of the Baltimore bullpen, posting an ERA of 5.34 with an intriguing 9.7 K/9 in that span.

Baltimore trades Freddy Galvis to Philadelphia for RHP prospect

As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan at precisely 4:00 PM ET, the Orioles dealt veteran shortstop Freddy Galvis to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Tyler Burch. The trade marks Galvis’ return to Philadelphia, where he spent the first six years of his Major League career. In his brief 72-game stint with Baltimore, Galvis slashed .249/.306/.414, which included many strong plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

In return for Galvis, the Orioles received Tyler Burch, a 24-year-old righty who just recently made the leap to High-A ball for the first time in his young career. During his time at A+ Jersey Shore, Burch had 8 appearances, posting an ERA of 2.45 with an impressive strikeout number. Burch is a welcome addition to a blossoming Orioles farm system as the Major League club continues its search for a long-term closer.