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Former Orioles Players on Playoff Teams this October

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Trey Mancini #26 of the Houston Astros acknowledges the crowd before playing against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Trey Mancini #26 of the Houston Astros acknowledges the crowd before playing against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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With the regular season over, the Baltimore Orioles also saw their season come to an end, falling just short of a playoff spot after what was a miracle run of a season. Just because the team isn’t in the playoffs doesn’t mean you have to stop watching though. Here are all the former Orioles on the rosters of postseason teams this season.

Houston Astros

The Astros enter the postseason as the AL’s number one seed, crushing any semblance of competition this season. They don’t have any Orioles connections on their roster, with the exception of one pretty important face in Baltimore. That man is Trey Mancini. After a memorable tenure as the franchise face of the Orioles, he was dealt to the Astros at the trade deadline as part of a three-team deal with the Rays. He’s hitting .186 with a mere .271 on base percentage to go with eight homers since arriving in Houston, but he’s very easy to root for, and that should continue this postseason.

New York Yankees

One of the Orioles division rivals and the AL’s number two seed has more traces of Baltimore than the Astros. Easily the most prominent one is Zack Britton, an Orioles reliever and eventual closer from 2011 to his trade to the Bronx at the 2018 Trade Deadline. He’s on the 60-Day IL currently and won’t appear in the playoffs but has had his share of success in the pinstripes.

Another Yankees reliever with Baltimore connections is Miguel Castro, donning the orange and black from 2017 until a trade to the Mets in the middle of the 2020 season. He has a 4.00 ERA in 32 games this season, but like Britton, is also on the 60-Day IL, so he likely won’t appear in any playoff action.

However, there is one former Oriole who will appear in the playoffs for the Yankees. Lefty Nestor Cortes Jr, one of the Yankees best pitchers, toed the rubber for the Orioles in the 2018 season, appearing in four games for a 7.71 ERA out of the bullpen. He’s a shoe in for at least one postseason start in every series the Yankees appear in.

The last Yankee with Oriole connections is lefty reliever Lucas Luetge. He never appeared in a big league game for Baltimore, pitching in four games for Triple-A Norfolk in the 2017 season, notching a 4.50 ERA. Luetge has been in the Yankees bullpen all season, so it’s likely that Luetge will appear this postseason.

Cleveland Guardians

The AL Central Champion Cleveland Guardians are next up on the list. Kirk McCarty was never an Oriole in the big leagues. He was claimed by Baltimore off waivers in July, made one start for Norfolk, and was DFA’d and claimed again by the Guardians after that. McCarty probably won’t be on the playoff roster as he is a fringe player at best, but he’s a former Oriole anyway.

The Guardians also had Logan Allen on their roster for a bit. He appeared in three games for the Orioles this season, if you can believe it, pitching to a 10.80 ERA. He’s in the minors with the Colorado Rockies currently, so he won’t be playing postseason ball, but it’s an interesting connection to make.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 2: Kevin Gausman #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the second inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on October 2, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 2: Kevin Gausman #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the second inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on October 2, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Toronto Blue Jays

The next target for the search of former Orioles leads to the Toronto Blue Jays. Staff ace Kevin Gausman jumps off the page. After 5 1/2 seasons of ups and downs in Baltimore, Gausman has since turned a corner into an elite pitcher, anchoring the Jays staff into October with a 3.35 ERA in 174 2/3 innings this season.

Kevin Gausman is among a bevy of former Orioles appearing in the 2022 Postseason.

Shaun Anderson is also a member of the Blue Jays this season. We won’t see him in the playoffs as he’s only appeared once in the majors this year, allowing two runs in one inning pitched. Anderson was on the Orioles in 2021, throwing 10 innings in seven appearances out of the bullpen, a brief stint in Charm City.

Wrapping up the Toronto trek is Zach Pop. He never appeared in a major league game for the Orioles, similar to Luetge and McCarty. Part of the return for Manny Machado, Pop spent part of 2018 and the entire 2019 season with Double-A Bowie, but only made eight appearances in that 2019 season. He has a 2.77 ERA in 35 games this season, split between Toronto and the Miami Marlins. Pop has a shot at being on Toronto’s playoff roster.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are the next team on the list, having clinched a playoff spot for the first time since they won 116 games in 2001 before losing to the Yankees in the ALCS. We won’t see Tommy Milone on their playoff roster, but he appeared in seven games for the Mariners this season to the tune of a 5.40 ERA. Milone was a small part of the 2020 Orioles, authoring a 3.99 ERA in six games.

Tampa Bay Rays

We now get to the last AL team, and it’s another Orioles rival, the Tampa Bay Rays. They have a handful of Baltimore connections. First off is Jimmy Yacabonis, a member of the Orioles from 2017-2019, making 55 appearances over all three years, including 11 starts. He’s made only four appearances for the Rays this year, but he’s a possible addition to the playoff roster, so he’s worth keeping an eye on.

TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 13: Shawn Armstrong #64 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch during game one of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 13, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 13: Shawn Armstrong #64 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch during game one of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 13, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Shawn Armstrong is another former Oriole on the Rays, being a part of the Charm City bullpen from 2019 through 2020, and a part of 2021 as well. Armstrong didn’t have the best tenure in Baltimore but has been used out of the Rays bullpen 39 times this season, making three starts in addition to that, posting a 3.62 ERA in 54 2/3 innings in a Rays uniform. Keep an eye out for him to make some wild card round appearances this weekend.

A lesser-known Baltimore pitcher on the Rays roster is Garrett Cleavinger. He never made the majors with the Orioles, instead spending a few years in the Orioles minor league system. He had a 2.16 ERA in 19 games with Aberdeen in 2015, 1.38 ERA with Delmarva in 2016, and a 6.28 ERA in 27 games with Bowie in 2017. In 13 appearances with the Rays, Cleavinger has a 2.41 ERA out of the bullpen, throwing 18 2/3 innings.

Also playing for the Rays this season was Dusten Knight. He’s not on the 40-man as he was previously DFA’d, so he is with Triple-A and unlikely to appear in the playoffs. He appeared in seven games for the 2021 Orioles, recording a 9.35 ERA and starkly different 3.86 FIP in 8 2/3 innings.

With the six AL playoff teams out of the way, it’s time to head to the other league in MLB and address former Orioles playing for NL playoff teams.

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