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3 pitchers the Orioles should stay away from this offseason
The Orioles should not acquire these big name pitchers
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Baltimore Orioles this offseason. It's the first full offseason under the team's new ownership group and the expectation is for them to be aggressive. There are many rumors floating around about free agents and players who could be traded, but just because a player is available doesn't mean that player should be acquired.
There are several reasons why a team like the Orioles may not want to go after certain players. Some players want more money than they are worth, others have declining skills and some are just the wrong fit for a team. The Orioles are one of the most exciting teams in baseball with a core of young players loaded with talent and they have been involved in several rumors including big name players. Here are three players that the O's should stay away from.
Clay Holmes
The starting rotation isn't the only place the O's are looking to add arms. The bullpen is always a work in progress and the Birds have been linked to free agent reliever Clay Holmes. Over the last four seasons, Holmes has established himself as one of baseball's premier closers with the New York Yankees. He was an All Star in 2022 and again this past season, but a fall from grace has Holmes looking for a new home.
Even though Holmes posted a career high 30 saves last season, he also had a career high 13 blown saves. He had only blown 12 saves in six previous seasons combined. The season started off great for Holmes but took a sudden turn in July. He blew four saves that month alone, two more in August and another three in September. It seemed like the only thing that stopped Holmes from blowing saves was being removed from the closers role.
Holmes seemed to regain some of his form in the postseason but it was too little too late for the Yankees. As enticing as it may be to bring in a veteran reliever with a track record like Holmes', it seems like the Orioles have already made this mistake once. Prior to the 2024 season the O's signed a veteran closer with a long history of success coming off of an All Star season that fell apart in the second half, and we all saw how that turned out. The Orioles leaving Holmes on the market would show they learned their lesson the first time.
Garrett Crochet
One of the biggest breakout stars of the 2024 season was Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet. Crochet was a career reliever going back to his college days but got the opportunity to start last season. He surprised everyone outside of the White Sox organization by posting an incredible season that included 32 starts, 209 strikeouts, an All Star appearance and was rewarded as the Comeback Player of the Year.
The lefty seemingly would fit nicely towards the top of an Orioles rotation that could be without two big names from last season. Corbin Burnes is testing the free agent market and Kyle Bradish won't return from Tommy John surgery until late in 2025, if at all. But there's more to this than just the stats.
Crochet threw 146.0 innings in 2024, which is over 90 innings more than he had thrown in any previous major league season. He already had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and pitching that many more innings with Crochet's velocity and spin rates is going to put a lot of wear and tear on that elbow. The White Sox are looking for a big return for Crochet so the Orioles would likely have to part ways with at least one of their top prospects.
But the main reason to avoid Crochet is his attitude. During the trade deadline Crochet stated that would not pitch in the post season for a team that traded for him if they did not give him a contract extension prior to the playoffs. He also said he would not accept a move to the bullpen to limit his innings. When asked about this after the season, Crochet doubled down on his statements saying "I think it was the right call."
Garrett Crochet plan with White Sox is to pitch normal workload as starter until end of regular season. If traded would need extension to pitch in October. He won’t move to bullpen and will not take any break. Views starter routine as best for health.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 25, 2024
The Orioles are a young team in need of veteran leadership. Crochet has made it abundantly clear that he puts himself over the needs of the team and that type of attitude can tear a young team apart.
Jordan Montgomery
After the 2023 World Series, Jordan Montgomery was one of the most sought after pitchers in baseball. He threw a career high 188.2 innings with a career low 3.20 ERA and helped the Texas Rangers win their first championship. Montgomery was expected to sign one of the largest contracts of anyone during that offseason, but things did not go as planned.
Montgomery and his agent, Scott Boras, decided to play "hard to get" well into spring training and the decision backfired. Instead of the mega contract people were expecting, Montgomery signed a one year contract with the Arizona Diamonbacks with a player option for a second year. Because he got a late start to his season, Montgomery didn't make his first appearance for the Diamondbacks until April 19. He looked good in that start but it went downhill from there.
During the 2024 season, Montgomery looked lost on the mound. He only had one start where he did not allow an earned run and posted a 6.40 ERA in 21 starts before being moved to the bullpen. Things didn't get much better for him there but he did earn his first career save. After his disappointing season Montgomery made the very easy decision to opt into his final season with the Diamondbacks that will earn him $22.5 million.
Recent reports have indicated that the Diamondbacks are not just willing to trade Montgomery, but also willing to eat some of his salary, giving the Orioles a potential buy low option. However, the O's should pass. Montgomery will be 32 years old at the beginning of the 2025 season which is around the point in many pitchers careers when they have to start to reinvent themselves.
Montgomery's velocity was down last season and he posted career lows in strikeout percentage and xERA. Even with Arizona eating some of the money, a trade for Montgomery will cost the Birds a solid prospect and leave them will an expensive contract for a 32 year old pitcher trying to figure out a new way to get hitters out.
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