Orioles make surprising decision at Rule 5 protection deadline

Today was the official deadline for MLB teams to add eligible prospects to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from being selected in December's Rule 5 draft. The Orioles had a large number of eligible players, but chose to select just two of them to the 40-man. As of today, the O's have 39 players on the 40-man.

Right hander Brandon Young's addition was no surprise. The 26 year old had a strong year in 2024, throwing 89 innings at Triple-A Norfolk. He posted a 3.44 ERA with 96 strikeouts and thanks to a variety of injuries at the major league level, was on the cusp of making his big league debut down the stretch in September.

It'll depend on how the Orioles address the gaps in their rotation this winter, but Young will likely head into spring training in a few months with a chance to earn a spot on the major league roster. If he pitches well, he has a chance to start the year in Baltimore. If not, he'll likely still be one of the first guys to get the call if and when the O's need help in the rotation.

Orioles make surprise move at Rule 5 protection deadline

Outside of Young, there were a number of prospects who were thought of as being on the short list to be added to the 40-man. One name that doesn't seem to have been talked about much is righty Kade Strowd. The 27 year old spent most of 2024 at Triple-A Norfolk, pitching to a 6.80 ERA in 41 innings. He was very good in limited time at Double-A, but the results weren't quite there for him at the higher level.

Despite the results, there are reasons to be encouraged by Strowd's performance. For one, he's a big strikeout guy, which we know that Mike Elias and the Orioles' brass love. Strowd struck out 30.8% of hitters in Triple-A, albeit with an almost 14% walk rate.

Strowd throws in the mid to high 90's with the fastball and has a couple good off-speed pitches that he can use to miss bats. Steve Melewski, among others, have called Strowd's stuff "electric", and for seemingly good reason. However, FanGraphs has him as the Orioles' 36th best prospect heading into 2025.

It's a bit surprising that given Strowd's results in 2024, he was added to the 40-man this winter. His strikeout potential and proximity to the majors would have put him at risk of being selected in the draft, but it's not clear that he's ready to pitch in Baltimore just yet.

With the leaguewide 40-man additions now final, there are four Orioles' prospects realistically at risk of getting picked in the draft. SP Juan Nuñez, RP Keegan Gillies, SP Alex Pham, and OF Hudson Haskin are all ranked inside the Orioles' top-30 prospects list and could theoretically be lost to the draft.