Former Orioles pitcher hits trade market after Dodgers DFA

Rumors about the Orioles' trade deadline plans are coming in hot and heavy. With just over three days to go before Tuesday's 6pm cutoff, insiders have been speculating about the Orioles willingness to part with top prospects to acquire star pitchers like Detroit's Tarik Skubal, as well as their interest in a few second-tier guys like Jack Flaherty and Jamison Taillon.

It's anyone's guess what Mike Elias' next couple days look like but you'd be hard pressed to find a baseball fan out there who thinks the O's don't have at least one deadline move in them.

While much of the conversation has been about how the Orioles will address the rotation, they could be in the market for a reliever or two as well. Closer Craig Kimbrel has been unreliable and fans are desperate for Elias to add another back-end option to help in high-leverage situations.

Though there are countless options out there, it seems unlikely that the Orioles will go back to the well with right hander Yohan Ramirez. The Dominican reliever was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon after struggling to a 5.52 ERA in 29.1 innings in LA. The righty was bounced off the roster to make room for the returning Clayton Kershaw, who pitched against the Giants on Thursday.

Yohan Ramirez is not a good reunion candidate for the Orioles

Ramirez had previously been DFA'd by both the Orioles and the Mets in 2024, throwing a combined 14.1 innings between the two clubs earlier this year. While Ramirez had poor results in Baltimore, he was a bit unlucky on the mound. His 6.00 ERA with the O's was backed by a more encouraging 3.64 FIP, in large part thanks to a 25% strikeout rate.

Unfortunately for Ramirez, he's never quite figured it out in the majors. He's gotten plenty of opportunities, appearing in games for 7 teams over the past 3 years. During that time he's pitched to a combined 4.51 ERA, though he has notched 7 career saves.

While he has been a bit unlucky with low strand rates and high homer to fly ball ratios, he's now in his age 29 season and the mid-90's fastball doesn't miss enough bats to make him an effective reliever.

It's possible that Ramirez will find work elsewhere but don't hold your breath waiting for his return to Baltimore. At least not in an Orioles uniform.