Newest Orioles Seranthony Dominguez and Zach Eflin look to lead second-half push

After bolstering their pitching staff with newcomers Seranthony Dominguez from Philly and Zach Eflin from Tampa Bay, it's sound to say that the Orioles have proven where they stand as World Series contenders. As we near the close of the trade deadline, it's time to gauge the positives and negatives of their most recent acquisitions.

The upside is evident, with Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells shut down for the season, adding a veteran presence such as Eflin certainly brings new flavor to the table. He made 19 starts in Tampa Bay this season, pitching to a 4.09 ERA and he'll certainly serve a critical role in nourishing a shaky end of the rotation.

The 30-year-old righty induces a high percentage of groundballs and hasn't had many issues with traffic on the basepath this season, as reflected by his 3.8% walk rate. This will serve as a major plus for the O's rotation once the postseason hits.

General manager Mike Elias needed to fill the void with Cole Irvin underperforming and certainly hauled the right man for the job. Eflin is set to make his Baltimore debut in game one of Monday's doubleheader hosting the Blue Jays.

Zach Eflin and Seranthony Dominguez can help Orioles win second straight AL East title

The other addition was Dominguez, who despite his struggles in Philly this season as proven by his 4.50 ERA, certainly has the repertoire to supplement an injury-torn O's bullpen. His slider induces a 37.8% whiff rate and his upper-class 90's fastball has quite the flare to it as well.

With unsung hero Danny Coulombe sidelined for the bulk of the season and phenom Felix Bautista hindered by TJ surgery, a Dominguez-Kimbrel 1-2 punch still looks quite scary assuming Dominguez can put up numbers as he's done in previous seasons. Not to mention, the Dominican native has already tossed a pair of shutout innings in O's uniform.

While the pitching staff was in dire need of support, which was addressed by Elias over the weekend, the O's unfortunately had to turn away long-time Oriole Austin Hays. Though it made room for promising youngster Colton Cowser to have his chance to gleam, Hays will certainly be missed in the outfield. Though his bat had been quiet in the first half of the season, we can't be obvlivious to the fact that the Florida native had played a critical role in the O's rebuild since 2017. Hays put up quite the slash line in the O's 2023 playoff season, hitting .275/.325/.444.

Additionally, the O's sent a handful of prospects in the Eflin deal which included Matthew Etzel, Jackson Baumeister, and Mac Horvath, all of which currently rank among the top 30 Rays prospects. Most notable is Baumeister who ranks 14th in the Tampa Bay system and is compiling quite the first impression with a 3.06 ERA through 18 starts with the Aberdeen Ironbirds.