Recently DFA'd Athletics reliever could be potential target for Orioles

Even with Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb expected to return to Baltimore in short order, the Orioles are desperate for live bullpen arms as we head into the final three weeks of the season. The O's are heavy on injured pitchers and light on potential contributors in the minor leagues, save a couple interesting pitchers like Brandon Young.

That said, an interesting left handed pitcher may have just become available. On Wednesday, the Athletics designated 24 year old Jack O'Loughlin for assignment in order to get Kyle Muller back on the roster thanks to an injury to another one of their starting pitchers.

O'Loughlin spent 6 years in the Tigers organization before arriving in Oakland this past offseason. Signed as an amateur out of Australia, O'Loughlin pitched well with Detroit's affiliates but was never able to break into the majors.

That changed in 2024, as the lefty joined the moribund A's and earned his first major league promotion midway through the year. O'Loughlin wasn't great in Oakland, pitching to a 4.66 ERA with a well below average 12.8% strikeout rate in just 9.2 innings.

The Orioles need bullpen help down the stretch, and this reliever could be of use

The lefty doesn't have the swing and miss type stuff that's typical of Orioles' front office targets these days but he does have a track record of pitching well at a number of stops in the minors and could give the Orioles a bit more length in the organization.

O'Loughlin has bounced back and forth between starting and relieving in his career but was shifted to a more bullpen-focused role with the Athletics. He made just 10 starts in 32 outings between Triple-A Las Vegas and Oakland and while he struggled to post positive results at times, he was also quite unlucky in many facets.

O'Loughlin allowed a 20.8% HR/FB rate in the minors this year, a figure that's unsustainably high and you wouldn't expect that to continue much longer. He was also much more strikeout focused in the minors, posting respectable marks between 20-25% for the majority of his career.

To be clear, O'Loughlin wouldn't be a world beater for the Orioles. And such a late addition wouldn't even be eligible for the postseason, limiting any potential impact. But the fact is that the Orioles have three relievers with an ERA over 6.00 since the All Star break. Their nominal closer has a FIP over 5.00 in that time, and there isn't a single reliever in the bullpen who you'd feel confident in right now.

Someone like O'Loughlin has some potential future upside but he also might just help the Orioles get through the next three weeks without totally collapsing. Whether it's O'Loughlin or another unexpected minor league arm already in the system, the Orioles need to find a way to keep the bullpen afloat for the final stretch.