Last season as the trade deadline came around, many teams looked for answers as their rotations struggled. The Baltimore Orioles decided to trade for Trevor Rogers instead of other stars like Garrett Crochet. Rogers performed horribly in his four starts for Baltimore in 2024 and is already injured to begin 2025. However, the O’s didn’t just give up a couple of no-good prospects for the struggling Rogers.
Looking Back at the Trevor Rogers Trade
Orioles Should Have Devoted Such Prospects to a Different Trade
The Miami Marlins in 2024 were absolutely terrible. However, one thing that Miami had that was good was young pitching talent. Rogers didn’t exactly top the list, but he still was seen as a potential pitching target. Many teams, in fact, settled for mediocre acquisitions. The New York Mets traded for Paul Blackburn, while others such as the St. Louis Cardinals landed Eric Fedde.
However, problems arise here. Neither the Mets nor Cardinals gave up much for their mediocre acquisitions. However, the Orioles wound up giving up Connor Norby, a highly touted prospect, and Kyle Stowers, a player who has been popping off for Miami so far. The Orioles were actually seen as a prime destination for pitchers like Crochet. However, the Orioles wasted talent on the former, emphasis on the former, All-Star Rogers.
Orioles Got Robbed
Norby hasn’t exactly been popping off like Stowers. However, it is clear that Norby has a large ceiling, and he did hit seven home runs in just 36 games in 2024. Stowers, meanwhile, has been a revelation for the rebuilding Marlins. The one thing that Marlins know is that they need talent and talent from trades (all eyes on Sandy Alcantara). The Orioles certainly helped Miami with last season’s dumb trade.
Stowers so far has hit six home runs with a .295 average for Miami. Not to mention, Stowers also leads Miami in RBI with 25. Even though many people might have thought of Stowers as pretty useless, especially since he was 26 at the time of the trade and because of a good outfield, Stowers has proven many people to be wrong.
With Gary Sanchez injured and the DH position being possibly open, Stowers would probably be a team player if he were still in Baltimore. So yeah, maybe the Orioles actually wouldn’t mind having Stowers on the team. As for Norby, the O’s would probably prefer him over Emmanuel Rivera.
A Struggling Pitching Staff? Absolutely
The Orioles don’t have a horrible offense. However, the pitching rotation and bullpen have been atrocious. As a result, many can point their fingers at this trade for such struggles. Of course, Rogers so far has been injured. However, as said before, the Orioles should have used this talent traded for Rogers on a different pitcher.
A consistent pitcher would be a great gift for Baltimore. All that remains at the moment is a bunch of uncertainty. The O’s best starter has been good, but other than Tomoyuki Sugano, the O’s have two 80-year-old pitchers and two struggling younger pitchers. Unfortunately, Rogers is anything but consistent. Ever since a great 2021, Rogers has had issues controlling the strike zone and keeping runs off the board.
Overall, it is fair to say that a lot of teams were scared of going all in at the deadline last season. It isn’t fun to give up five good prospects for a simply good pitcher. However, the Orioles still failed and didn’t need to push the big red button by panicking into trading for a mediocre Rogers. At the moment, as well, it seems as if the O’s could have gotten a much better pitcher for what they gave up.
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