This week’s mailbag will get into the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward commerce, the 4 accepted qualifying affords, the commerce worth of Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, and way more.
Nick asks:
Hello, what’s Mike Elias pondering promoting low on Grayson? Ward is an efficient, not nice, hitter, and Rodriguez’s ceiling is an ace. You guys have been calling for a Singer-Ward swap and I really feel like 4 years of Rodriguez, even together with his accidents, would have far more worth than one 12 months of Singer.
Zach asks:
For actual, what’s with buying and selling Grayson Rodriguez?!?
In making this commerce, Orioles president of baseball operations and GM Mike Elias made a giant wager in opposition to Rodriguez.
When the Orioles drafted Rodriguez eleventh general out of highschool in 2018, the membership was a couple of months away from changing Dan Duquette with Elias as the top of baseball operations. So Elias wasn’t concerned with that decide, however he’s intimately aware of Rodriguez’s profession and well being historical past.
As soon as top-of-the-line pitching prospects in baseball, Rodriguez’s accidents started with a 2022 Grade 2 lat pressure that value him three months and pushed again his anticipated Main League debut. He was wholesome in 2023, had some success within the Majors, and totaled 165 innings – the one time in his profession he is topped 117 frames.
Rodriguez missed 19 days with shoulder irritation in Could 2024, after which noticed his season finish that 12 months on July thirty first as a result of what was initially known as a gentle lat pressure. Nobody may’ve guessed that high quality begin in opposition to the Blue Jays would shut the guide on Rodriguez’s Orioles profession earlier than his twenty fifth birthday.
The large righty supposedly entered 2025 with out restrictions, and claimed he wasn’t damage when his velocity was down in spring coaching. However in March he was identified with elbow irritation, compounded in April by one other “gentle lat pressure.” It was initially thought Rodriguez would return within the second half, however he skilled elbow discomfort whereas rehabbing and was shut down. After a number of opinions had been gathered, Rodriguez’s 2025 season ended with proper elbow debridement surgical procedure on August eleventh.
As Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Solar reported, Elias described Rodriguez’s well being this manner on the finish of September: “There’s nothing medically to counsel that he received’t be prepared, and he’s very decided and never pleased about what occurred final 12 months.” Elias expressed some warning however in the end mentioned, “I’m bullish on the scenario.” The process concerned eradicating bone chips from Rodriguez’s elbow.
Rodriguez spoke to reporters yesterday. This is an excerpt from Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register:
“Rodriguez mentioned he’s “completely” assured that he can pitch a full season this 12 months. He mentioned the bone spurs had been a problem for “three or 4 years,” and he believes that they led to the lat accidents. “Simply with the ability to get these out of there, my arm feels nice proper now throwing,” Rodriguez mentioned. “There’s actually no query for me to be prepared for spring coaching.””
I am looking for an reason why the pitching-needy Orioles would commerce a pre-arbitration mid-rotation kind starter with 238 2/3 fairly good large league innings to his title and 4 years of staff management remaining for one 12 months of what seems to be like, at greatest, a 2.5 WAR outfielder.
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