After being traded by the Rays to the Orioles—whom the Phillies may very likely face in the World Series this year—Zach Eflin is still in the AL.
The 2024 MLB trade deadline got underway over the weekend, with a flurry of trades between buyers and sellers sparked by many significant movements. One-time Phillies target, perhaps?Is the Mariners acquiring Randy Arozarena in trade? Will James Paxton be joining the Red Sox again? Ryne Stanek changing teams and strengthening the opposing New York Mets bullpen?
The trade deadline officially ends on Tuesday, but there are still a lot of important dominos that haven’t fallen in the final two days.
One team that wasn’t afraid to make a big trade early was the Philadelphia Phillies, who on Friday traded outfielder Cristian Pache and reliever Seranthony Domínguez to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 2023 AL All-Star outfielder Austin Hays. This transaction was made by two teams that appear to be headed toward a World Series confrontation in October, but they were able to satisfy enough of each other’s needs to complete the trade before the last stretch of the playoffs.
The Orioles had a lot on their plate. In addition to trading for bullpen support from the Phillies, they ended up adding a much-needed starting pitcher to an already thin rotation due to injuries. The Orioles added another name that Phillies fans are quite familiar with after reaching an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Zach Eflin, a former Phillies starter, joins a possible World Series opponent.
With the New York Yankees (2.0 games behind) and Boston Red Sox (5.5 games behind) mounting a midsummer charge to take over first place and capitalize on an Orioles rotation that has seen key arms like Kyle Bradish and John Means lost for the season due to serious elbow injuries, the Orioles are merely hanging on in the AL East.
The Detroit Tigers’ left-hander Tarik Skubal has been the subject of buzzworthy news due to reports that the Orioles are among the teams that are among the most aggressive in their chase of starting pitching during the past month. Even though it’s still possible, the Orioles wasted little time in landing right-hander Zach Eflin on Friday night after concluding a four-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
As a pitcher with the Phillies from 2016 to 2022, Eflin is well-known to the team’s supporters. After making 177 appearances, including 165 starts, he finished 36-45 with a 4.49 ERA. Eflin had a breakout season in 2023 as a pitcher with the Rays, finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting and leading the AL in wins with a 16-8 record.
In the process of completing a trade for Eflin, the O’s gave up three young, gifted players. If the proper conditions are met, they still have the kind of agricultural system to add much more.
Welcome to Baltimore, Zach! pic.twitter.com/KK0fXThEvo
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 26, 2024
The Orioles starting rotation now looks like a genuine contender again with the arrival of Eflin. Eflin will be a part of a retooled O’s rotation that includes 2021 NL Cy rookie Award winner Corbin Burnes and excellent rookie pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. With two days left until the trade deadline, it’s quite likely that they aren’t done improving the rotation.