Overlooked deadline trade results in top-10 prospect

The Orioles’ 2024 trade deadline was active. 

For the rotation, Baltimore acquired Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers. To shore up the bullpen, a pair of flamethrowers from Philadelphia in Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. And to supplement a talented outfield, the O’s added Eloy Jiménez, Austin Slater and Cristian Pache. 

But how about a move that didn’t impact the big league roster? 

In late July, it was the move everyone was waiting for. 

The Orioles sent utilityman Billy Cook to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Pat Reilly. 

No, not that one. 

And no, I don’t blame you if you weren’t on top of this news. Reilly wasn’t either. 

“I was sitting on my couch because we had played a day-game in Greensboro, and I got a call from Enrique [Bradfield Jr.] and Carter Young, who were in Aberdeen,” Reilly told MASN All Access last summer in Bowie.

“And they said, ‘Hey, congratulations!’ And at the same exact time I got two or three texts from some of my close friends and I was like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ So I called my agent, I started scrolling through Twitter, and sure enough, my name was all over the place. My agent was like, ‘Yeah, you’ve been traded.’”

Bradfield, Reilly’s former teammate at Vanderbilt, did his best Roch Kubatko impression to break the trade news. 

“Being able to call Pat and him not knowing, that kind of crazy thing happening, that’s something we’ll probably look back and laugh about in 10 years,” Bradfield joked. 

But that’s not all Bradfield had to say about his fellow Commodore. 

“It’s great to have him here,” Bradfield added. “He’s a great player, a great person, one of the most disciplined people I’ve ever seen at their craft, so I’m excited for what he’s going to be able to bring to the Orioles and what he’s going to do in his career.” 

Reilly was happy to have Bradfield and Young in the organization, too, adding: “It is nice having some familiar faces in the org and knowing that you’re going to see them.”

The right-hander checks in at No. 10 in the Orioles’ top 30 in MLB Pipeline’s recently updated prospect rankings. He’s the fourth-highest ranked pitcher in Baltimore’s system. 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before about a pitching prospect in the Orioles system: Reilly boasts outstanding stuff with big strikeout numbers, but his inconsistent command garners questions about his long-term future as a major league starter. 

In just 31 1/3 innings for the Chesapeake (formerly Bowie) Baysox last season, Reilly struck out 38 batters. But he also walked 18. Over the course of his minor league career, the 23-year-old touts 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings, but has walked 4.6 batters per nine. 

If he can keep the ball over the plate, it’s an impressive arsenal. 

“I throw five pitches right now, and I rely heavily on my fastball,” Reilly said. “The primary secondary right now is a cutter, and then I throw a splitter as well, which has been the main focus that we’ve been trying to hone in on a bit since I’ve been here, and then a curveball and a sweeper.” 

Pipeline notes that Reilly flashes a “high-spin” fastball with “impressive induced vertical break.” “Induced” vertical break measures a pitcher’s vertical break while accounting for gravity, essentially measuring the amount of break that is caused directly by the pitcher. And Reilly is excited to be joining an organization that can maximize his gaudy analytical numbers. 

“Everything’s very analytical and data-driven and it is fascinating for a guy like me that is interested in that stuff,” Reilly noted. “There’s so much research and so much evidence to back up what we’re trying to do as an org to develop pitchers.”

With just eight Double-A games under his belt, Reilly will most likely start the year with the Baysox. But if the righty can keep the ball in the zone, his stuff plays well enough to get a lot of outs. A lot of outs tend to lead to promotions.

So no, you may not have been paying much attention to a minor league player swap. But it netted the O’s a top 10 prospect with a five-pitch mix and a live fastball.

Even the Miami Heat’s Pat Riley would be impressed with that kind of return.