Duquette on the Brach deal

SAN DIEGO - No matter how the two-game series in San Diego unfolds for the Orioles, with the opener played tonight, they've already scored a huge win. To the point where they should feel pangs of guilt.

Nah, forget it. This is a business. The Padres knew what they were doing on the day they traded reliever Brad Brach to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Devin Jones.

Mark down Nov. 25, 2013 as a date when Dan Duquette did some of his finest work as Orioles executive vice president.

Brach for Jones didn't gain much notice in the industry. There wasn't a tidal wave of reaction. The deal didn't bring much more than a trickle, something for the local scribes to write about in the offseason.

Who knew?

Brach is 17-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 142 games over three seasons with the Orioles. Scouts are convinced that he's destined to close for a team within the next few years, once he's eligible for free agency, and the Orioles must decide how much they want to pay their multi-purpose reliever.

There's no rush to figure it out. He's been money in any role given to him, including the primary set-up man while Darren O'Day's on the disabled list.

Brach is saving his best for 2016, going 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA and two saves in 34 games and earning serious consideration for his first All-Star Team. He's allowed five runs and 23 hits and struck out 50 batters in 42 2/3 innings.

Jones, meanwhile, came back to the Orioles last year and retired after three relief appearances at Single-A Frederick. The former ninth-round pick out of Mississippi State never pitched above Double-A, where he went 4-7 with a 5.84 ERA in 24 starts with Bowie in 2013.

The Padres gave up Brach, who posted a 3.19 ERA in 33 appearances and still had a minor league option, for Jones over the winter. This isn't a knock on Jones when I say that the decision is puzzling. Sort of like how the meaning of life is puzzling. I just don't get it.

The Orioles sent Brach to Triple-A Norfolk, where he appeared in 17 games in 2014. He's out of options, but that's like saying Bill Gates is out of singles. It doesn't really matter.

So, exactly how did the trade come together? Well, it started with positive reports from major league scout Dave Engle, who's based in California, and Duquette's eye for under-the-radar acquisitions.

"Brad hadn't established himself as a big leaguer," Duquette said. "He had been up and down a few times with the Padres. Dave Engle, our scout, recommended him. He liked him. And when we looked into Brad's record, we saw that he pitched in the low minors, particularly in the California League, as a closer. He was familiar with pitching in high-leverage situations."

True enough. Brach saved 33 games at low Class A Fort Wayne in 2009 and 41 at high Class A Lake Elsinore in 2010, posting ERAs of 1.41 and 2.74, respectively. He's 21-16 with a 2.42 ERA and 119 saves in seven minor league seasons.

"He had good size and a good arm," Duquette said. "That's why we ended up acquiring his contract and bringing him over. We liked what he did in the minors. He wasn't a middle reliever, in other words. He was a closer and he had distinguished himself in the California League prior to advancing to the major league roster with San Diego.

"Devin Jones had a good arm. He came to us from Mississippi State and he had a good curve. We liked Brach. He was closer to the big leagues and closer to helping us."

Brach was an unfinished product. The Orioles took care of the rest, making this part trade and part player development story.

"In fairness to Brad Brach, he developed a split-finger after he came to the Orioles and that's really his bread and butter. That's his key out pitch. So, he developed a skill after he came to the club that he didn't have prior to the trade," Duquette said.

Brach used it Saturday night to strike out Evan Longoria, strand two runners and preserve a one-run lead after feeding the Rays' third baseman 95 and 96 mph fastballs.

"He had good size, he had a good arm. But he really developed his changeup, which is his split-finger pitch, and he uses that effectively against both left- and right-handed hitters," Duquette said.

"He's very dependable and that pitch is a real weapon for him. He's done a nice job for us. And he pitches in high-leverage situations. Good for him. Not only did he get himself established, he came up with another pitch. And it's a swing and miss pitch."

Will Brach miss an All-Star Game that he so richly deserves to attend in uniform? He isn't a closer, but perhaps moving up to the eighth inning in O'Day's absence will help the cause. Otherwise, we're back to the undefined role issue that makes guys like him go ignored when it comes to honors.

"Well, the American League did pick O'Day," Duquette said, smiling. "Brad Brach's excelling in a similar role. He certainly has the portfolio to be considered for the All-Star team. He's pitched great for us."