Elias tackles variety of topics after trade deadline

Trade deadlines are supposed to address questions and deficiencies with the roster for a team in buyer mode. There are always questions, however. The work gets done and explanations are sought. Why do this and that? Is the club actually better than the previous model?

And about those rumors.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias met with the media for about 23 minutes today in the home dugout. He’s pleased with the results, which netted starter Zach Eflin from the Rays for minor league pitcher Jackson Baumeister, infielder Mac Horvath and outfielder Matthew Etzel, reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache from the Phillies for outfielder Austin Hays, starter Trevor Rogers from the Marlins for second baseman Connor Norby – who was optioned to Triple-A this morning – and outfielder Kyle Stowers, outfielder Eloy Jiménez and cash from the White Sox for Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Trey McGough, outfielder Austin Slater, infielder Livan Soto and cash considerations from the Reds for cash considerations, and left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Phillies for Double-A pitching prospect Seth Johnson and High-A Aberdeen pitcher Moisés Chance.

According to a source, there won’t be a player-to-be-named later in the deal with Cincinnati. Straight cash.

“Trade deadline’s always tough,” Elias said. “It’s always bittersweet trading players for other players. It’s not a one-way street. You’re losing talent but you’re getting different talent that’s a different fit and more of a short-term concentration for the needs of the team. We added two starting pitchers that are going right in our rotation, we added two really hard throwers with success in the major leagues for a long time – one from the left side, one from the right side. And we added a couple of right-handed bats which were especially necessary in the outfield with Austin Hays being gone. So I think that the roster is very fortified.

“I think we have an excellent team with as good a shot as anybody, and we have a lot more pitching than we did a week ago. So overall I’m happy with the process, the work that we did. A lot of people in our front office worked really, really hard, and I had everything I needed to be prepared. The decisions are mine but the work was there and the support and flexibility from the ownership group was imperative, too. We’ll see how the chips fall, but I feel like we did what we needed to give this team the support that it deserves.”

Elias acknowledged the unusual nature of a first-place team making so many changes to its roster. The Orioles hold a half-game lead over the Yankees in the division.

“A little bit,” he said. “I think part of it is the injury situation we’ve had. Everybody has injuries but I think we’ve had a little bit worse than average luck in that regard so far with pitchers that have gone down, so we had to backfill that. It’s a big transitional offseason for the franchise. Just a lot of things that put our deadline into a more active footing, and it was a little unusual.

“There were very few sellers. The sellers I think that were there did a great job and really improved their organizations. And then even some of the teams that had below-average records bought, so it was just kind of a challenging deadline. Some of the real crazy big names that people were throwing around didn’t get traded at all. And I think all things considered, we got two of the better starting pitchers available this deadline. And also, they’re controllable beyond this season, so I’m really happy about that.”

Much more came to light this morning.

Controllability for pitching mattered.

“We were engaged on the rentals but you obviously attach a lot more value when there are extra years of control and years that you project to be good from a financial standpoint,” Elias said. “We took on a Zach Eflin $18 million happily because he’s a really good pitcher and he’s going to be a big part of our rotation this year but also slots right into the top of it next year. And so we attach value to that. It allows you to be a little more aggressive with the trade return when you know this isn’t something that’s gonna go away in a couple months. Really, most of the players we brought in here fit that bill.

“Seranthony Domínguez has a club option, Gregory Soto still has another year of arbitration, Trevor Rogers has two more years of arbitration. Zach’s under contract next year. So I think all that’s nice.”

The rotation is believed to be capable of a deep run in the postseason.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Elias said. “Look, I don’t want to tempt the baseball gods any more than I have to in this job, but we’ve got five really good starters now. We’ve got depth in Triple-A, and we’ve got Albert Suárez who’s going to move into a long relief role in all probability here. He’s shown that he can kind of step in and step out and take the ball as needed, so I’ll take it. That’s for sure.”

Elias didn’t go into the deadline with preconceived notions.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “There were a couple teams that I wasn’t quite sure what they were going to do until the last like 48 hours. They decided not to sell. Wasn’t surprised by that, but had they sold, it would have drastically reshaped the supply side of the market. It didn’t happen. So this was kind of the scenario we prepared for with a couple of teams that could have tipped the balance not selling. And that said, two hard-throwing relievers with team control, two starting pitchers that go into our top five pretty handily, and some right-handed outfielders to kind of throw into the mix here as we navigate the next couple months and take a look at what our position player roster is going to look like hopefully going into the postseason. I’m pretty happy with it and we’ll see how these guys perform and we’ll see how these moves age.”

Top prospects weren’t on the table.

“You never really fully say (untouchable), but more or less, every time a ranking came out, (Jackson) Holliday, (Samuel) Basallo and (Coby) Mayo were ranked higher and higher and higher and you got three very young kids that are consensus top 15 prospects in all of baseball,” Elias said. “The value on that makes it really hard to find something to trade them for that makes any sense and the types of players that you would even fathom having discussions with those guys didn't even get traded. So, it really didn't come up.”

Coby Mayo’s inability to play second base isn’t holding him back.

“We’re comfortable with Jordan (Westburg) in both spots,” Elias said. “I can’t say that’s a big part of the equation. Yeah, Coby Mayo is in the mix, and that’s another pathway we could have gone down. I think for us here, it was mainly the left-handedness and the readiness that Jackson has at second base. And there’s still avenues for Coby Mayo here in the near future. But the trade deadline’s our last opportunity to bring in players from other teams basically, and there will be waiver claims later. But other than that, this is it. So this is our chance to bring a couple of right-handed bats into the mix so that we have some different options to explore between Coby Mayo, Austin Slater, Eloy Jiménez and the guys who were already here.

“We’re down two right-handed hitters in Hays and (Jorge) Mateo, so we have three options for me for the next two months. It makes me feel a lot better.”

Eloy Jiménez needs a reboot.

“I think, you know, change of scenery, coming into a pennant race, and our need for a right-handed threat right now,” Elias said. “He’s had some injuries, not a whole lot has gone to plan this year. You just never know. Our underlying view of his skill level is still that this guy can hit and particularly against left-handed pitching. He’s a big presence. I think it’s gonna be fun and we’ll see where it goes. Brandon Hyde’s got some history with him with the Cubs. They’re excited to reunite the two of them, and I think it’ll be a nice little mix for our locker room, too.”

But Jiménez might not need a glove.

“I think it’ll be primarily DH and hitting, “Elias said, “but he does have the ability to go out there in the outfield and I’m sure we’ll make use of that, too.”

The Orioles think they’ll get the better version of Trevor Rogers.

“He’s had a couple of funky injuries,” Elias said. “He’s had some lat injuries to both sides of his back. He’s missed some time from that. He’s still young, he gets a lot of ground balls, he throws from the left side. Both of those things are something that our rotation has been lacking a little bit. There’s a few years of control with him, and you get a really good pedigree. So we’re hopeful for a bounce back. But he fits a profile and a need in our rotation. He’s shown that he’s got the ability to be anywhere from a No. 3 to a No. 5 starter in the past, and any one of those things we’ll welcome with open arms right now.”

The team’s struggles played a role in the moves, if not a huge one.

“When you’re living through it, it has the feeling of highlighting your apparent weaknesses a little bit,” Elias said. “So maybe that’s kind of a blessing in disguise going into the deadline a little bit. But you don’t want to overreact to it, too. This is a really good team. We have an idea of what this team looks like when it’s not in a funk. I think the team would have been fine without a flurry of trades. But certainly we look a lot more fortified now and able to withstand injuries or downtrends in performance now that we have more quality major league players here in the fold. Particularly on the pitching side. Two accomplished starters, two accomplished relievers, that’s a big boost for us.”

Losing Jorge Mateo hurts more than some people think but Jackson Holliday comes to the rescue.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for (Holliday),” Elias said. “First of all, Jorge’s injury, that’s gonna be a huge loss. He undertook some damage in that elbow and, I don’t know exactly the prognosis or the timeframe, but he’s gonna be out a while and it’s significant. Not only his bat, but he’s the starting second baseman, then you got all the versatility that he provides, then there’s the elite speed that he provides. This guy was an enormous part of our team and we can’t wait to have him back. But now we’ve got some exploring to do at second baseman.

“We also remove Norby from that equation in the trade in order to bring in some pitching, and a big part of our willingness to do that is we had the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Put in some good work and some good experience in Triple-A that he didn’t get when we called him up right at the beginning of the season. I think he’s gonna be better off for it. I think this is a good chance for him and we’re gonna give it some time. Hopefully it’s gonna be really good. Really happy for him and proud of the work that he put in. I don’t want to put any pressure on him. This is a time period where he’s got some runway in front of him because of the vacancy that we have at second base right now.”

Elias didn’t take losing Austin Hays lightly.

“​​Yeah, it was very difficult and I want to thank Austin Hays,” he said. “We talked, obviously, when he left but just publicly, I want to thank him. He is one of the main people and one of the main human beings that got this organization turned around and restored it to where it belongs through a lot of hard work and a lot of character and I'm thrilled that he's in such a fun, excellent environment that he's up there now with Philly. I hope we play him in the World Series, frankly.

“You can't keep players forever and you got to balance a roster and certain fits and we needed pitching and relief pitching and I think it was two front offices in a very challenging buyer’s market, or it was a seller's market, but a very challenging market for buyers, both in terms of expensive prices on pitching, expensive prices on right-handed bats. Kind of like, ‘Hey, let's make a swap here, need for need.’ And we did that, and then I think both teams found ways to rejigger things after that to make up for the holes that they created.”

Of course, Elias took clubhouse chemistry into consideration.

“It’s something that whether by luck or design or a mixture of both, we’ve been fortunate with this year that we’ve gotten good people in here,” he said. “I’m hopeful with these guys that will be the case. I’ve gotten a lot of good reviews in that regard. I think hopefully this is a good clubhouse, an easy clubhouse to weave into. Everyone’s pretty welcoming and relaxed.”

Heston Kjerstad is here and not forgotten.

“Well, he looks great,” Elias said. “He's a huge left-handed threat. I think he's really shown what he can do this season in the majors and he's a big part of the team here in the second half and we have a bunch of talent here that’s going to help us get through the second half and get to the playoffs and Heston is a big part of that.”

Parting with Seth Johnson is a gamble, but they’re all gambles.

“He’s the guy that Tampa took in the comp round a few years ago and he’s back healthy,” Elias said. “Extremely good athlete, full starter’s pitch mix. His timeline is a little strange because he had the (Tommy John) surgery and he’s on the 40-man roster and he’s using options, and all of that kind of gets baked into the decisions and evaluations you make at the trade deadline. But look, are we gonna be haunted by some of these players we traded? Yeah, but this is the game we’re in. This is the 2024 season and we’re hanging onto first place right now I think by half a game right now as we’re speaking. So you’ve got to do some things.

“At the trade deadline, the only currency you have is players, so that’s what it costs.”

Elias had full support of the new ownership group.

“Yeah, it was wonderful,” he said. “They were very eager. I was talking on the (MASN) broadcast last night, but you think about it, these guys took over the team at a really unusual time, which was right at Opening Day. This was really the first opportunity that they had to show their willingness and ability to improve the roster. They certainly gave us everything that we needed to explore everything.

“I think the ownership group is going to maximize the potential of this franchise. This is not New York City. This is not Los Angeles. But it is a really good baseball town with an extremely passionate, historic fan base and a beautiful stadium that we’re not only going to renovate but hopefully monetize a lot better in the next few years And these guys are great businessmen. They’re great investors. And augmenting the health and the economic engine of this franchise is going to enable us to be super competitive on all these fronts. But I emphasize the word ‘competitive’ because we’re competing against 29 other cities and a lot of them are a lot larger than this one. We’re gonna run the franchise optimally and do the best we can in that regard. That’s basically the most direct way I can say about what we’re going to do here the next few years, and I think it’s gonna be great. The rest of it’s all case-by-case.”

* That's it for me today. I'm meeting the team in Cleveland.