Some thoughts and murmurings on Orioles' pursuit of pitching

The Orioles score 11 runs in the series opener in Houston, allow 14 and lose because of the pitching. They’re held to four runs over the next three games and lose because of the hitting.

Well, mostly. The Astros scored eight runs Sunday to complete the sweep.

The team erupts for eight runs Tuesday night, collecting 16 hits and belting four home runs, and loses 10-8 because of the pitching. That’s how these things work. The arms, bats and gloves can conspire to create skids.

The brakes finally were applied last night, with only two runs allowed and three home runs hit in a 4-2 win.

Some of the rants on social media are aimed at executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias for failing to react after surgeries removed Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells for the rest of the season and reliever Danny Coulombe until perhaps September. Meanwhile, he’s actively searching for pitching. He’s engaged in talks with numerous executives. It just isn’t live-streamed on the internet.

This team supposedly had too many starters. Remember those days? The angst and speculation over how to make it work and the plans for a six-man rotation during a grueling stretch with only one off-day. There wasn’t a shortage. And the bullpen would be reinforced with the overflow splashing it.

A late-inning reliever was on the shopping list before Coulombe’s bone chips and the urgency for at least one and maybe two has increased. Elias is trying to find a match.

Just as executives are trying to sort out the buyers from the sellers with a month remaining before the July 30 trade deadline, they’re also working to identify which Orioles prospects are available and untouchable.

Jackson Holliday is and always will be in the latter category and it’s a waste of brain power to think otherwise. I’ve heard it again from multiple scouts. It costs nothing to ask but the answer is “no.”

This isn’t a scientific poll and it doesn’t reach all 29 clubs, but I’m still hearing that Coby Mayo is off the table. The Orioles haven’t settled on a full-time future position. They aren’t running short of corner infielders or outfielders. But they love his bat.

Of course, there’s the possibility that Elias could be blown away by an offer, but it still appears that Mayo isn’t one of the names on the list. Nothing has changed since the Winter Meetings.

Mayo hit his 15^th home run Tuesday night and 16th last night and he’d probably have more except for time missed with a fractured rib. He began last night slashing .301/.370/.617 with 13 doubles, two triples and 41 RBIs in 48 games. He went 6-for-13 with three doubles and three home runs in four rehab games at High-A Aberdeen.

MLB Pipeline ranks Mayo, who also had an RBI single last night in the first inning, as the No. 18 prospect in baseball and third in the organization. He’s earned his stripes. And he’s in line to earn a promotion to the majors, which gets closer to reality with each loss and collective offensive shutdown.

Impact hitters can be found in the system. Pitching is a different story.

Teams are asking about outfielders Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser. They’re asking about Double-A Bowie catcher Samuel Basallo, who’s obviously blocked at the plate because of Adley Rutschman but could co-exist by also playing first base and serving as designated hitter.

Basallo is the No. 2 prospect in the organization and 12^th in baseball in MLB Pipeline rankings. Untouchable? Depends on which scout you’re asking.

Meanwhile, Basallo left Sunday’s game without explanation beyond how he wasn’t injured or moving up a level. He wasn’t traded and remained in the lineup Tuesday night.

This kid doesn’t turn 20 until August and he has exceptional tools. His hitting, power and arm grade as 60. His approach at the plate is described as “advanced.” Yeah, it’s gonna take quite an offer to make the Orioles pull the trigger on a deal. And I can’t see it being done for a reliever, but that’s just an opinion … shared by some others. I don’t live alone on that island.

There are other predictable names that teams are checking on, including Bowie pitcher Seth Johnson, acquired by Elias at the 2022 deadline in a three-team trade with the Rays and Astros – right before his Tommy John surgery in Texas.

Johnson appeared in only one Double-A game before this season. He’s posted a 3.07 ERA in 13 starts but also a 1.500 WHIP with 30 walks in 44 innings. MLB Pipeline ranks him 10^th in the system.

The Orioles got a steal in that trade and other teams knew it. They didn’t care about waiting through his surgery and rehab. They felt like he was special. Able to help in 2024? That can’t be assumed with his limited Double-A experience and the work being done to improve his control. But his future is viewed as bright.

I’ve written that a rental is fine for the rotation when a team is going for it. Corbin Burnes is a pending free agent. And what you give up at the deadline is influenced by the lack of control beyond 2024.

However, there’s also an interesting element created by the surgeries that sideline Bradish, Means and Wells for whatever length of time in 2025. The focus is on the present, but it's a bonus if the Orioles can get a starter who’s under contract next season.

The White Sox’s Garrett Crochet isn’t a free agent until after the 2026 season, for example, which should inflate the asking price. But there must be some concerns about innings because he’s already at 91 1/3 after throwing 12 2/3 as a reliever last season and 12 1/3 in the minors in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Bradish and Coulombe were inside the clubhouse after last night's game, a nice vision but also a cruel tease because they can't pitch. Nick Vespi is using the locker that once belonged to Wells. Dean Kremer packed his bags yesterday afternoon and headed to Norfolk, where he's making a third rehab start today.

Like a grocery store cleanup in aisle five, the Orioles must do something with this mess. But at what cost?