The early returns on the Adley Rutschman trade look stunning.
With the Red Sox coming to Camden Yards for a critical series, and the former All-Star catcher ailing and beat up and unproductive – as was often the case in Baltimore – this reunion comes draped in intrigue and import. With the Guardians up next for the Orioles, battling for the final Wild Card spot, there can be no further slide here after losing twice in Colorado to end a solid road trip.
It’s also a natural time, now a month removed from the trade deadline, to peek at the way things have been unfolding for the particulars involved. We’re watching all the parties very closely and nothing with Rutschman has been trending in the right direction and now there is talk about the catcher possibly being damaged goods for the rest of this season, at a time the Red Sox are hoping for a long playoff push and slumping themselves.
“It’s probably something we’re going to deal with off and on through the year,” Sox skipper Chad Tracy said Tuesday to the team’s flagship radio station about Adley’s lingering elbow problem, and that wasn’t the whole of it.
It was always obvious he had no future here and was not productive, and with Samuel Basallo signed longtime and Pete Alonso not able to play anywhere but first base and Rutschman one of the least impactful designed hitters in baseball since May 2024 (1 HR and 17 RBIs in his final 54 games as a DH here), he had no future here and had to go with two years on his deal.
And for as much as the smartest analysts in the industry all feel like Orioles exec Mike Elias has failed miserably with this eight-year rebuild – everyone from Dan O’Dowd to Jim Duquette to Joe Sheehan gushed about how many assets he was able to land for Rutschman at a time when he was in the Injured List and in a deep two-year slide.
Durability Issues
Remember, Rutschman was a DH with James McCann behind the plate the last time the Orioles began a playoff series. And with an elbow problem, teams will test him like crazy on the base paths. Rutschman wasn’t in Boston’s starting lineup Wednesday. And he didn’t play Tuesday. Or, um, Monday. He last played Sunday in a 16-1 loss to the Yankees and it would be cute to say the Red Sox were saving him for a Baltimore return, but he was their signature deadline move and they’ve lost four in a row.
The trade went down a month ago and he’s played just 15 games for Boston (he began on a minor-league rehab). As of the start of play Wednesday he was 27th in MLB in innings caught this season:
Here are the ugly numbers in Boston so far:
13 GS 59 PA 1 HR – 4 RBI .170/.254/.245 – .500 OPS
Since May 1, when Rutschman started to breakdown, again:
66 G 279 PA 5 HR – 34 RBI .207/.297/.336 – .634 OPS
Good luck!
Boston is a very tough place to play when you come far from living up to the hype; he ain’t seen anything like this pressure before and longtime MLB exec Jim Duquette was among those who believed this could end up being an odd fit.
“That city is tough to play in – if you don’t perform they let you know,” Duquette said, pointing out he doubt Rutschman bats above fifth of sixth in the lineup, “that’s where I would have loved to have seen him hit for the Orioles.”
As for the trade compensation, so far so great from the Orioles’ standpoint:
Anthony Eyanson
He’s going to start next year at AAA, and if it goes well for him being so underage in an International League that is so hitter friendly – including Harbor Park where the Norfolk Tides play – then he’s going to be here in the second half of the season in some capacity (maybe the pen if the team is contending the rotation is performing anything like last year.
Yeah, he only went 3 2/3 innings last week, but that was because he struck out eight. His control wasn’t great, with three walks and a 61% strike rate, but that’s as close as he’s come to a blemish in the Eastern League across two organizations.
For the Season the Eastern League is batting .166 vs him with a .506 OPS
19 GS 89 1/3 IP 1.51 ERA 126 K 0.95 WHIP
Kyson Witherspoon
Control remains the issue with the 15th overall pick a year ago. High-A hasn’t gone swimmingly for him, but far more good than bad and abundant time ahead of him. Last start was similar to what Eyanson did – 8 Ks and 3 W over 5 IP. With 15 swing-and-miss. He picked up 17 the outing before that.
Does he start the year back at Frederick? Let him go to AA after a full offseason in this org?
On the season the South Atlantic League has a .245 average and .704 OPS against him
20 GS 89 2/3 IP 4.22 ERA 98 K 1.38 WHIP
Enddy Azocar
I am kinda most fired up about this kid of the entire group, honestly, because there is so much variance and injury risk with young arms. Given the death of outfielders in this system anywhere who look like everyday guys, and we’ll see about this Luis Robert Jr. experiment – HYPER, this kid looks like a more polished version of Nate George, the former top 100 prospect and O’s top position prospect who basically lost this entre year to an undisclosed ailment.
I see no reason why this kid isn’t at AA at age 20 to start next season and he’s mashing in Frederick the same way he was mashing at Greenville (SAL). He has to walk more and strikeout less, but in his first 21 games with the Keys he drove in 19 runs, stole seven bases on eight attempts and put up a .353/.398/.588 slash.
On the season in the SAL:
67 GP 312 PA 15 HR – 56 RBI .301/.356/.559 – .986 OPS
The Orioles also acquired Harold Rivas, 18, whose rookie league season wrapped up and who should see action at Delmarva next season, whether that’s to begin the season or later on.
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