The Baltimore Orioles have had a clear shortage of pitching, and the front office’s offseason attempts to patch the issue proved insufficient. That weakness turned into a major liability and played a big role in the team’s struggles during the first half of the season. Now, with the Orioles looking more like sellers as the trade deadline approaches, they may have stumbled upon a creative short-term fix—courtesy of the Brewers.
While it seems unlikely that Baltimore will make any major pitching acquisitions without acquiring an arm with club control beyond 2025, they are confirmed to sign another veteran star from the Brewers.
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While making a serious investment in a player to bolster the 2025 roster might not be the most logical move, the Orioles appear to be taking a smart, low-cost gamble by claiming Elvin Rodriguez. He’s earning very little this season and has a minor league option remaining, allowing Baltimore to send him straight to Triple-A to evaluate his potential.
If things go well, Rodriguez could prove to be a useful piece for the Orioles down the stretch. His velocity sits in the mid-90s, but his fastball has good life up in the zone, his curveball features solid spin and can be a strikeout pitch when he’s locked in, and his sweeper offers respectable horizontal movement.
The issue is consistency. Rodriguez tends to leave too many pitches over the plate, and against more advanced hitters, those mistakes have been costly. That’s reflected in his 2025 numbers, as he’s surrendered 14 home runs over 48.1 innings split between the majors and minors.
Still, this is a minimal-risk move for the Orioles. If Rodriguez can keep the ball in the yard, he could earn a shot in the big leagues and provide value. If not, Baltimore can simply move on with virtually no financial loss.