MLB trade rumors: 5 pitchers Orioles need

The Baltimore Orioles are ready to begin their annual quest for more starting pitching.

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before over the past six years — the Orioles starting rotation is in tatters. Shocking, right? After starting the year 22-10 with one of the best records in baseball, the O’s have hit the skids thanks to shaky starting pitching. It’s been ugly.

Things may have come to a head for struggling starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Staked to leads of 5-0 and 6-2 on Monday night, Jimenez melted down in the fifth inning and surrendered the lead. The Orioles went on to lost 14-7 in a game they should have easily had in the bag.

Baltimore’s staff ERA now sits 19th in MLB at 4.52, and it would be much higher if not for the emergence of Dylan Bundy as a legitimate ace. With better prospects than in recent years available to trade, the Orioles should have the ability to target better options on the trade market than Wade Miley, last year’s pickup who has been surprisingly good this year. Can the Orioles get themselves an ace like Jose Quintana or Gerrit Cole? Definitely not, but a serviceable No. 3 is in play.

Here are five early targets for the O’s to consider in their quest to upgrade the rotation.

5. Scott Feldman

This name will bring up horrible memories for Orioles fans. Feldman was the pitcher acquired in 2013 when Baltimore pulled the plug and shipped Jake Arrieta to the Chicago Cubs. Of course, given the freedom to throw his cutter, Arrieta became an ace. Feldman, meanwhile, went 5-6 for the O’s and they missed the playoffs. He promptly bolted in free agency to the Astros.

After pitching as a reliever for most of the 2016 season, Feldman signed a one-year deal with the Reds. He is back into a starting role and is performing well. The right-hander has a 3.99 ERA in 10 starts and has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his trips to the mound. His bad starts have been ugly, but Feldman has been very good when on his game.

The Reds have flirted with respectability early in the 2017 season, but they are sliding back below .500, and are unlikely to climb back up. Feldman is an ideal piece for them to flip for prospects or a young MLB-ready player. There is not much upside in Feldman, but he has a 3.86 ERA over the past five years despite pitching in some of the smaller parks in the league. There’s one thing he has going for him as well — he’s not Ubaldo Jimenez.