The Baltimore Orioles didn't make many win-now moves at last season's trade deadline, but perhaps the largest move was trading for Trevor Rogers from the Miami Marlins. To land Rogers, the Orioles parted ways with Kyle Stowers, a former top prospect for the Orioles. The hope was that the move would help the Orioles contend for a World Series in 2024. Instead, they were eliminated in the Wild Card Round.
Now, the Orioles are getting to see what Stowers can do, from a distance.
On Saturday, Stowers helped the Marlins pick up a huge 9-6 win over the Athletics behind a ninth-inning grand slam. With the win, the Marlins picked up their 13th win of the season. While playoff contention remains to be seen, the Marlins do have a cornerstone for their team in Stowers, considering what he's done so far this season.
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Kyle Stowers proving Orioles wrong for trading him in 2024
Stowers is 27-years-old and doesn't enter arbitration until after the 2026 season. So far this season, the outfielder has shown to be one of Miami's best hitters.
After the game on Saturday, Stowers has recorded a .324 batting average, a .392 on-base percentage, a .552 slugging percentage, and a .944 OPS. As Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun points out, Stowers has the ninth-highest OPS among qualified MLB hitters.
The change of scenery has obviously worked wonders for Stowers. Meanwhile, the Orioles are dealing with an outfield dilemma. They let Anthony Santander walk to the rival Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, while opting to replace him with Tyler O'Neill. But, the Orioles are currently down their top two outfielders.
O'Neill is currently on the 10-day injured list due to neck inflammation. Meanwhile, Colton Cowser is on the 60-day injured list after suffering a left thumb fracture early in the season. This happened a couple months removed from breaking his left hand in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Kansas City Royals.
Thus far, the Orioles are underperforming, sitting in last place in the AL East with a 13-19 record. In terms of batting, the Orioles have a cumulative .673 OPS, ranking 23rd in all of baseball. The Orioles also have scored 123 runs on the year, ranked 23rd in the majors. The Marlins, meanwhile, have 145 to their credit (16th in majors).
There's still plenty of season left for the Orioles to turn things around, but we're sure it's not making things easier for them seeing Stowers succeed in Miami.