MLB trade grades: Orioles take advantage of Braves, Cardinals hesitance on rotation solution

With the trade deadline just days away, starting pitching is a need many contending teams would like to address, with teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves front and center.

The Cardinals did a great job addressing their rotation over the offseason with the additions of Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson, but they need more. Adding a No. 2 would help take the team to the next level.

As for Atlanta, they need a starting pitcher because of injuries. Spencer Strider is done for the year, and Max Fried is currently on the IL. Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale have been great, but they need more.

A pitcher like Zach Eflin who has experience in the NL East and has an extra year of control would've been great for both the Cardinals and the Braves, but as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported, the Baltimore Orioles got him in a rare intra-division deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB Trade Grades: Who won the Zach Eflin deal?

Here's the full package, brought to us by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi followed up with one more key detail about the trade.

Eflin is a huge get for an Orioles team that is barely clinging onto first place in the AL East. The right-hander's 4.09 ERA through his first 19 starts of this season is a bit disappointing, but he does have a 3.37 xERA and a 3.65 FIP, indicating that he has been getting quite unlucky. The luck should turn down the stretch, which is a plus for Baltimore.

What makes him an even better get for a team like the Orioles is the extra year of control valued at $18 million, which is very reasonable for a starter. The icing on the cake there is the fact that the Rays sent cash considerations to Baltimore to eat at least part of the deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

With Corbin Burnes likely gone after this season and their only healthy starters under control for next season being Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer, adding a controllable arm was a must. Baltimore did that, and Eflin should fit seamlessly into the middle of their rotation.

While Eflin was a good pickup, there's always a bit of resistance from teams to do deals with a team like the Rays who are known for pulling off fleeces. In this case, though, Baltimore might've done pretty well.

The headliner is Mac Horvath, an infielder who ranks No. 10 on MLB Pipeline's top-30 list for the Orioles. No. 10 might seem underwhelming as a headliner, but not every farm system is created equally. The Orioles have arguably the best farm in the majors right now, so a guy like Horvath might rank a lot higher for a team like the Rays.

He has had a bit of an underwhelming first full professional season, posting a .745 OPS in 71 games this season after being a second-round pick in last season's draft, but he does have power, as evidenced by his 30 extra-base hits thus far, and speed, showcased by his 26 stolen bases (in 27 tries). He can play both second base and third base, and is a pretty good get here for Tampa Bay.

Jackson Baumeister is a bit far away from making an impact at the MLB level, but he has fanned 91 batters in just 70.2 innings of work this season at High-A while posting a 3.06 ERA in 18 starts. Command is a bit of an issue, but he has outstanding stuff that could help him be a useful piece if he gets the command in line.

Matthew Etzel is not considered a top-30 prospect by MLB Pipeline in Baltimore's system, but he has had a great year, slashing .289/.363/.445 with 41 stolen bases already. His numbers have ticked down a bit since he was promoted to AA, but his blazing speed could help him carve out an MLB role.

Horvath as the headliner for Eflin feels a bit underwhelming considering the kinds of returns that controllable relievers have been getting, but the overall package isn't bad. Plus, if any team deserves a bit of leeway, it's Tampa Bay, who might have three gems here.

For now, this feels like more of an Orioles win. With a Tarik Skubal trade never being realistic and Garrett Crochet essentially taking himself off of the market, Eflin was one of the better controllable arms out there, and they got him without including any of their high-end prospects while even getting the Rays to fork some money over. Tampa Bay did alright, but the Orioles really did well.

Orioles trade grade: A-
Rays trade grade: B-