The Orioles introduced this afternoon that left-hander Cole Irvin has cleared waivers and accepted an outright task to Triple-A. The transfer comes on the heels of Irvin being designated for task on the day of the commerce deadline final week.
The 30-year-old lefty was a fifth-round decide by the Phillies within the 2016 draft and spent the primary two seasons of his profession pitching out of the bullpen in Philadelphia however didn’t actually set up himself within the large leagues till he was traded to the A’s as a part of a money deal previous to the 2021 season. Upon arriving in Oakland, Irvin was moved to the rotation and rapidly discovered some success as a back-of-the-rotation starter. In his two seasons with the A’s, the lefty pitched to middling outcomes with a 4.11 ERA (95 ERA+) and 4.25 FIP, however did so over a powerful 359 1/3 innings of labor. Whereas that innings complete might not appear to be a lot in comparison with the latest previous when starters would common throw 200 innings in a season, that determine truly meant Irvin pitched the Thirteenth-most innings in all of baseball over that two yr interval.
That potential to eat innings, his league minimal wage, and a comparatively low acquisition price seemingly made Irvin one thing of an ideal acquisition for an Orioles staff that entered the 2023 season in determined want of some certainty within the rotation following a 2022 marketing campaign the place they stunned with an 83-79 file and appeared able to take one other step towards competition regardless of the membership’s intention of retaining payroll additions to a minimal till their vaunted positional core was totally in place on the large league stage. Given how effectively the perimeters matched up and Oakland’s plan to commerce the whole lot on the roster that wasn’t nailed down, it was hardly a shock when the Orioles acquired Irvin in a deal the place they shipped infield prospect Darell Hernaiz to Oakland in alternate for each the lefty and pitching prospect Kyle Virbitsky.
Pretty much as good a match as Irvin gave the impression to be on the floor when he was introduced in by Baltimore, nonetheless, issues haven’t gone that effectively since he landed with the membership. The lefty was optioned to Triple-A simply three begins into his tenure as an Oriole after struggling to a ten.66 ERA in these appearances and wouldn’t return to the large leagues till he was known as as much as be a swing man in mid-June of final yr. His strong efficiency (3.22 ERA and 4.25 FIP in 64 1/3 innings) earned him an arbitration-level contract with the Orioles this winter, who supplied him $2MM to behave as depth for his or her younger rotation.
The depth Irvin offered proved to be a much-needed asset for the Orioles all through the primary half this yr as their rotation battled accidents to every of Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, John Means, Tyler Wells, and Dean Kremer all through the early months of the yr. Every of Bradish, Means, and Wells ended up requiring UCL surgical procedure by the tip of June, and people quite a few accidents stored Irvin as a fixture within the Baltimore rotation all through the primary half. After a shaky begin to the yr, Irvin settled in to submit a robust 1.88 ERA and three.49 FIP in ten look (eight begins) from mid-April via early June.
Issues took a flip for the more severe from there, nonetheless, as Irvin had been lit as much as the tune of an 8.72 ERA and 6.11 FIP in his remaining 32 innings with the Orioles. These struggles led him to be moved to the bullpen in early July, however the Orioles pulled the plug when the lefty continued to wrestle in a multi-inning reduction position. Now that he’s with the membership in Triple-A, Irvin figures to function a non-roster depth possibility for the membership down the stretch, backing up a rotation combine that at present options Rodriguez, Kremer, and ace Corbin Burnes alongside deadline additions Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers. An harm to any of these items or lengthy reliever Albert Suarez may present Irvin a gap to return to the majors this yr however he’d must leapfrog kids Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott, each of whom are already on the 40-man roster, on the depth chart so as to take action.
