Embattled Orioles Trade Acquisition Looks Stellar in Season Debut

It feels rare to get a positive development for a Baltimore Orioles pitcher, but that's what happened on Saturday night after a great season debut for an embattled southpaw.

The Orioles traded for southpaw Trevor Rogers from the Miami Marlins last year. He had a rough start to his time in Baltimore, but made his season debut against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night with great results.

Trevor Rogers Makes Terrific 2025 Debut

Rogers started the second game of the double-header and ended up going 6.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two hits given up. He also didn't walk a single batter, putting his WHIP at a stellar 0.32.

This was a performance that few saw coming given just how poor he has pitched since being acquired from the Marlins, down to his minor league appearances.

There was definitely hope that he could turn it around at some point, but he hadn't looked ready to do so. Ideally he will be able to use this as some momentum to help him find his footing back at the Major League level.

The 27-year-old has pitched well before. Back in 2021 he was an All-Star with a 2.64 ERA over 25 starts. He had a 1.150 WHIP with 10.6 K/9. That was a few years ago now, though, and he hasn't looked anywhere near that level.

In his first four starts in an Orioles uniform, last season, he posted a 7.11 ERA with a 1.842 WHIP and 5.7 K/9. He wasn't really finding success with anything.

He was sent down to the minors, where he has been since then.

Rogers suffered a right knee injury back in January and has been rehabbing since his return from the injured list. He made five start in the minors with a 7.71 ERA with a 1.653 WHIP and 9.9 K/9.

The trade was also made worse for Baltimore, given that the prospects they traded away have looked good with their new team.

Kyle Stowers has posted a .319/.392/.566 slash line with 10 home runs for Miami this year. He's been a breakout star and would absolutely be playing for the Orioles with that statline.

Connor Norby has also been solid with a .274/.319/.419 line this year. He's a bit younger and is considered to have an even higher ceiling than Stowers.

Rogers still has this year and next under team control, so perhaps he can made the trade look better if he starts to string together some solid starts.