Former Orioles Rule 5 Draft Pick Gets Traded To NL Powerhouse

The Baltimore Orioles are doing whatever they can to turn their season around.

Even though there is plenty of time left before the playoffs get underway, the Orioles need to make a push right now if they are going to avoid becoming sellers.

As one of the most disappointing teams in the league thus far, Baltimore has plenty of talent to make that happen. But they need to play at the peak of their powers if they are going to make that a reality.

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Another club that is a rumored seller is the Texas Rangers, another disappointing team in 2025 that has not lived up to their potential.

While they haven't started shipping out some of their top pieces, they did make a trade that featured a former Orioles farmhand.

As announced by the Philadelphia Phillies, the Rangers dealt right-handed reliever Nolan Hoffman to the National League powerhouse in exchange for cash considerations.

Once a fifth-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2018, Baltimore was impressed enough by what they saw during his first two professional seasons that they decided to select Hoffman in the 2021 Rule 5 draft.

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During his time on the farm, he had some good moments, but he was never able to break through and reach The Show.

Hoffman pitched solely for Triple-A Norfolk last season after reaching that level in 2023. Despite his 3.88 ERA in 44 appearances where he struck out 77 batters in 58 innings pitched, the Orioles kept him in their pipeline for the whole year.

That caused the submarine-style throw to elect free agency after the campaign.

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The 27-year-old hasn't had the same success with Texas this season like he did with Baltimore, owning a 5.91 ERA in 22 outings where his command has been his biggest issue.

Still, the Phillies are desperate for additional relief arms, and they are taking their chances with the former Orioles pitcher who never was able to make an impact for them at the Major League level.

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