Cashner’s production gives Orioles added trade value

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Photo credit Photo Courtesy: USA Today

By Austin Medina  

The Orioles will be looking to acquire as many assets as they can before the MLB trade deadline at the end of the month.

As mentioned in a prior article, the O’s have an obstacle in the way of adding more young assets; they do not have much to offer in 2019.

One player that has improved his trade stock is pitcher Andrew Cashner.

Cashner has been a productive pitcher for Baltimore, as he is currently 9-3 with a 3.83 ERA. His ERA has improved since the beginning of June. In four June starts, he logged 25 innings and produced a 1.44 ERA.

In his only July start last Saturday against the Blue Jays, he went seven innings where he struck out four batters and allowed just one earned run.

Report: Orioles "Certainly Would" Trade Andrew Cashner https://t.co/EKEQnJWjDR pic.twitter.com/zuWm7r0Roa

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 6, 2019

His ability to keep the ball in the park has been crucial in his progress. He struggled to do so in May when he allowed six homers in as many starts. A key reason for his bounce back has been Cashner’s changeup.

In an article with the Baltimore Sun, Cashner noted that his changeup in fact has proven beneficial. “I think my changeup really has come along, I would say, in the last month.” Since June 1st, Cashner has thrown his changeup 31.2% of the time and accumulated eight strikeouts.

Cashner’s productivity should be held in the same regard as his dependability. Among pitchers with 17 starts or less, Cashner ranks 2nd in the AL with 96.1 innings thrown. The 32-year old has gone five innings or more in each of his last 10 starts, proving to be an innings-eater for a potential trade partner.

Cashner’s command will most likely grab the attention of playoff contenders moving forward. Certain teams that come to mind in need of starting pitching are the Red Sox, Braves, and Astros.

Although there are marquee pitchers reportedly available, such as Madison Bumgarner, Zach Wheeler, and Marcus Stroman, teams can look to add an inexpensive veteran such as Cashner.

Last season, the Red Sox took a flyer on innings-eater Nathan Eovaldi and the move led them to a World Series championship. Cashner, like Eovaldi, is a reliable veteran who will log innings. Even if Cashner came out of the bullpen to bridge, teams may take a similar flyer as Boston did with Eovaldi.

There’s no telling what the Orioles would get back in return for Cashner, but there is one certainty. Cashner’s strong two-month stretch has improved his trade stock and the Orioles can gain a decent package in return. We’ll just have to wait until July 31st to find out if another team takes that flyer.