Getty Yohan Ramirez pitching during a March 31 game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
After making five appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, Yohan Ramirez is onto a third team in 2024, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He arrives out West by way of a trade, in exchange for cash considerations. The Dodgers announced the move on X (formerly Twitter) on May 20.
The Dodgers acquired RHP Yohan Ramírez from the New York Mets for cash considerations.
Ramirez landed in Baltimore the same way on April 11, in a trade that swapped the 29-year-old for cash considerations.
He appeared in 5 games and threw 6 strikeouts in 6 innings, recording a 6.00 ERA.
Ramirez was ultimately designated for assignment in the transaction that saw 2023 ace Kyle Bradish return to the Orioles.
He rejoined the Mets via waiver claim on May 6, only to make two appearances before being acquired by Los Angeles.
Ramirez’s journey continues, now with the Dodgers, his seventh team since debuting in 2020. So does the construction of Baltimore’s pitching staff.
Rodriguez Returns & Baumann Gets DFA’d
The return of another starter required someone’s spot on the Orioles’ 40-man roster.
In bringing Grayson Rodriguez back, the team had to designate reliever Mike Baumann, who was without options on his contract.
We have made the following roster moves:
He made 17 appearances with the Orioles this season and threw 16 strikeouts in 18.1 innings, good for a 3.44 ERA.
Manager Brandon Hyde met with reporters following the transaction and spoke about Baumann and the choice to designate him.
“Itʼs been a really tough morning,” Baltimore’s skipper said on May 18. “Mike has been with us for a while. Think about the first half he had for us last year, how many games he helped us win, how good he was. He threw the ball really well last night. On top of all those things, just the incredible person he was, unbelievable teammate, first-class pro in every single way and so well-liked by guys in our clubhouse. Itʼs been a gloomy morning.”
It doesn’t help that an up-and-down season for Baumann had just started to balance out, with the 28-year-old posting a 1.17 ERA in the month of May.
But the performance of Rodriguez in his return to the mound inspires confidence as the Orioles’ pitching staff takes shape.
The 24-year-old ace threw 6 scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners, recording 7 strikeouts and a 3.15 ERA.
It wasn’t enough. The four relievers that followed Rodriguez gave up 4 runs between the seventh and eighth innings.
Baltimore lost 4-3, but won the series in a third game on May 19. Bradish was similarly inspiring in his return to the mound.
Bradish Back & Dealing With Orioles
There was never a question about the risk or reward of designating Ramirez. Bradish was a staple to the 2023 Orioles team that finished atop the American League East.
And he looks the part again in 2024, through his first three starts with the team.
In his season debut against the New York Yankees, Bradish pitched 4.2 innings before being pulled with two on and two outs in the fifth.
He allowed four hits, and 51 of his 84 pitches were called strikes.
Welcome back Kyle Bradish!
In his two games since, Bradish has collected 12 strikeouts in 9 innings, both resulting in Baltimore wins.
It’s a 3-0 record for the Orioles with Bradish on the mound, though the former ace is still looking for his first individual win.
As he continues reintegrating into the lineup, and the pitching staff finds some consistency, it’s only a matter of when, not if.
Through 44 games in 2024, Baltimore’s pitching rotation has a collective 3.25 ERA, good for fifth in MLB. It should only continue trending in the right direction with Bradish settled, Rodriguez working towards the same, and Corbin Burnes manning the ace spot.