Orioles Land Reliever in Trade With Phillies

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It’s safe to say some of the excitement that centered around the Baltimore Orioles for this upcoming season was tempered by the injury news surrounding three of their more high-profile names in the organization.

Kyle Bradish has been placed on the injured list and will miss time at the beginning of the year.

John Means is behind schedule after working back from his Tommy John surgery recovery and likely will also miss time.

Superstar prospect Samuel Basallo suffered a stress fracture in November and has been limited in Spring Training.

Not a great way to start the upcoming season.

But, out of this news, easily the most impactful injury in 2024 is the one to Bradish. He’s hoping the issue with his UCL can be rehabbed without surgery that would force him to miss this entire campaign.

So as the Orioles navigate these concerns, they announced on their social media account they acquired reliever Kaleb Ort from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations.

The 32-year-old grinded his way from going undrafted to appearing in 47 Major League games with the Boston Red Sox the past three seasons.

Ort didn’t have the best tenure, posting an ERA of 6.27 across 51 2/3 innings pitched before being placed on waivers after 2023.

Still, Baltimore doesn’t necessarily need star acquisitions at this point in time.

They’re looking for depth to their bullpen unit after they needed to move two of their expected relievers into the starting rotation to start the year.

Ort will have an opportunity in Spring Training after he was added to their 40-man roster following the move to designate outfielder Peyton Burdick for assignment.

A good showing could have him in the mix on Opening Day, or at least be a call up during some point in the season if he starts out in Triple-A.