The Baltimore Orioles needed to strengthen their pitching staff to give a boost to their postseason ambitions, and the Chicago Cubs, well they’re terrible so they can afford to move some of their major-league assets.
Consider the non-waiver trading season under way. CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports that the Cubs have traded right-hander Scott Feldman and catcher/infielder Steve Clevengerto the Orioles in exchange for right-handers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop and international-signing money.
The key to the deal is the 30-year-old Feldman, who this season has pitched to a 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 2.68 K/BB ratio across 15 starts for the Cubs. Clevenger, meanwhile, has batted .327/.426/.596 in 15 games for Triple-A Iowa and is 1-for-8 for the Cubs this season. For his career, Clevenger is a .199/.262/.275 hitter in 79 major-league games. The 27-year-old is a Baltimore native.
On the Cubs’ side of things, Arrieta, 27, has a 7.23 ERA in five starts for the Orioles this season and a 5.46 ERA in 69 career games, 63 of which have been starts. He was ranked by Baseball America as a top-100 prospect in 2009 and 2010. The 27-year-old Strop, who made a splash for the Dominican Republic in the most recent World Baseball Classic, has a 7.25 ERA in 22 1/3 innings this season. Overall, Strop has a 4.14 ERA in 144 major league relief appearances with the Rangers and Orioles.
With their starting rotation strengthened, the Orioles will now pose an even greater threat in the AL East, wouldn’t be surprised if they won the division come season’s end.