BALTIMORE — Baltimore found itself a trading partner leading up to the nonwaiver trade deadline.
On Sunday, reliever Brad Brach was traded to the Atlanta Braves. And on Tuesday, just hours leading up to the deadline, the Orioles announced that right-handed starter Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day, also a reliever, will be joining Brach.
In exchange for Gausman and O’Day, Baltimore received four prospects — two pitchers, an infielder and a catcher — plus international signing bonus slot money.
Gausman, 27, went 5-8 with a 4.43 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 21 starts in 2018. He was selected fourth-overall by the Orioles out of Louisiana State University in 2012 and made his debut less than a year later. Gausman went 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA in six seasons.
O’Day, who is recovering from hamstring surgery, registered a 3.60 ERA in 20 innings this season. He struck out 27 batters and issued four walks. The submarine pitcher joined the Orioles in 2011 after being claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers. In those seven years, he held a 2.40 ERA and amassed over 400 strikeouts.
Baltimore’s newest pitching prospects include right-hander Evan Phillips and starter Bruce Zimmerman, a southpaw.
Phillips, 23, made 31 appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2018. He had a 1.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts. Zimmerman, also 23, split his time between Class-A and Double-A this season, going a combined 9-4 with a 2.86 ERA. He notched 125 strikeouts in 20 starts.
Jean Carlos Encarnacion, a 20-year-old infielder, batted .288 with 23 doubles, five triples and 10 home runs for Class-A Rome in 2018. Encarnacion, Atlanta’s 14th-best prospect, according to MLB.com, knocked in 57 runs and scored 45 of his own.
Brett Cumberland, a 23-year-old catcher, hit .228 with 15 doubles and 11 home runs in 87 games between Class-A Advances Florida and Double-A Mississippi. He drove in 39 runs.
