The Blue Jays and Orioles executed a little bit of enterprise between video games of their doubleheader right now, as Baltimore traded right-hander Seranthony Dominguez and money to the Toronto in trade for minor league righty Juaron Watts-Brown. Each golf equipment have introduced the swap. The Jays designated veteran reliever Chad Inexperienced for task to open 40-man and 26-man roster spots for his or her new acquisition.
Dominguez, 30, is incomes $8MM in his ultimate season of membership management. He’s spent the previous 12 months in Baltimore after coming over from the Phillies on the 2024 commerce deadline. The 6’1″, 225-pound righty has been among the many Orioles’ high setup choices this season, pitching 41 2/3 innings of three.24 ERA ball with a superb 30.9% strikeout price but additionally a troubling 13.7% stroll price. Command has been an issue for the hard-throwing Dominguez at occasions prior to now, however by no means fairly to this extent.
Even with the glut of free passes, Dominguez has nonetheless loved a robust 12 months. This 12 months’s strikeout price is the second-highest of his profession (second to solely his rookie season), as is his 14.3% swinging-strike price. He’s sitting 97.7 mph together with his four-seamer and 97.9 mph together with his sinker, per Statcast, pairing these blistering major choices with a pair of newly applied secondary weapons: a splitter averaging 87.4 mph and a extra seldom-used curveball that’s sitting 83.7 mph.
Dominguez has picked up 13 holds and a pair of saves. He’s been charged with three blown saves on the season. Exterior of nearer Felix Bautista, no reliever within the Baltimore bullpen has been used extra continuously in high-leverage conditions. He’s no stranger to defending late leads, both, evidenced by the 40 saves and 71 holds he’s tallied in 298 main league appearances relationship again to his 2018 debut in Philadelphia.
Toronto’s bullpen entered play right now tied for seventh within the majors with a collective 3.72 ERA — though that was earlier than serving up a whopping 12 runs to the Orioles within the first recreation of right now’s twin invoice. (Two of these runs had been yielded by backup catcher Ali Sanchez pitching in mop-up obligation.) They’ve gotten terrific work out of Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher, particularly.
Offseason signee Jeff Hoffman has a 4.73 ERA, although that’s skewed a bit by a five-run meltdown again in Could. He’s pitched to a flat 3.00 ERA with a 33.8% strikeout price and 5.6% stroll price in 18 innings relationship again to June 1. Fellow veteran Yimi Garcia, who re-signed as a free agent with the Jays this winter after being traded to the Mariners final July, missed greater than a month with a shoulder impingement after which was positioned again on the IL day on account of an ankle sprain simply three days after returning. He’s nonetheless on the shelf however has posted a 3.86 ERA in 21 innings when wholesome.
The Jays are eyeing a wide range of upgrades as they give the impression of being to maintain their spot atop the standings within the American League East. They’ve been within the hunt for bullpen upgrades — and nonetheless are even after buying Dominguez, Per Mark FeinSand of MLB.com — along with rotation arms like Dylan Stop and outstanding bats like Steven Kwan (although Kwan, particularly, is a protracted shot to alter arms). In an effort to acquire upgrades of that nature, they’ve been prepared to take heed to commerce presents on some controllable younger huge leaguers who’ve gotten their toes moist within the majors already, although that didn’t show vital with regard to Dominguez.
Dominguez will internet the Orioles the 23-year-old Watts-Brown, whom the Blue Jays chosen with their third-round decide again in 2023. The Oklahoma State product has spent the season within the rotation at Excessive-A and Double-A, logging a mixed 3.54 ERA with a 30.5% strikeout price and 10.1% stroll price in 89 innings. He ranked 14th amongst Jays prospects, per Baseball America’s most up-to-date midseason replace of their system.
Listed at 6’3″ and 190 kilos, Watts-Brown sits 92-94 mph together with his four-seamer and may run it up a pair ticks increased when he wants to achieve again for extra. Scouting experiences at BA, MLB.com and FanGraphs all laud the lanky right-hander’s slider and curveball as plus pitches, however command troubles and an absence of missed bats together with his heater have led to some thought that he is likely to be higher fitted to a reduction position down the highway. The Jays have continued to develop him as a starter, and that’ll presumably be the case as nicely for an Orioles membership that’s fairly skinny on upper-level pitching.
Watts-Brown walked an untenable 13.2% of hitters in 2024 and, after notching a much-improved 7.7% stroll price in Excessive-A to start the season, is again as much as an 11.8% stroll price in 11 Double-A begins. He’s additionally plunked 4 hitters in 51 innings there. Watts-Brown might want to additional refine his command to thrive as a starter, however his body and four-pitch arsenal lend themselves nicely to rotation work if he can reduce on the free passes. That he’s already in Double-A suggests a possible 2026 debut for the previous third-round decide if issues go nicely.
Dominguez is the third reliever shipped out by a disappointing Baltimore membership this month. The O’s despatched Bryan Baker to the Rays previous to the All-Star break and traded Gregory Soto to the Mets final week. Dominguez and Soto had been apparent commerce candidates, given their impending free company on a workforce that has fallen nicely shy of expectations. Different O’s veterans who’re set to hit the market at season’s finish (e.g. Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton) are prone to comply with.
Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first reported the commerce.
