Zach Eflin trade grades: Orioles get 'A' for landing veteran starter from division rival Rays

Eflin fills an immediate need for the Orioles as they look to win the World Series

By R.J. Anderson Jul 26, 2024 at 6:38 pm ET• 5 min read

Major League Baseball's trade deadline will pass on Tuesday, July 30. While things have been slow thus far this week, it appears that the dams have broken in St. Petersburg, Florida. That's because, for the second time in a matter of hours, the Tampa Bay Rays have sent a notable veteran packing to a fellow American League contender. 

Early Friday morning, the Rays dealt outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners for a three-player package. (You can read our full analysis of that deal by clicking here.) Now, they've shipped right-handed starter Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for three more players: outfielder Matthew Etzel, righty Jackson Baumeister, and utility player Mac Horvath.

As is tradition here at CBS Sports, we're offering instant analysis on the most notable deadline deals, complete with grades on how each team fared. Before we get to that analysis, let's again review the terms of the trade:

• Orioles receive: RHP Zach Eflin
• Rays receive: OF Matthew Etzel, RHP Jackson Baumeister, and UTL Mac Horvath.

Now, onto the good stuff.

Orioles grade: A

Ever since the Orioles reentered the competitive ranks, we've wanted them to leverage their prospect depth and lack of financial obligations to land above-average pitchers to improve their chances at winning the franchise's first World Series since 1983. The Orioles have done just that twice this year: first springing ace Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers, and now lassoing Eflin from their division rival Rays.