Orioles general manager Mike Elias suggested in late June it would be difficult for the starter-starved club to part with either Dylan Bundy or Andrew Cashner prior to the July 31 trade deadline. However, at least in Cashner’s case, Baltimore “certainly would” part with the right-hander, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Elias has been “checking the Cashner market for quite a while,” Kubatko adds.
The Orioles obviously haven’t found a taker for Cashner yet, though he has upped his value with a resurgent year. After Cashner’s disastrous 2018, his first season as an Oriole, it would have been difficult to envision him emerging as a trade chip this summer. But the 32-year-old has come out of the gates this season with a 3.83 ERA/4.26 FIP, 6.17 K/9 against 2.71 BB/9, and a 49.2 percent groundball rate in 96 1/3 innings. Cashner turned in his fifth consecutive quality start Saturday, throwing seven innings of one-run ball in Toronto.
Cashner’s success in 2019 has come thanks in part to an ability to stymie opposite-handed hitters, whom he has limited to a paltry .229 weighted on-base average. At the same time, Cashner has held enemy lineups to a .273 wOBA the first time through the order, a .311 mark the second time and a .312 figure the third time. Cashner’s better output has come with an increase in velocity. He averaged 92.4 mph on his fastball a year ago, but the number has revisited its 93.5 mph mean from 2017 – a season in which he defied uninspiring peripherals to post a 3.40 ERA with the Rangers. He landed a two-year, $16MM deal from the O’s the next winter as a result.
Cashner’s on track to reach free agency again during the upcoming offseason, and he is owed approximately $3.7MM of his current $8MM salary in the meantime. Considering Cashner is not a major difference-maker at this stage of his career, Baltimore might have to eat some of his remaining money to augment his trade value in the next few weeks. If Cashner keeps pitching well until then, though, he may indeed end the season with a playoff contender.
walls17
Was there anything suggesting they wouldn’t?
tharrie0820
Someone obviously read the title and skipped straight to the comments
mrdave
He had indicated that he would retire if he was traded.
Jockstrapper
His awful numbers from last year?
dimitrios in la
Well, yes, his value would previously been paltry. Guy looked terrific tonight.
Rick Wilkins
You mean Andrew Cashner isn’t untouchable? This is a huge shocker.
afsooner02
Brewers….call them please.
chicagofan1978
I could see that but don’t they really need a left handed more?
Ketch
There should be a few teams willing to surrender an unranked A-ball wild card minor leaguer for him…
gorav114
Not even close to enough
Dustin Michels
Backend starter with a 4.26FIP and a rental might not fetch a whole lot imo
gorav114
Yes he looked awful tonight going 7 innings only 3 hits no walks.
kidaplus
My team did that once… his name was Fernando Tatis Jr…
VegasSDfan
Jackpot for the Padres!!!
nypadre66
and the Padres traded Anthony Rizzo for Cashner. That didn’t work out so well.
gorav114
Cashner has been a beast on the mound and an incredible teammate in the dugout on a bad team in the AL East. He’s cheaper than the top tier but should still fetch a good prospect.
jbigz12
You’re going to be pretty disappointed if you think Cash is going to fetch much more than a lotto ticket. He’s not cheap and the peripherals put him as a #4 rental starter. If we snagged a top 15 prospect from an org that’d be a win. The article mentions nothing of his salary escalators that hit with innings pitched. That further hampers upside.
gorav114
I think a teams top 10 is not unreasonable. Maybe lower rated kid if it’s a real young guy with high ceiling. Wouldn’t be shocked to get say a teams #8 and a single A throw in.
nypadre66
Does anyone think this year’s version of Cashner is what should be expected versus all the other years when he was bad to heinous?
jbigz12
Wouldn’t hold my breath for that. Look at what comparable rental starters fetched a season ago. Lance Lynn got Tyler Austin. Cole Hamels didn’t even fetch a top 15 prospect. There’s no reason to believe Cashner’s market is any better than that. We’ll get something but if it’s a top 10 prospect it’s probably going to be from a very very poor system.
Cam
Will you be here when he inevitably gets traded for a lottery ticket? And no, he hasn’t been a beast.
bravesfan
Why would anyone want bundy…. he was part of trade discussions last year and I kept thinking to myself, why? Lol he’s not good.
2012orioles
Same with gausman, yet the braves went for him
66TheNumberOfTheBest
Stephen Alemais and Dovydous Neverauskaus for Andrew Cashner.
Bottom Line
Trade him. No one is off limits. Sure he’s pitching well now but there is nothing in his history to expect that will consistently be the case. He would be the difference in losing 115 games vs. losing 125. Trade him and hopefully we get at least a single prospect
bjsguess
Yeah – he’s not the difference maker in a 10 win swing. He’s been worth less than 3 wins a season during his “peak” performance years.
Now he’s more like a #5 for any decent playoff bound team.
Johhos
Phillies… Nick W and DLS ought to be enough to start the conversation…..
bucketbrew35
“Phillies… Nick W and DLS ought to be enough to start the conversation…..”
That would be a massive overpay on the Phillies part.
Johhos
Maybe… Just DLS then, or throw in Ramos or Rios with DLS. O’s need pitching and DLS should be given a chance ….he won’t get starts in Philly…
Bob Melvin
We are monitoring Andrew as we speak! Thanks Bob
dwilson10
Cashner to the Brewers for Carlos Rodriguez
Banesays
Hey I remember this guy. He’s the one that brought the Cubs Rizzo. Really awesome guy.
jdodge22
Did this article really need to be written??
garethhe
Unfortunately for Baltimore, the only team in baseball that still cares about win-loss record and ERA is Baltimore.
lopodan
He would get the equivalent player to Luis Ortiz or Josh Lucas. or a Straily type guy.. Maybe Mike Wright? Everyone needs pitching. Nobody has major league arms to trade away. for a few months of Cashner. .Why not keep him if you can’t get value?