The Orioles are working on a trade to send right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb to the Los Angeles Angels, according to a report in The Athletic.
Cobb is entering the fourth year of a $57 million contract that includes a substantial amount of deferred money. The Orioles would presumably have to pay some of the 33-year-old right-hander’s salary.
Signed as a free agent in March 2018, Cobb has a 7-22 record with a 5.10 ERA in 41 starts over the past three seasons. He has not recorded a win at home since joining the Orioles.
Cobb was limited to three starts in 2019 because of hip and knee surgery. Last season, he was 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts.
If the trade to the Angels is completed, it would be the third executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias has done with them since December 2019.
The Orioles traded another starter, Dylan Bundy, to Los Angeles in December 2019. They received four young right-handed pitchers in return. On December 2, 2020, they sent shortstop José Iglesias to the Angels for two minor league right-handers, Jean Pinto and Garrett Stallings.
Without Cobb, the Orioles would be left with hole in their starting rotation. Cobb, John Means and rookies Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer were thought to comprise fourth-fifths of the starting rotation.
Elias has said he would be seeking additional starting pitching. Last year, after the Orioles traded Bundy, they signed two veteran left-handers, Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone, to minor league contracts and both began the season with the Orioles.
According to The Athletic, the Orioles will be receiving 23-year-old second baseman Jahmai Jones from the Angels in the deal.
Jones, who was Los Angeles’ second-round pick in 2015, was 3-for-7 (.429) with two RBIs in three games with the Angels in 2020.
In the minor leagues, Jones also played center field, and has significant experience in left field.
If the Orioles trade Cobb, the only remaining contract with significant money remaining would be first baseman Chris Davis’. He is entering the sixth year of a seven-year, $161 million deal.
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Adios...go O’s...
Rich, given Cobb's track record, hard to believe that the O's couldn't find a veteran who could provide veteran support to the young arms and deliver at least as good of results.
The Angels strike me as the type club a lot of fans want the O's to be. Sign big name FAs, major leaguers and not wait for the team to develop younger talent. They have had the best player in the game for a long time in Trout, added Puljols, most recently Rendon spending nearly $100M/year just for those three (previously added Josh Hamilton, and C.J. Wilson and both flamed out). That team has been consistently below 500. They are in market where they compete directly with the Dodgers and the Padres are not far from Anaheim. Sorry, I have digressed.
One of the criticisms of the Angels during the Mike Trout era is that they never made the pitching development/investment that would produce playoff teams. It is interesting that that team has a number of prospect/suspects to offload on the Orioles. Best wishes to Cobb if he goes as he provided little benefit here for the money which initially was a Brady Anderson signing. I am sure we can find someone to replicate Cobb's numbers from the recycling bin. Are we now up to 2025 when the rebuild is over?
Hard to imagine that the Angels would cover more than a few million of Cobb's remaining $14 million + salary ... hope this bodes well for the chance that that the O's will cut Davis loose and eat the remainder of his contract, which they are stuck for whether he's on the roster or not.
Jumpin' right back into tanking mode. Mike Elias is a bum. A low life, tanking bum that lack scruples or pride of any kind.
I know nobody around here agrees with me, but Cobb got healthy last year and showed himself a decent major league starter. I'll take ANY pitcher that can toss to a 4.30 ERA in Camden in the AL East no less. Who have we got that did any better? No ... not even Means did. Boys ... despite his lack of a Cy-Young pedigree, Alex Cobb was the best pitcher we had under contract. Watch the ERA drop under 4.0 just like Dylan Bundy's did last year. The guy had ONE stink'in year left on that contract ... is healthy ... and Elias dumps him? For what? I'll tell you for what ... for one spot higher in next years draft.
I wonder if Tank Elias will receive any kind of bonus when the Angelos boys sell out the people of Baltimore?
This guy is the 'worste'.
Just surprised anyone would take Cobb off the Orioles hands. Jones is only 23 a middle infielder, where the Orioles are thin with prospects and was the 7th highest ranked prospect with the Angels. The Orioles are trading one year of Cobb for potentially many years of Jones. And maybe they can spend some, SOME, of the money they save on Cobb for a veteran pitcher on the cheap. Never figured Cobb would be traded before Opening Day-July at the earliest. And for a top 10 prospect in the Angels system. Now see if he can trade Chris Davis
I assume Jones is the player rumored to be going to the Orioles. Whoever it is, if he's any good, "many years" means "until he qualifies for arbitration."
Be prepared for the longest rebuild in history.
I saw what you did there, hilarious...go O’s...
That was for you. :)
:)...go O’s...
The Rays let Cobb go the moment his value exceeded his future performance. The Orioles overpaid based on past performance. Cobb personifies why the Rays are successful. Going forward, the Orioles must match valuation with future performance.
Absolutely, he played for the Rays from 2011-2017 & they didn’t want him...agree he was about the best we had, but again, that ain’t saying much, bring up all the youngens, if ya gottem, playem...go O’s...
Whatever happened to playing your best?
Didn't we try your strategy from 98-11 & 17-18? Rebuilding the farm is the smart move. We're finally doing that.
Agree 100% - remember the Oriole Way when the O’s were the heavy weights in the AL East? Our strength was our farm system. Elias has done one thing and that’s build our base of young talent. Patience is a virtue. I’d rather lose some today but win a lot more tomorrow and beyond.
Tampa Bay actually did make a qualifying offer to Cobb after he became a free agent. He turned it down, but Tampa Bay was willing to pay 17 million or so for him. They ended up getting a draft pick for him.
It’s not like we are trading away a potential Cy Young winner. Cobb was a desperation signing and hasn’t played an entire season since he was signed. He’s collected millions of dollars while setting on IR most of his tenure in Baltimore. Time yo move on.
So you get nothing at all for him other than a Covid shortened season.
They didn’t get nothing. They got the Angels 7th best prospect. Would have preferred Mike Trout, but don’t think he was available
I guess I should have said that they got nothing "out" of him, which was my intent. But in any case, Elias weakened the mother club for yet another season.
Jones did play in the majors in 2020. Only had 7 at bats so can’t really judge. Father and 2 brothers were football players so there are athletic genes in the family for whatever that is worth. Originally an outfielder, was moved to the infield. That’s unusual, Adam Jones, Robin Yount, Ryan Mountcastle all were drafted as SS, moved to the outfield. Some outfielders did go to the infield but to 1B( Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, John Wesley Powell). The signing of Cobb was the last gasp of the Orioles thinking they were still competitive.
Mike Trout was available, they were smart enough not to trade him...they at least are trying to win, paying their own homegrown star big $ & signing other stars...very much unlike the O’s...go O’s...
As the O's gouge holes in their rotation, the Angels fill theirs with Bundy and Cobb. Angels coaches successfully helped Bundy make adjustments; we can expect them to do the same with Cobb. Meanwhile, the O's will spend the summer justifying why they need 67 middle relievers.
Bundy and Cobb are free agents after this season. So possibly neither will be on the Angels next year while the Orioles will still have the 5 prospects they got from them. And the Angels have a longer playoff drought than the Orioles
But they have Mike Trout...he could probably beat the O’s by himself...lol...go O’s...
Ryan Flaherty has more post season home runs than Mike Trout
That's why we all called Flaherty Mr. Clutch!
I’d still take Trout, lil more upside...LMAO...go O’s...
CBS Sports.com had Jones the 4th ranked prospect in the Angels system ... I know you can't go to the bank on prospect ratings, but he doesn't look bad in exchange for a pitcher with a 7-22 record over the last 3 years.
O’s have multiple OF prospects rated ahead of Angels top prospect, Jones is ranked 7th & was just moved back to 2nd base, his HS position, been in the OF for Angels, not that great of a prospect, hope he works out but sounds like much of what they have OF/Inf...oh well, the beat goes on...go O’s...
MLB.com ranked Jones 7th Angels prospect, CBS Sports ranked him 4th, and another site I saw ranked him 6th ... those rankings are, of course, subjective, but the point is that we got a 4th-7th rated prospect for a poorly performing pitcher with no role in the Orioles future ... good work by Elias.
All kinds of rankings to look at, #7 prospect on the #26 ranked team, not a Cobb fan but still thought they could’ve gotten better, especially at 23...go O’s...
Sitting here snowed in and reading about the Cobb trade just makes me even more excited for the start of spring training. On one hand you can say the O’s couldn’t expect more for a guy who’s had 3 lost seasons in Baltimore but I also understand the argument that he was solid the final month last year and if he would’ve continued that success this season they probably could’ve gotten more for him at this seasons trade deadline. Only time will tell which route was the best one. On the bright side, speaking of prospects, Baseball America mentioned Gunnar Henderson as one of the top 13 breakout prospects to watch for in 2021.
Cobb was going to be traded now or by June, might has well be now, and try some of the younger arms, or a cheaper free agent signing. I like that we got a good young prospect at 2B, a weak position in Os farm. Keep building that talent pipeline. Lots to be excited about this year with young players, even in a brutal division.
23 & was just moved to 2B, hasn’t played there since HS...still, play all the youngens...go O’s...
We've got to stop these type of "dead money" FA signings. And what's with the amount of "deferred money" going around in recent contracts (Davis, Cobb,.....others).
I'll gladly pay you for a "Home Run today" ....tomorrow (actually 4 years of tomorrow's)
I don't get the Orioles financials. Is deferred money in mlb contracts becoming more widespread ?
Deferred money has been around for a while. When Edward Bennett Williams owned the team,many of the contracts had deferred money. Half of the money in Max Scherzer is deferred. Bobby Bonilla gets 1 million dollars every July 1st from the Mets. The Orioles are paying Mark Trumbo, Darren O’Day, and Andrew Cashner over a million dollars apiece this year. So deferred money isn’t unique to the Orioles. Even Mookie Betts 365 million dollar contract has 115 million in deferred money