Why did the Orioles trade Tyler Wells? | MAILBAG

Question: Why did the Orioles trade Tyler Wells? Would he not have been useful say, today, when they lost to Colorado? And many other games? I get the other deadline trades, but not that one. From: Bob Snyder

Answer: Bob, I was surprised when the Orioles traded Tyler Wells to Tampa Bay. He has a 1.69 ERA with two saves in 12 games with the Rays.

Wells has one year beyond this one before free agency, and they didn’t plan to offer him a long-term extension and liked Michael Forret, the starter they got in return. They drafted Forret and sent him to the Rays in the Shane Baz trade.

I would have preferred they kept Wells because with Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley on the injured list, they didn’t have an established closer. Wells was the de facto closer, and there’s been a hole since.

However, they did acquire Alex Hoppe from Seattle in exchange for Taylor Ward, and he’s pitched very well since he’s come to the Orioles.

Question: Luis De León obviously is a talented young man. But he still hasn’t figured out Triple-A hitters. What is the thinking that he will pitch better in the majors than his 6.50 ERA in Norfolk? From: David in Toronto

Answer: David, it did strike me as a bit odd when the Orioles decided to experiment with De León as a reliever at Norfolk before they brought him to the major leagues.

It was the 11 walks in 18 innings that troubled me more than the ERA. So far, he doesn’t seem overmatched, but it’s a small sample size, and I thought his inning was a good one.

I’ve seen him pitch in spring training over the last two years, and been impressed, and he is the seventh-ranked prospect in an organization full of quality pitching prospects.

Félix Bautista had a lack of control in the minors, and he was coached well and walks haven’t been an issue here.

The Orioles haven’t decided on whether De León will be a starter or  reliever in 2027. He’ll get several more outings over the next few weeks, and we’ll see how he does.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.