Zach Eflin Traded to Orioles; Rays Get Mac Horvath, 2 More Prospects in Deal

The top team in the American League East has added to their rotation.

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin in exchange for three minor leaguers—Mac Horvath, Matthew Etzel and Jackson Baumeister.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the deal.

The Orioles were looking to bolster their rotation before the deadline, and they certainly did that by picking up Eflin.

Eflin, who spent two seasons with the Rays, has 87 strikeouts, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 19 starts this year. He's coming off the best campaign of his career that saw him record 186 strikeouts, a 3.50 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP with a 16-8 record.

Before joining Tampa Bay in 2023, Eflin was a valuable member of the Philadelphia Phillies team that reached the World Series in 2022. In the postseason two years ago, Eflin recorded a 3.38 ERA while coming out of the bullpen.

Eflin is the second member of the Rays to be traded in the days ahead of the deadline. Early Friday morning, Tampa Bay also dealt All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners as the team looks to build for the future while sitting in fourth place in the AL East.

Eflin now joins a rotation highlighted by Corbin Burnes, who boasts the fourth-best ERA in the majors at 2.45, and Grayson Rodriguez. Baltimore has the eighth-best team ERA this year at 3.73 and Eflin should help the Orioles get even better on the mound.