Eflin 'extremely grateful' for chance to help O's reach new heights

BALTIMORE -- Having played in the American League East since the start of 2023, Zach Eflin has seen some of the Orioles’ recent success up close. His Rays squad was in a tight race for much of last season with the O’s, who went on to win the division by two games.

Now, the 30-year-old right-hander -- traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore on Friday -- has joined the defending AL East champions, who entered Sunday in first place in the division.

“Super excited and just grateful for the opportunity,” Eflin said. “I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about this locker room, and obviously, playing against them the past year and a half, you see the youth and how much the guys care about each other and how hard they play. It’s something that we’ve always admired over in Tampa. It’s really exciting to be in this position and to be able to play with these guys.”

Trade Deadline season can be a strenuous time for baseball players, who never know when a deal could take place or where they could soon be headed. But Eflin had an idea that his time with the Rays may be coming to an end this summer.

Tampa Bay (53-52) has been operating as sellers, also sending right-hander Aaron Civale to Milwaukee, outfielder Randy Arozarena to Seattle and righty Jason Adam to San Diego.

“I was fully prepared. I kind of knew something was going to go down,” Eflin said. “They kept me in the loop about what was going to happen and whatnot, and ended up in a great landing spot.”

Things haven’t been going quite so great of late for the Orioles, who entered Sunday having lost five of six games and with an 8-12 July record. Their rotation ERA for the month is 5.21.

Eflin should help stabilize the staff, beginning on Monday, when he’ll start Game 1 of a doubleheader vs. the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. He has a 4.09 ERA in 19 starts this season, but his advanced numbers are stronger, as he owns a 3.66 FIP and a 3.38 xERA.

The nine-year MLB veteran has a balanced assortment of offerings in his arsenal, which features a sinker (thrown 32% of the time), cutter (26%), curveball (19%), sweeper (10%), four-seam fastball (9%) and changeup (3%).

“Six different pitch types, command to four quadrants of the zone, fills it up, just diverse. He’s got a lot of tricks, and he’s got a lot of ability,” Baltimore pitching coach Drew French said. “We’re really excited to see him go.”

The biggest key to Eflin’s success? His low walk rate. He hasn’t averaged more than 1.8 walks per nine innings in any of the past four seasons.

This year, Eflin has issued only 13 walks over 110 innings while racking up 87 strikeouts and recording a 1.16 WHIP.

“I honestly just hate walks. I hate giving people a free pass. I feel like I’m not a competitor when I do that,” Eflin said. “And with that being said, I think there’s still room for me to expand a little more and be able to work outside the strike zone a little bit more. But it really just comes down to I don’t like giving in to guys and letting them just take first base.”

The Orioles have experienced what can make Eflin so good firsthand. He has a 3.00 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP in five career starts vs. the O’s, with three of those outings coming in 2023. Eflin posted a 2.25 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP across the trio of starts last season.

Baltimore is hopeful that Eflin’s stuff -- along with his 15 2/3 innings of postseason experience -- can help the team the rest of the way this year, and then also in 2025, when he’s set to earn $18 million from the O’s.

“You know the type of pitcher that he is. I’ve faced him numerous times, we’ve faced him numerous times, and he’s a guy who’s been around a little while,” catcher James McCann said. “He understands who he is as a pitcher, and he also understands what it’s like to be in a playoff race, in a pennant race. Adding a veteran arm of his caliber to our staff is a huge addition.”

The Orioles may not be done making moves before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. But they already have the core of a solid rotation for a potential postseason appearance, with Eflin joining ace Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer.

Eflin is eager to do his part in Baltimore’s bid for the franchise’s fourth World Series title.

“Winning baseball, competitive baseball, high-energy baseball is what you always dream of as a player,” Eflin said. “I’m extremely grateful to be in a position that I’m in right now to play here with all these guys, on such a good young core team, and be able to have a chance to go really deep in the playoffs.”