How he got here: Acquired from the Kansas City Royals for RHP Cesar Espinal (minors) on 12/18/23.
Last season, Mike Elias was able to turn the Royals’ trash into the Orioles’ treasure with the acquisition of Ryan O’Hearn. Over the course of the 2023 season, O’Hearn went from a depth piece stashed at Triple-A to an impact bat that regularly hit in the heart of the lineup. For the 2024 season, Elias, Brandon Hyde and all of Birdland will be hoping the O’s do the same with reliever Jonathan Heasley.
Heasley originally came to the Royals organization without much in the way of fanfare or expectations.