The Marlins come to town this weekend. At 42-50, an identical record to the Orioles, they wouldn’t appear to be playoff contenders, but they do have one freshly minted All-Star, and that’s left-hitting outfielder Kyle Stowers, who’s hitting .279 with 16 homers and an .859 OPS. It still stings a bit. The onetime Orioles prospect was continually blocked from playing time here, visibly frustrated with his role, and last July was dealt to Miami, along with Connor Norby, for left-handed starter Trevor Rogers.
With Rogers having posted a 7.11 ERA in four starts in ’24, this deal stunk to high heaven in the eyes of Birdland even before Stowers broke out this year.