Yesterday, the Orioles had the International League (Triple-A) leader in ERA in the organization. Today, without even a pitch being thrown, that is no longer true. Michael Bowden, a minor-league All-Star for the Norfolk Tides, exercised an opt-out in his contract and is now a free agent.
That's not a surprising outcome, given the current state of the Orioles bullpen and for that matter, the rotation as well. There's no one they can option, and there's no one they are willing to jettison from the roster. They recently activated reliever Wesley Wright from the 60-day disabled list only to designate him for assignment.