Depending on just how high a baseball team’s ambitions are, the idea of pitching depth takes on different meanings.
For a World Series hopeful, having a swingman or optionable young starter who can come up to the big leagues and not miss a beat in the rotation is ideal. At the other end of the spectrum, the Orioles have shown it can be just a way to get through a day.
The Orioles have handled pitching depth in different ways during the first two years of this rebuilding process. In 2019, the Orioles needed bullpen games, frequent waiver claims and the Triple-A Norfolk shuttle to cover the innings required of a 162-game season.