When the Orioles acquired left-hander Cole Irvin from the Oakland Athletics in January, the pitcher they envisioned isn’t the one who ultimately showed up.
The O’s knew Irvin was no ace, but they thought they were getting an innings eater who could help mentor the less experienced starting pitchers, sort of a left-handed complement to Kyle Gibson, but younger and with more years of team control. Instead, Irvin — who’d made 30 or more starts and thrown 178+ innings in each of his two years for the Athletics — finished with 77 innings and 12 starts in his debut season for the Orioles, spending two stints in the minors and countless more in the bullpen while struggling to settle into any particular role.