The Royals announced they have traded pitcher Jonathan Heasley to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 18-year-old pitcher Cesar Espinal. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Michael Wacha, whose signing was officially announced today.
Espinal signed with the Orioles as a 16-year-old and spent the last two seasons pitching in the Dominican Summer League. This year he posted a 3.18 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 34 innings with 11 walks.
Heasley was originally a 13th-round pick by the Royals in 2018 out of Oklahoma State. He pitched in parts of the last three seasons with the Royals, posting a 5.