Baltimore Orioles: Mike Elias quietly wins big at the trade deadline

The Mychal Givens era is over for the Baltimore Orioles.

Lastly, there was the swap of Mychal Givens to the Colorado Rockies exchange for infield prospects Tyler Nevin and Terrin Vavra, and yet another Player To Be Named Later.

For those keeping track at home, that’s six PTBNL coming to Baltimore this offseason (the Orioles also dealt pitchers Hector Velazquez and Richard Bleier for PTBNLs).

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Givens put together a few solid seasons in the backend of the Baltimore Orioles bullpen, but over the last two seasons, he’s proven to be an unreliable option to close out games at Camden Yards. Thanks to the additional years of control Givens brings to the table, the Orioles were able to acquire two prospects, both ranked among the top 25 in the Rockies system, plus a PTBNL.

The Mychal Givens trade rumors have swirled for years now and the patience to hold on to him for the desired return paid off for Mike Elias.

The Orioles are pretty slim at middle infield options in the upper minors and they have virtually no first basemen in the minor leagues. Both Vavra and Nevin fill those voids.

Both prospects are also the type of player you don’t see often in the Orioles farm system, with both being high OBP guys who can draw a lot of walks.

If Nevin can stay healthy and turn some of his raw power into game power, the Orioles have a valuable power-hitter who can get on base and play both corner infield and outfield spots. Versatility is key in today’s game and Mike Elias absolutely loves his versatile young players.

There’s a very real possibility that Vavra is the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles in the near future. The hit tool is very impressive, he gets on base, and the glove plays very well at second.

Not a bad return at all for a middle reliever.

At the end of the day, the Baltimore Orioles didn’t make any high-profile moves, but Mike Elias made this organization better over the last 48 hours and that’s all you can ask for right now.