Analyzing the Orioles' Cole Irvin-Darell Hernaiz trade with Oakland

The Orioles' quiet offseason has also been a safe one. In trading a real prospect for a controllable starting pitcher, they're introducing a little risk into the mix. And I do mean a little.

There are many reasons the Orioles’ winter has played out the manner it has, but most of it comes down at this point to risk-aversion; a reticence (or top-level unwillingness) to spend the money required for a free agent that may help but may also not pan out, and a reluctance to trade the prospects they’ve invested so much in and help get to the cusp of the majors for fear that they could still get even better.

There’s value in avoiding unnecessary risk, and there’s also value in taking chances when they’re attractive and present themselves. That’s what Thursday’s Orioles trade for left-hander Cole Irvin and prospect Kyle Virbitsky, with infield prospect Darell Hernaiz going the other way, represents: an example of what it takes for the Orioles to make a deal in this new post-rebuild era.

It’s about value, and while that’s been the case for pretty much every trade the Orioles have made under Elias, this is one where the Orioles are giving up the kind they prize for an asset in short supply, especially where Irvin’s four years of club control are concerned.