Athletics trade LHP Cole Irvin to Orioles for minor leaguer

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles acquired left-hander Cole Irvin from the Oakland Athletics on Thursday along with minor league right-hander Kyle Virbitsky for minor league infielder Darell Hernaiz.

Oakland had already dealt catcher Sean Murphy to the Braves this offseason after last year’s trade-heavy winter sending away several stars: Matt Olson to Atlanta, Matt Chapman to Toronto and Chris Bassitt to the Mets.

The 28-year-old Irvin went 9-13 with a career-best 3.98 ERA over 30 starts for the last-place A’s, who lost 102 games in manager Mark Kotsay’s first season.

Hernaiz is a shortstop prospect who reached Double-A last season.

The Orioles have been pretty quiet this offseason, but they’ve tried to add some starting pitching to a roster that includes catcher Adley Rutschman and top infield prospect Gunnar Henderson. Baltimore improved from 52 wins to 83 last year, and the Orioles also made themselves a much more palatable destination for pitchers after moving back the wall in left field at Camden Yards.

Baltimore finished 17th in the major leagues in ERA in 2022 after ranking dead last the previous year. The Orioles signed right-hander Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal earlier this offseason. They also have two of the game’s top pitching prospects in Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall.

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