"A little bittersweet" - Zach Eflin speaks on MLB trade deadline deal that landed him on Orioles and the overall experience (Exclusive)
Zach Eflin was one of the top trade acquisitions this year. He went from a middling team with little hope of even a Wild Card to a division leader with genuine World Series chances. It was the first time he was involved in a midseason trade.
It is not the first time Eflin has been traded, though, but changing teams in the middle of a season is a unique experience. Now, it's one experience Eflin has and can speak about. He did so in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
The new Baltimore Orioles starter said:
"It's a whirlwind. A little bittersweet. Full of excitement, obviously, to join a team that's doing so well and playing hard. But saying goodbye to people that I've been around for the last year and a half every single day pretty much is not an easy thing to do."
He also opened up on the family aspect of the move. He isn't the only Eflin who now has to relocate to Baltimore. The former Tampa Bay Rays starter added:
"Moving a family with three kids under three years old is not going to be easy to do, but it's going to be worth it in the end. I'm thrilled to be here. I'm thrilled to be a part of winning baseball, and all the guys have been so welcoming and so nice so far. So, that’s been a treat for me."
Winning baseball is exactly what the Baltimore Orioles are playing, as they currently hold the lead in the AL East by virtue of a tiebreaker over the New York Yankees.
Who did the Orioles trade for Zach Eflin?
Trades cannot be done without giving up talent. In the MLB, that means prospects most of the time. The Baltimore Orioles had to part ways with three prospects to add Zach Eflin to their rotation: Mac Horvath, Matthew Etzel and Jackson Baumeister.
Horvath, a second and third baseman, becomes the Rays' 19th-ranked prospect overall. Etzel ranks 29th in their farm system, and Baumeister, the headliner, ranks 14th overall.