Carlsbad native Rogers welcomed being traded to the Orioles

SARASOTA, Florida — Being traded for the first time as a major league player can be bittersweet.

For the most part, friendships have been developed in the minors as a player comes up through an organization, and those bonds deepen once in The Show. On the flip side, many times when a trade is made during the season near the deadline, a player has a chance to leave a sub-.500 club for a new franchise that is closer to playoff contention.

The latter was the certainly the case last summer for Carlsbad High graduate Trevor Rogers, who made his Major League debut with the Marlins in 2020 and was an All-Star pitcher for them the following season.

He was dealt to the Orioles in July as the Marlins acquired promising prospects Connor Norby, an infielder from East Carolina University, and Kyle Stowers, an outfielder who played at Stanford.

“Very excited,” Rogers said of the trade, sitting in front of his locker one recent morning at the spring training home of the Orioles. “We had a down year last year with the Marlins while the Orioles were in first place (for part of 2024). It was just a really good trade for me.”

Rogers was able to team up with Drew French, who was named the Orioles pitching coach prior to the 2024 season. “I did not know him much at all. He is a really good pitching coach and an all-around guy,” Rogers said.

After making 21 starts for the Marlins last season, and posting an ERA of 4.53 with a record of 2-9 Rogers made four starts for the Orioles — and struggled with a mark of 0-2 with an ERA of 7.11. That led to the New Mexico native being sent to Triple-A Norfolk in late August, and he was 1-2 in five starts with an ERA of 5.65 for the top farm club of Baltimore at the end of the year.

The news got worse as Rogers dislocated his right knee in the offseason. He won’t be ready for opening day, but the lefty was upbeat about his recovery in a recent interview.

“Everything has been really good, checking all of the boxes before I get back on the mound, hopefully by the end of camp,” he said. “I am just taking it day by day. I would start simple and if it feels good, we move forward.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde, the American League Manager of the Year in 2023, was asked about Rogers during a session with the media in the Orioles’ dugout on March 8 before an exhibition game against Tampa Bay.

“Good,” Hyde said tersely, failing to elaborate. A few minutes earlier, Hyde told members of the media he was not going to give updates daily on injured players.

The Orioles open the season Thursday at Toronto and then have their home opener on March 31 against the Boston Red Sox. Baltimore was 91-71 last season and was swept in the playoffs by the Detroit Tigers.

“A real goal is mid to late-May. I have to throw all of my bullpens again and build my innings up,” Rogers said. Perhaps by late spring he would be ready to make rehab starts in the minor league system of the Orioles, which has three affiliates based in Maryland.

“I would think so. I am sure they would want me to do that,” he said of rehab starts down on the farm.

Rogers is used to taking part in spring training in Jupiter, on the Atlantic coast of Florida. But he recalls making the long bus trip to Sarasota in 2019 to pitch for the Marlins in a spring training game against the Orioles in his first big-league camp.

“It has (been) fun to come here and explore Sarasota,” he said. “I was in a good spot (in Jupiter) and I have come to another good spot so I can’t really complain.”

He made his minor league debut in 2018 in Greensboro, North Carolina and worked his way up the Marlins’ minor league system.

His first big league start came Aug. 25, 2020 in New York against the Mets, as he allowed just one hit and no runs in four innings. His seventh and last start of that season was also in New York, as he gave up no runs in three innings against the Yankees.

The Carlsbad product tries to take advantage of new technology and analytics — to a degree.

“I try to be right in the middle with everything in moderation” between old school and new ways of doing things, he said. “You can get carried away (with technology). I use my eyes.”

Now, Rogers just wants to get back on the mound and erase the bad memories of the second half of last season.

David Driver covered the Washington Nationals from 2013-22 for several publications. He is the co-author of “From Tidewater to the Shenandoah: Snapshots from Virginia’s Rich Baseball Legacy,” available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at daytondavid.com. He has contributed to Orioles Magazine and is the former sports editor of the Baltimore Examiner.