The Baltimore Orioles have gotten off to a dreadful start to the 2025 MLB season. Injuries have played a big role in the team’s struggles, but a lot of their misfortune is due to some self-inflicted miscues. Failing to upgrade the rotation has been discussed ad nauseam, but Mike Elias has made some mistakes on the margins as well. The Scott Blewett trade is the latest one to backfire.
The Orioles claimed Blewett off of waivers in mid-April, adding some depth to their bullpen in the process. The right-hander looked extremely solid in his two Orioles outings, not allowing a single earned run in his 4.1 innings of work and striking out six batters. Despite his success, the Orioles DFA’d and eventually traded Blewett to the Atlanta Braves.
All Braves fans can do is thank Elias for giving up on Blewett far too soon.
Scott Blewett is just the latest MIke Elias whiff
It feels as if everything Elias touches goes against Baltimore. He gave Charlie Morton a one-year deal, and that has backfired in record time. He gave Kyle Gibson a one-year deal after the Orioles dealt with some starting pitching injuries, and that hasn’t looked good so far. He gave up on Blewett after two outings, and now, has reason to regret it.
Blewett has been a godsend for a Braves’ bullpen that needed added depth. He allowed five runs in his first five appearances and 8.1 innings of work for the Braves, but three of those came in one rough outing. For the most part, he’s been outstanding for Atlanta, and was the hero in Saturday’s extra-inning win.
The 29-year-old entered Saturday’s game in a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the tenth on the road. Normally, given the extra-inning ghost runner, when the road team doesn’t score in the top half of an extra-inning frame, that team loses in the bottom half. Blewett, however, managed to get through that inning unscathed.
The Braves managed to score a run in the top of the 11th to take the lead, and rather than turning to another arm, Brian Snitker stuck with Blewett. He did not blow it. He retired the side in order to secure the Braves’ victory.
Scott Blewett in a 2 day span has worked FOUR scoreless innings in extras. MVP of the last week, and the bullpen has been phenomenal as a whole
— Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) May 10, 2025
Sure, he faced a light-hitting Pirates team, but he pitched with no wiggle room in two insanely high-leverage innings on the road and kept Pittsburgh off the board entirely. It was a very impressive performance.
The Orioles’ bullpen has a 5.29 ERA, good for the third-worst mark in the majors. Blewett isn’t Mariano Rivera, but he’s absolutely worthy of being in a bullpen for a contending team. The Orioles had a chance with him, but blew it far too early. The Braves are the beneficiaries.
