Orioles purchase Gabriel Ynoa from Mets

On Friday the Baltimore Orioles purchased right-hander Gabriel Ynoa from the New York Mets. The Mets needed to open a spot on the 40-man roster due to the signing of reliever Fernando Salas and Ynoa was the odd man out. Ynoa still counts as a prospect so let’s take a look.

Gabriel Ynoa, RHP: Ynoa was signed by the Mets out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. He has two decent seasons in the upper minors on his resume, posting a 3.90 ERA in 152 innings with a 82/31 K/BB for Double-A Binghamton in 2015, followed by a similar 3.97 ERA in 154 innings with a 78/40 K/BB for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2016. He made his MLB debut with the Mets last summer, posting a 6.38 ERA in 18 innings over 10 games with a 17/7 K/BB. He started three contests and relieved in seven.

Ynoa is a 6-2, 205 pound right-hander, age 23. His arsenal consists of a sinking fastball in the low-90s, a slider, and a change-up. He throws strikes but his slider and change-up can be inconsistent, reflected in his lowish minor league strikeout rates although he did maintain a respectable whiff pace in the majors, including eight Ks in his first major league start (video below). He could be a number four/five starter or a long/middle relief type.