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The Baltimore Orioles have obtained left-handed starter Cole Irvin and minor-league righty Kyle Virbitsky from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for infield prospect Darell Hernaiz. The teams announced the trade on Thursday afternoon.

Irvin, 29 years old in a matter of days, spent the past two seasons with the Athletics after being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations. In 62 starts out west, Irvin compiled a 4.11 ERA (96 ERA+) and a 3.24 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 359 innings pitched. He'll remain under team control through the 2026 season, though he's projected to qualify for arbitration for the first time in his career this upcoming winter.

Irvin threw each of four pitches more than 15 percent of the time last season: a low-90s four-seamer and sinker, as well as a curveball and a changeup. He ranked in the 25th percentile in average exit velocity against and in the 12th percentile in whiff rate, according to Baseball Savant.

The southpaw figures to at least compete for a rotation spot with the Orioles. Baltimore signed Kyle Gibson earlier this offseason and has several in-house candidates to sort from to fill out their starting five, including Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, and top prospect Grayson Rodriguez. The Orioles had reportedly been interested in free-agent starter Michael Wacha, though this trade would suggest that an agreement between the two is unlikely to be reached.

As for Virbitsky, he's a 24-year-old former 17th-round pick who reached High-A last season. In 23 total outings, he amassed a 4.63 ERA and a 4.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

On the A's portion of the ledger, the 21-year-old Hernaiz split last season between three levels, batting .273/.341/.438 with 12 home runs and 32 stolen bases. Oakland also clears a rotation spot for some of their young arms and recent acquisitions. The A's signed both Drew Rucinski and Shintaro Fujinami from overseas this offseason. Each should start the year in the rotation.