BALTIMORE -- The Orioles made it clear they were willing to make changes in an effort to improve their starting rotation when they moved right-hander Dylan Bundy from the bullpen to the rotation after the All-Star break.
But Bundy, who made his first Major League start Sunday, is far from a dependable solution. Manager Buck Showalter said it's possible Bundy could stay in the rotation for the rest of the season despite his innings limit, but the O's are still looking outside of their organization for another arm to try to solve the rotation problems.
"We are going to try to add to our rotation," executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said Friday. "We need some more consistency from the guys we have here, and we are going to try to add to it via the trade route."
Entering Friday night's game, which Bundy started, the Orioles had the fifth-worst team ERA among starters in the Major Leagues (5.06).
The O's don't have many assets in their farm system to deal for a starter, though. Plus, there aren't many options available.
"This is a really thin market," Duquette said. "There is a lot of teams chasing a few pitchers. It's about as thin as I've ever seen the market. But we are going to see what we can do."
One pitcher the O's had been linked to, former San Diego left-hander Drew Pomeranz, was already dealt to American League East rival Boston. They have also been linked to Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano, who reportedly is still available.
With outfielder Hyun Soo Kim (hamstring) on the disabled list and fellow outfielder Joey Rickard (thumb) joining him, the Orioles could seek another outfielder before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Duquette said they "could take a look at that," but the primary concern is still the rotation.