Dodgers make trade, acquire Orioles’ 27-year-old rookie

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a flier on 27-year-old pitcher Chayce McDermott, acquiring the right-handed pitcher from the Baltimore Orioles in a trade for minor league pitcher Axel Perez on April 16.

McDermott had been designated for assignment by the Orioles on April 16. Perez, a 20-year-old right-hander who was pitching out of the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League complex, is a relatively small price to pay.

Signed as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Perez debuted last year with the Dodgers’ DSL affiliate. He went 1-1 with a 5.48 ERA in 10 games (nine starts).

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McDermott was a fourth-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in the 2021 MLB Draft. In five major league appearances over the last two seasons, he’s 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA.

The former Ball State standout quickly rose the minor league ranks. In 2024, he made his Triple-A debut and struck out 144 batters in 100 innings with the Norfolk Tides, going 4-5 with a 3.78 ERA across 22 games (21 starts).

But McDermott struggled year at Norfolk, going 2-7 with a 6.21 ERA. He still got into four big league games, and allowed 15 runs in 8.2 innings (15.58 ERA) in his first cup of coffee in Baltimore.

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The Orioles converted McDermott to full-time relief work last year, a role he’s likely to reprise at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

It’s not unusual to see the Dodgers take an early-season flier on a low-leverage relief pitcher who has struggled elsewhere. Earlier this week they from the Phillies.