The Baltimore Orioles made a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals after an injury.
The Baltimore Orioles announced a roster move on Tuesday morning, completing a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire left-hander Nick Raquet in exchange for minor-league utility man Brayden Smith.
The deal comes one day after the Orioles placed left-handed reliever Dietrich Enns on the 15-day injured list with a left foot infection.
Enns’ injury developed quickly and unexpectedly. Manager Craig Albernaz told reporters that the issue required a trip to the hospital during the team’s series in Pittsburgh, describing the condition as severe and noting that the team was unsure how it developed. Losing Enns is a significant setback for a bullpen that has already been stretched thin early in the season.
To fill Enns’ roster spot, the Orioles recalled right-hander Brandon Young, who made his first appearance on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Baltimore needed another starter after Zach Eflin was placed on the injured list with an elbow injury.
Cade Povich was also recalled last week and was a candidate to start, but he ended up throwing 5 2/3 innings in relief of Chris Bassitt on Monday.
Enns returned to MLB last season after three years pitching overseas. He struggled with the Detroit Tigers but found his footing in Baltimore, posting a 3.14 ERA over 28 2/3 innings while earning two saves.
The Orioles declined his $3 million club option for 2026 but re-signed him to a one-year $2.5 million deal that includes a $3.5 million club option for 2027.
Raquet’s arrival gives Baltimore a much-needed left-handed option in the bullpen. With both Enns and Keegan Akin on the injured list, Grant Wolfram had been the only available lefty in the bullpen. The 30-year-old opened the season at Triple-A for the Cardinals with a 3.00 ERA in three innings.
His MLB experience is limited to two scoreless outings for the Cardinals in 2025, but his path back to baseball has been remarkable. After leaving the sport in 2019 and working in finance for nearly three years, Raquet rebuilt his career from scratch before earning another shot.
As for the player Baltimore sent to St. Louis, Brayden Smith had only just begun his Orioles tenure. The 13th‑round pick from the 2025 MLB Draft played just 16 games in the minors before being included in the deal.
With injuries piling up across the pitching staff, the Orioles are hoping Raquet can provide stability while they wait for a clearer timeline on Enns.