Orioles trade totally mid pitcher who frustratingly handled Yankees in recent years

Your average Yankees fan probably isn't someone who knows the name Dean Kremer. But you — yes you — the lunatic who watches 125+ games per year, knows exactly who we are talking about. And we come to you with good news.

Kremer was traded on late Friday night in a deal between the Orioles and Twins with a little under 72 hours before the 2026 deadline. That's right, Kremer is out of the division and will be residing in Minnesota for the time being. It also happens to be the opponent the Yankees beat the most.

Just days before the trade, Kremer was the apparent antagonist in a bizarre on-field moment with Pete Alonso, which has to have you thinking: did the star slugger take this to the front office to expedite Kremer's exit? That hasn't been speculated, but it's hard not to think about it. Kremer's been with the Orioles since 2018 (he was acquired in the Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers).

It very much feels better if we're thanking somebody for this, though. So thanks, Polar Pete! Kremer, who is pretty much as average as it gets with a 4.37 ERA, 4.45 FIP and 1.29 WHIP, somehow gave the Yankees an incredibly difficult time over the last few years.

Over his final seven starts against the Bombers dating back to 2023, the right-hander had a 3.63 ERA across 34 2/3 innings. The Orioles went 5-2 in those contests, starting off 5-0 and then dropping the final two by a run apiece.

The Yanks had a period of time knocking around Kremer from 2021-2022, but even his first two career starts against the Bombers featured 11 innings of two-run ball and 14 strikeouts. He finished his career with a 4.08 ERA against the Yanks, as the O's were .500 (7-7) in the 14 games he pitched. Somehow, it felt much worse and more arduous that, especially when you see the imbalance between his career stats and the Yankees' consistent top offense.

Kremer learned how to level up against the Yanks over the last few years and was frequently an obstacle during those series against the division-rival O's. They seemed befuddled by his splitter for whatever reason. The guy averages 93 MPH on his fastball. You can see why this is incredibly frustrating if the "Bronx Bombers" had trouble with underwhelming velocity.

But it's no longer our problem as often as it once was. The Yankees will face the Twins in mid-September (and there's always a possibility of another playoff matchup), but Kremer probably won't be running into the Yankees multiple times per year through 2027. And if he does, it'll be a mere coincidence — one that we probably won't enjoy.

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