Padres: Three starting pitchers to target before deadline

3. Dylan Bundy

Another former Oriole, Dylan Bundy, has found “it” this season with the Los Angeles Angels, who are underperforming with an MVP batting order. Similar to Gausman, Bundy was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft and was ranked as the second-best prospect in baseball before the 2013 season.

He had pedestrian numbers in 2016, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He’s been a regular starter since 2017, and through six starts this year, Bundy has a 2.58 ERA with 44 K to 8 BB to go along with a career-best 10.3 K/9.

What’s been the key to his success?

Bundy’s slider is yielding a .075 batting average with a 53.7 whiff rate and 81.7 average exit velocity, per StatCast. His changeup has also seen an uptick in production, going from a .254 average against last year to .171 this season. The 27-year-old still has another year of arbitration next season, so he’d be more than a rental.