The Baltimore Orioles are experiencing a bit of a rough patch after getting swept by the Chicago Cubs in their most recent series. They scored just two runs and were outscored 21-2, a discouraging sign considering the Orioles recently took over first place in the American League East
It’s tough to judge the pitching staff too much as currently constructed. Baltimore lost three starting pitchers to season-ending injuries, but that’s expected to be fixed in the coming weeks.
They have reported interest in Garrett Crochet and other high-level arms. If the Orioles wanted to land any of the top players available in a trade, they have the farm system to do so.
Loaded with prospects who likely won’t have much of a place to play with the talent already at the big league level, there’s not much of a reason not to trade them if the right deal comes up.
However, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Baltimore doesn’t plan on trading any of their top prospects.
“The season-ending injuries to Kyle Bradish and John Means have the Orioles in the starting pitching market, but they don’t intend to trade any of their top prospects. They didn’t do so to acquire Corbin Burnes earlier this year, and they don’t see a reason to now.
“The quality and depth of their farm system are as good as any organization in baseball, and they have enough talent to land any available starter they want without giving up their top-three or -four prospects. The Orioles have been linked in trade talks with the White Sox, Blue Jays and Rockies on their available starting pitchers.”
It’s tough to say if they could land a player like Tarik Skubal without moving one of their top three or four prospects, but that doesn’t seem likely.
That doesn’t mean the Orioles front office should go out and trade Jackson Holliday for Skubal, but everyone outside of that shouldn’t be untouchable.
Perhaps they could land Crochet with this mindset, which would be viewed as a massive win. Other teams have heavy interest in the left-hander, so it’s tough to imagine a scenario where they don’t get a better offer.
Baltimore has a chance to win the World Series, and nothing should hold them back from trying to do that. Having elite prospects is awesome, but if they aren’t in the plans for the big league roster, why not move on from them?
They should explore all trades, but can’t get caught prospect holding if a deal is going to make their big league roster even better than it already is.
