1 untouchable Orioles player ahead of trade deadline

The Orioles had the top prospect in baseball in three straight seasons. That run of elite youngsters started with Adley Rutschman and ended with Jackson Holliday. Henderson was in between those two. Rutschman looked like one of the best catchers in baseball during his first few years in the league. He made the All-Star Game in 2023 and 2024, but his numbers fell of a cliff during the back-half of last season, and he hasn’t re-discovered his groove since then.

The 2019 first-overall pick has struggled to a .214 batting average this season. Holliday, a fellow first-overall pick, has underwhelmed at the major league level during his young career, too. The middle infielder bounced around from the minor leagues and the majors last season due to struggles at the top level, and although he has been better this year, he hasn’t burst onto the scene as an elite player like expected.

That makes Henderson the team’s most prized possession. Unlike the aforementioned former prospects, Henderson wasn’t drafted until the second round. However, he has already won a Rookie of the Year title and a Silver Slugger award. Henderson was in MVP conversations last year, which firmly established himself as one of the best players in MLB.

The shortstop is having somewhat of a down year statistically this season, but he belted 37 home runs with a .281 batting average last season. Still just 23 years old, Henderson could be Baltimore’s leader for the next decade and a half.

Who is on the trading block for the Orioles?

Henderson is the most untouchable player in Baltimore, but Rutschman and Holliday likely aren’t going anywhere, either. However, those aren’t the only high-potential youngsters on the roster. Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Jordan Westburg, and Grayson Rodriguez were all recently highly touted prospects who can bring a lot to the roster for years to come. Free agent acquisition Tyler O’Neil likely won’t be moved, either, nor will what is left at the top of the team’s once-deep farm system.

Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo are the lone remaining top 100 prospects. While Baltimore would have to consider trading one of them if there was a move to be made for a star, trading either is unlikely after losing the Kyle Stowers/Connor Norby for Trevor Rogers trade.

Nearly everybody else could be on the chopping block, though. Ryan O’Hearn holds the most trade value right now. He came into the year expected to contribute to a platoon rotation at first base. Instead, he has hit .328 and looks like the Orioles’ best player. Fellow veterans, such as Ryan Mountcastle, Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Seranthony Dominguez, and Cedric Mullins, could all be on the trading block. Each of them could be set for free agency at season’s end.

The Orioles have actually won five straight games. The team’s string of injuries is starting to self correct, and they are looking more like the team that people expected them to be. That might allow them to be surprise buyers ahead of the trade deadline, which would be rare for a team with as bad of a record as theirs. Their core, most notably Henderson, definitely isn’t going anywhere, but it will be interesting to see how Baltimore manages the trade market with the rest of their roster.