Breaking Down Biggest Need for Orioles at MLB Trade Deadline

Despite sweeping the Atlanta Braves over the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles are still well under .500 and in last place in the American League East.

The Orioles are certainly starting to play better of late, but the early hole they dug themselves into has been too much to climb out of so far. With a plethora of key players still on the injured list, Baltimore is running out of time to make a run.

As the trade deadline quickly approaches, the Orioles still appear to be a prime candidate to be sellers this summer.

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If that ends up being the case, Baltimore will have no shortage of players to move at the deadline. Despite the struggles, there are multiple starting pitchers and some notable hitters that could result in a nice return for the Orioles.

This will be a pivotal time for the front office to get this summer right. The results from the decisions made over the winter were largely poor, and this is a franchise that is going to hopefully be a contender once again in 2026.

Jake Rill of MLB.com recently wrote about the biggest need for the Orioles at the trade deadline being to acquire some prospects close to making the Majors.

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“The Orioles will aim to contend in 2026, considering they still have a strong, young core. So if they could acquire any Minor Leaguers who are close to reaching the Majors, it could be beneficial for next year.”

When looking at the roster for Baltimore, the needs are fairly clear for them. Over the past number of years, they have been able to establish one of the best young lineups in the Majors.

This unit might only be getting better, with some top prospects like Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo still developing, but the team's need is to improve the starting rotation.

Currently, more than half of the rotation is going to be free agents at the end of the campaign, with Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Charlie Morton all in the last season of their deals.

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All three of these players could be dealt at the deadline along with top hitters like Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn.

If Baltimore is going to start dealing players, they need to make sure that the return is good and that it can help soon.

In a perfect scenario, they would be acquiring pitching prospects who might be ready either now or to start 2026.

If things go right for the Orioles, they could see the team turn things around quickly. However, a lot of that will rely on what they do at the trade deadline.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.