Could Orioles Entertain Shocking Trade of Star Catcher as Top Prospect Emerges?

As Basallo crushes everything in site, it's worth at least asking the question whether or not Baltimore would consider clearing the path for the young catcher.

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Two years ago, this would not have even been a discussion. However, as has been the case every season following franchise catcher Adley Rutschman's sensational rookie season, his numbers have taken another dip this year.

Rutschman is slashing .229/.321/.376 in 61 games this season, and this is coming off a rather pedestrian slash line of .250/.318/.391 in 148 games last season.

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Basallo meanwhile is coming, and coming with a vengeance. After starting the year in Triple-A, he has slashed .252/.367/.597 with 14 home runs and 30 RBI in 41 games, and it's not going to be long before he's too good to be kept out of Major League Baseball.

A platoon system could be in the cards, but the truth is barring a position switch there is not going to be room for both in the long-term.

No prospect is a sure thing and it is a wild move to trade a perceived established star still under team control until 2028 in favor of a prospect who has yet to take a big league at-bat, but it may be worth it.

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A team looking for an elite catcher would be willing to give up a haul for Rutschman, and if Baltimore is already out of the playoff picture by July, they do not need to rush Basallo along and can afford to be patient.

It sounds crazy on the surface, but dealing away Rutschman now might not be so crazy at all.

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