Orioles Can Impact Playoff Races As Sellers Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

Coming into the 2025 MLB regular season, the Baltimore Orioles were expected to be one of the true contenders in the American League.

Despite some criticisms about how they handled their pitching staff in the offseason, they had the talent to compete with any team in the league.

Fast forward to May 19, and those criticisms of the pitching staff weren’t harsh enough.

The Orioles' starting rotation has been woeful, with most of their offseason acquisitions providing the team with no positive production. 

Charlie Morton has been yo-yoing between starting and a relief role after five awful outings to begin the year. Kyle Gibson, another free agent addition, was designated for assignment after four brutal starts.

While the pitching staff has not gotten the job done, the lineup is not without blame.

An incredibly talented core of positional players haven’t come close to living up to expectations. Former top prospect Heston Kjerstad had an opportunity to cement his standing with the team and has failed.

Catcher Adley Rutschman hasn’t been performing. Free agent additions Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sanchez and Dylan Carlson have not gotten the job done either.

It has culminated in Baltimore owning a 15-30 record, sitting in last place of the AL East, with only the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies having fewer victories to this point in the campaign.

As a result, it should come as no surprise that Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report has listed the Orioles as one of the biggest sellers had the MLB trade deadline been today.

While Baltimore’s odds of making the postseason have plummeted, they can still have a major impact on how the races shake out because there are so many desirable players on their roster.

Tomoyuki Sugano and Zach Eflin are both on expiring contracts and would be popular trade targets for rotation needy teams.

In the bullpen, Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto could both be rentals for a contending squad.

The same goes for a team in need of outfield help with Cedic Mullins being a potential target. O’Neill could be made available too with his unique contract structure.

No one could have predicted the Orioles being sellers back in spring training, but that is where the team sits currently. It would make the most sense to maximize the value of some of the players on the roster and re-evaluate things in the offseason when they seek a new manager and potentially a new general manager.