Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Orioles Manager Addresses Ryan Mountcastle Trade Chatter

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 8:00 AM ET

There was speculation that Baltimore Orioles infielder Ryan Mountcastle could be on the trade block during the 2025 season, given that Coby Mayo was emerging as a solid first base option.

While the Orioles' front office didn't end up dealing Mountcastle, the addition of slugger Pete Alonso (who signed a five-year, $155 million deal in free agency) further complicated Baltimore's first base situation. Now Mountcastle is without a position and would seem to be a clear candidate to be traded.

And Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Orioles "continue to explore trades" for both Mountcastle and Mayo in a February 14 article.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Craig Albernaz Pushes Back On Ryan Mountcastle Trade Chatter

Ultimately, there's nothing that Mountcastle can do at this point to escape trade chatter, even if the reality is that Baltimore probably isn't going to deal him so close to Opening Day.

This was similar to the sentiment that Orioles manager Craig Albernaz shared when speaking about the trade chatter around Mountcastle when speaking with the media on Monday.

“It’s noise, right, and a lot of that noise is people making assumptions and trying to play GM who are not the GM, which is a real thing,” Albernaz said about the chatter around Mountcastle, per a March 9 article from Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

“A lot of that is for them to know that they have their own development to do. And it’s any of our players. There’s no finished products, and so for these guys to block out the noise, if they did hear it – assuming they did – but also, that’s something we message to all our guys is that you can’t control anything outside of your reach and your spectrum," he added.

"So it’s literally attacking each day as Day 1, having that Day 1 mindset approach of just trying to get better every day, and whatever happens happens in this game. There’s very few things in this game that you can control, but one of the things you can control is the work you put in each day, and that’s something, a credit to them, they’ve been doing that. Same thing with all our guys.”

It will be interesting to see what sort of opportunities Mountcastle will get this season, and how that will impact his trade value.

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This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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