May 2, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Orioles Must Consider Trading Veteran Infielder to AL Rival Amidst Losing Season

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated May 16, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the worst offenses in all of baseball and it does't look like it's going to get any better. At 15-27, they have the second worst record in the American League going 2-9 in their last 11 games.

What's killing them? A little bit of everything. Well, a lot of everything. The pitching has been terrible on all fronts - partially due to injury, partially due to who they have available in the first place. Grayson Rodriguez has missed time this year while Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish have yet to make their 2025 season debuts.

On the batting front, besides Ryan O'Hearn - .295/.378/.518 - every position player who has had a normal amount of at bats is having subpar statistical seasons.

If they can't turn things around, Baltimore could try to flip some of their older bats at the deadline, if not sooner.

Ryan Mountcastle, 28, will be past his age prime by the time guys like Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday enter theirs. He's batting .234 with just two home runs on the year, but he could provide some stability to a team just looking for competency at the position - he batted .270 or better the past two years.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One potential suitor could be the Texas Rangers, who would be willing to try just about anything to get their offense going. Joc Pederson was one of the Rangers' biggest offseason signings, but he's been one of the biggest disappointments in the MLB this season batting just .131 with a .474 OPS.

Just a marginal upgrade at first base could do wonders for Texas and Mountcastle could absolutely provide that. With his slow start and Baltimore's likely eagerness to trade, they could get him for cheaper now than they could later.

The Rangers have a bevy of pitching prospects in their Top 30 they could deal to an Orioles team that could use them badly.

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

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