Orioles Must Go All In on Selling Expendable Assets at Upcoming Trade Deadline

The Baltimore Orioles to this point have not significantly turned things around from their horrific start and still sit more than double digit games out in the division and close to the same in the Wild Card category.

Now that the calendar has turned to July, the trade deadline is very real and coming fast just four weeks from now. Unless the Orioles go on some sort of incredible winning streak over the next three weeks, the picture is fairly clear.

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For as disappointing as it may be based on the goals prior to the season, this is not a team with the championship aspirations.

This iteration of Baltimore unfortunately is in a spot where the writing is on the wall, and contending is not likely nor would buying at the dealine be wise or responsible.

Selling is the direction that not just should be taken, but must be taken if the Orioles want any hope of contending next season and potentially down the line as well.

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For starters, Baltimore has numerous pending free agents who are likely to walk at the end of the year to the highest bidder regardless of whether or not the Orioles hold onto them. If they are not going to help win now nor in the future, getting what you can for them now is the best course of action.

The most obvious piece to deal is center fielder Cedric Mullins, who is starting to feel more like a when than an if in terms of getting dealt.

Plenty of teams are in need of a power hitting outfielder who can be the final piece of the puzzle, but it goes beyond just Mullins.

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Even though he has just hit the injured list for the second time this season, Zach Eflin will be desired by teams with the market for starters looking thin. Eflin has not been great in his 12 starts this year, however that should not stop teams from making offers.

The major domino beyond those two is Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who has been the team's most consistent starter in his rookie MLB season.

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Sugano is set to hit the open market again after this year and may be the team's most significant trade piece. While the desire to hang onto someone that was just signed this past winter makes sense, Baltimore should not hesistate to send him away if the offer is right.

Selling is never an enviable or fun place to be, but when the deadline rolls around here shortly, the Orioles must think about the future more so than the present.

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