Orioles Potential Trade Chip This Summer Named Team MVP in First Half

With the halfway point of the season here for the Baltimore Orioles, it is safe to say that this year has been a massive disappointment so far.

The Orioles had high hopes coming into the campaign after two straight postseason appearances and a young core that was seemingly getting better. Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to a good start and spiraled quite a bit early on.

Baltimore elected to fire their manager amid the struggles, and while they have played a bit better since, they are still a long way from being a contender.

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The Orioles are going to have some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks regarding what the plan will be at the trade deadline. Getting some clarity on where they will be in the standings will help, but more than likely, they will be sellers.

Even though their record hasn’t been good, they do have some players who performed very well in the first half of the season.

Recently, Jake Rill of MLB.com wrote about who the Orioles' MVP was for the first half of the year. He chose slugger Ryan O’Hearn as their top performer.

“O’Hearn has frequently carried Baltimore’s offense during the first half. While plenty of O’s players are having surprisingly down years, the 31-year-old is having a career season, which has him on the cusp of his first All-Star selection of his eight-year MLB tenure.”

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In his third season with Baltimore, O’Hearn has been a solid player for the franchise since coming over from the Kansas City Royals. However, in this campaign, he has been able to take his game to the next level.

So far in 2025, he has slashed 293/.380/.473 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 70 games played. With his career high in home runs being 15 last year, the 31-year-old is on pace for a career year in that department.

Even though he has been the MVP for the Orioles in the first half of the campaign, O’Hearn is going to be a prime trade candidate this summer. With the ability to play both first base and the outfield, contenders will be excited to pursue him if he becomes available.

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For Baltimore, with the likelihood of making the playoffs being slim, moving O’Hearn and getting some prospects in return would be the wise decision. The slugger is playing excellently in the final year of his contract, and Baltimore would be selling high.

While there are still a couple of weeks to decide whether or not to be sellers, the team MVP of Baltimore is likely going to be one of the most sought-after trade candidates.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.