Orioles Star Relief Pitcher Named Top Trade Target for Tigers by Former MLB Exec

The Baltimore Orioles haven’t done it yet, but it is only a matter of time until they start selling off some of their players to make something out of a lost season.

Coming into the campaign, expectations were high for the Orioles, whom many thought could contend for the American League East crown. Instead, they are in the cellar of the division with a 40-50 record, 13 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays.

With their playoff odds under 1% at Baseball Reference, currently sitting at 0.7% entering play on July 9, they should be moving as many players as possible in the coming weeks in a mini reset.

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Players on expiring deals, such as designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins, relievers Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez and starting pitchers Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano could all be made available as they prepare for free agency after the year.

It feels unlikely that Baltimore would move players on controllable contracts, such as star closer Felix Bautista, but teams will almost assuredly call asking about his availability.

One team to keep an eye on in regard to Bautista is the Detroit Tigers.

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He was named as a potential trade target for the team with the best record in baseball by Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required).

Bautista would be the ideal fit for a Tigers bullpen that lacks players capable of generating swings and misses for strikeouts.

Despite having to knock off some rust after missing the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, he has started to look like his former dominant self.

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Bautista owns an impressive 13.2 K/9 ratio, punching out 48 batters in 32.2 innings. He owns a stellar 2.48 ERA, allowing one earned run since the calendar flipped to June, a stretch of 14 outings.

Under team control through 2027, it is going to take a massive offer to pry him away from the Orioles, who should have plans of contending again as early as next year.

Detroit has the means to pull off a blockbuster deal with one of the highest-rated farm systems in baseball.

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If they feel adding a player of Bautista’s caliber to the back end of the bullpen is the missing piece for their World Series run, expect them to make some aggressive offers to get Baltimore thinking about pulling the trigger on a deal for their All-Star closer.

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