Orioles Still Possess Elite Trade Chip in Veteran Slugger Despite Recent Struggles

The Baltimore Orioles sent a message to the rest of the MLB on Thursday; they are officially open for business.

Relief pitcher Bryan Baker was traded to their American League East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays, in exchange for the No. 37 pick in the 2025 MLB draft, signaling the Orioles are ready to start selling.

They are going to make a major impact on the playoff races around baseball, given how many players they could put on the market.

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Arguably the most valuable trade chip they have among those who are expected to be readily available is designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn.

He is currently viewed as one of the best players available based on where he landed in the MLB trade deadline Big Board 2.0 shared over at The Athletic (subscription required) that was put together by Tim Britton, Aaron Gleeman and Chad Jennings.

“He’s maintained most of the drop in strikeout rate he displayed last season, he’s added to what was then a doubling of his previous walk rate, and he’s performed well enough that his expected numbers align with his improvement across the board,” they wrote.

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O’Hearn is set to represent Baltimore in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, picking the perfect time to have a career year.

He has unfortunately been in a bit of a slump since June, but still has very productive overall numbers with a .287/.383/.463 slash line, 11 home runs, 14 doubles and 34 RBI.

His improvements in recognizing the strike zone look to be legitimate, and he truly mashes right-handed pitching. He has received more chances against left-handed pitching, but ideally, he would be in a platoon.

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O’Hearn is playing some outfield this year and has experience at first base, offering positional versatility for whichever team acquires him.

The Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners have been mentioned as the best fits for him ahead of the deadline, and a deal is very likely with the Orioles outside of the playoff picture and in need of a mini reset.

An impending free agent, O’Hearn has made himself a lot of money this winter with his performance on the field.

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He should net Baltimore a solid return as one of the best hitters readily available on the trade market this summer.

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