Orioles Top Priority at MLB Trade Deadline Should Be To Acquire Prospects

Despite playing some better baseball after the disastrous start, the Baltimore Orioles are well out of playoff contention and need to start thinking about the plan for the summer.

It was a poor start to the season for the Orioles, and they simply dug themselves too deep of a hole.

While things have been better, Baltimore has run out of time and their division has four other teams ahead of them battling for playoff spots. Despite the struggles, the team does have some desirable assets that they can move at the deadline.

More News: Could Orioles Salvage Nightmare Season by Extending Gunnar Henderson?

Contenders are usually willing to pay a premium to help improve their team for the stretch run, and the Orioles should be able to capitalize on that.

However, poor decisions from the front office in the offseason will put them under a microscope for what they do this summer.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the top priority for the Orioles at the deadline being to acquire some young assets for their veterans.

“The O's have battled admirably over the past two months to at least get back within shouting distance of a wild-card spot. However, they're still far enough out of the running and stand to gain enough from selling that we almost have to assume they'll do just that.”

More News: Orioles Will ‘First Focus’ on Trading These Five Players First at Deadline

There are going to be numerous names mentioned for Baltimore leading up to the deadline, but who they end up dealing will be something worth monitoring and perhaps a glimpse into their plans for next year.

In the lineup, some of the most notable names will be Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn. Both have had strong campaigns, with O’Hearn being named to the AL All-Star team.

As two of the veterans in the lineup, moving them and their expiring deals makes sense to not only get assets back, but free up at-bats for young players to prove themselves in the second half.

In addition to players from the lineup that will draw interest, a couple of their starting pitchers will as well. Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin, and Tomoyuki Sugano all could be dealt as well to contenders looking for some depth in the rotation.

More News: Orioles Sign Intriguing Veteran Reliever to Contract After Leaving Brewers

The real question will be whether or not Baltimore would consider moving their star closer Felix Bautista. Coupling his skill level with him being under contract for the next couple of campaigns, he would return the most amount of assets if the team elected to move him.

With plenty of options to deal with, the top priority for the team should certainly be to get as many assets as they can for their veterans.

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