The Orioles’ center field problem is staring them right in the face, and there’s no clean internal fix waiting around the corner.
That’s why Byron Buxton keeps coming up as the name that makes the most sense. The Twins center fielder is expensive, injury-prone and protected by a 10-5 no-trade clause, but he also checks a lot of boxes Baltimore badly needs to hit.
He is owed two years and $30 million, and he’s 33. Even with the health concerns, the production is still there: he’s been good for at least an .830 OPS, he hit 25 homers in 93 games last season, and he was back to being a beast in the outfield.
The Orioles, meanwhile, have not developed an everyday center fielder despite years of trying. Mike Elias has kept drafting college outfielders at the top of the draft, but the answer still hasn’t arrived. Even in the lost 2026 season, Elias often leaned on journeymen AAAA types like Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras instead of fifth-overall pick Colton Cowser, and he never gave Enrique Bradfield Jr. or Jud Fabian, both top picks, a game in Baltimore.
That’s a problem big enough to affect the whole spine of the roster. Shortstop, second base and catcher are also defensive concerns, and the club needs to get fundamentally sound if it wants to move forward. The free-agent market doesn’t offer much help either, and with a lockout on the horizon, the Orioles may have to save their money for pitching.
Cowser remains part of the conversation, but not as a long-term center field solution. He can handle the position athletically and owns a strong arm, but he struggles against lefties and offspeed pitches, and he’s described as an extreme feast-or-famine hitter with a broken hit tool.
His decision-making and throwing accuracy are also issues. As Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop and analyst Mike Bordick put it on “The Daily Flock Show”: “I don’t know that they got any answers about anything other than every outfielder that the Orioles have right now, should not be a starting OF next year,” Orioles HOF shortstop and analyst Mike Bordick told me on “The Daily Flock Show” recently.
“Every guy … There have to be some major adjustments and evaluations.”
Trying Jackson Holliday in center field also looks like a dead end. The Orioles’ player-development setup, as it stands, doesn’t look equipped to pull off that kind of conversion, and the void in the middle of the outfield is too obvious to ignore.
Buxton is not the only possible path, but he may be the cleanest one. Trent Grisham is the other obvious center field option, though he comes with his own issues: an erratic hit tool and a price tag that figures to be inflated because of the market. Luis Robert was mentioned too, but injuries remain a major concern, the Orioles already burned $5 million on his waiver claim, and he can’t play center field anymore anyway.
Buxton’s appeal goes beyond the bat. He brings leadership, gravitas and real defensive value, even if the Orioles would have to manage him carefully with designated hitter days and off days. There’s also a track record of offensive consistency: his OPS+ numbers since 2019 are 115, 125, 171, 133, 97, 137, 138 and 125.
Any deal would be complicated. Buxton has the power to block a move, and he has reportedly turned down at least three agreed-upon trades before.
He has talked about wanting to be a Twin forever, but also about wanting to win. The Twins ownership group likes saving money, so another extension there does not sound likely.
That’s where the Orioles would have to sell him on the bigger picture. Elias likes trades, and he likes short-term commitments with a fixed cost.
Baltimore would likely need to show a serious offseason plan around him, one that could include adding pitching such as Shane McClanahan and/or Freddy Peralta. The problem is obvious: Buxton may look at Minnesota and see a better win-now setup than Baltimore.
A deal centered on Gunnar Henderson would be one route. Henderson and Buxton both have two years left, though Henderson is younger, more durable and cheaper.
One longtime MLB executive said: “Buxton straight up for Gunnar, maybe,” said one longtime MLB exec who I floated this with. “It’s not crazy.
Buy low on Gunnar with Buxton aging.” The Orioles would also expect prospects back in that kind of framework.
Another path would involve Jackson Holliday. The Twins got value from Luis Arraez before trading him, and Holliday, despite his struggles, is still a recent No. 1 overall pick with elite bloodlines, youth and cost control. He hasn’t shown he can hit .250 and get on base 32% of the time yet, but in a better organization he projects as a .350 on-base type with 30 doubles power.
There are roster fits beyond the headline names, too. Cowser could be part of a larger package, and veteran catcher Victor Caratini was mentioned as a possible target because of his framing and blocking ability, even if throwing runners out has never been his strength. The Orioles need catching help as well, and Caratini would address part of that need.
The connection to Minnesota is not far-fetched. Elias has already completed two notable deals with the Twins: Dean Kremer was dealt there at the deadline, and Elias landed a package for Jorge Lopez early in the rebuild.
The more you dig into the rosters and the farm systems, the more the fit starts to make sense. If the Orioles are serious about fixing center field and upgrading the overall shape of the roster, Buxton is the move they have to at least try to make.
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