BALTIMORE - The Orioles are staring down the trade deadline with plenty still unresolved, and even inside the clubhouse, that uncertainty is hard to miss.
First base coach Jason Bourgeois knows what it’s like to bounce around the majors - he spent eight years in the big leagues and played for six teams - but he never had to live through a deadline like this. Baltimore is waiting to see how aggressive the front office will be before Monday’s 6 p.m. cutoff, and Bourgeois said that kind of limbo naturally seeps into the room.
“You hope to stack your deck and be in a position to really make a move,” Bourgeois said. “I’m not sure where we land on that point. I just try to focus on today’s game, prepare our guys to go, but I can tell it does build some anxiety in the clubhouse.
“Guys want to win, no doubt, and they want those guys surrounding them in a position to win also, and it brings anxiety, but yet it brings some promising moves to be made as well, knowing that the front office wants the best for us and we’re looking forward to seeing what happens.”
The Orioles entered Sunday 1 ½ games behind Cleveland and Minnesota, who are tied for the last wild-card spot. Bourgeois still likes Baltimore’s position in the chase.
“No doubt, especially with the wild card the way it is,” Bourgeois said. The Orioles still have a trip to Minnesota from August 10 th -12 th and will host Cleveland September 7 th -9 th.
“I feel like we compare to those guys just as much as we compare to anybody else with a chance to win,” Bourgeois said.
There were a couple of notable names around the clubhouse this weekend. Ryan Mountcastle, who strained an oblique while getting ready for a rehab game at Triple-A Norfolk, was there, along with Jordan Westburg, who had Tommy John surgery in May.
Baltimore also continues to lead the majors with 25 pinch-hit RBI.
For Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, the Orioles’ lineup ran Dylan Beavers in left, Pete Alonso at first, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Taylor Ward at designated hitter, Jackson Holliday at second, Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third, Leody Taveras in right, Colton Cowser in center and Jake Rogers behind the plate. Kyle Bradish got the start on the mound.
The Phillies countered with Trea Turner at shortstop, Kyle Schwarber as the DH, Bryce Harper at first, Alec Bohm at third, Brandon Marsh in left, J.T. Realmuto catching, Bryson Stott at second, Justin Crawford in center and Bryan De La Cruz in right, with Zack Wheeler starting.
In Other News...
Orioles Fans May Hate What Adley Rutschman News Says About This Front Office
The Orioles rebuilding project has always been judged through the lens of patience, but any conversation about progress in Baltimore is going to feel different when it involves Adley Rutschman. The franchise centerpiece has been at the heart of everything the club has tried to build under general manager Mike Elias, which is why the latest news naturally lands as a referendum on the front office as much as on the player himself.
There is still a procedural step left before anything becomes official, and that is the part keeping this story from being complete. Even so, the mere fact that Rutschmans name is now tied to a move of this magnitude will force Orioles fans to reckon with how aggressively the organization wants to keep reshaping the roster, and whether the people making those calls can be trusted with the next phase of the rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face One Deadline Decision That Could Define Their Rotation
The Orioles have already made one move that fits the deadlines usual balancing act, sending Dean Kremer out and bringing Jake Rogers in to shore up catching depth. Now the bigger question is whether they lean further into selling, or take a swing at adding help for a rotation that still has to carry them through a postseason chase. Baltimores front office is working with the same familiar tension that hangs over a contender near the deadline: protect the future, or push chips in for the present.
One possibility being discussed would address a clear need by adding a controllable left-handed starter, the kind of arm that could stabilize the staff beyond this season. It is the sort of deal that would require real prospect capital, and the Orioles have to decide how far they want to go to strengthen the rotation without thinning out the next wave of talent. For a club trying to thread that needle, this is the kind of decision that can shape not just the deadline, but the shape of the pitching staff for some time to come. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Helped A Wild Card Rival And Fans Know It
A late-summer trade sent veteran outfielder Taylor Ward from Baltimore to Seattle, a move that immediately drew attention because the Mariners are pushing to stay in the playoff race. Ward, on a one-year deal, gives Seattle another right-handed bat as it tries to shore up an offense that has been looking for a lift.
For the Orioles, the deal is a tougher sell to the fan base because they are still sitting near the wild-card picture themselves and moved a useful bat in the process. Baltimore did bring back three minor-league right-handers in Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling and Brock Moore, though none of them were among Seattles top 30 prospects, which only adds to the feeling that this was a small return for a player who could have helped in the standings race. [Read more 🡒]