With the trade deadline landing Monday at 6 p.m. and a three-game set against the Phillies still to play, the Orioles are trying to read the market without locking themselves into a lane. Mike Elias said Friday the club is still weighing everything game by game, and that the next two results could matter as Baltimore sorts out its approach.
“This has turned out to be kind of razor-wire situation going into this deadline. We’re 2 ½ out.
We’re three games below .500. I think both of those are really disappointing, particularly with where we hoped to be with the talent level on the team … We should have a better record than this.”
Baltimore sits 2 ½ games behind Cleveland for the final wild-card spot, with Houston and Minnesota a game back of the Guardians. Elias said the Orioles still believe they have a path, but not enough cushion to commit to one side of the deadline.
“I look at where we are in the standings, and we do have a shot,” Elias said. “We do care about making the playoffs in 2026, but we put ourselves a little bit behind the 8-ball.
We’ve got some ground to make up. We’re not going to have a strong bias towards being in one of those buckets, buyer or seller.
“I think we put ourselves in a position where we can’t have a bias in either direction, so we are out in the market, on the phones, finding out what’s going on out there and looking at things on a case-by-case basis, looking for trades that we like, looking for exchanges of talent that we think makes sense for the organization.
“Maybe those are short-term moves, where we bring players in. They’re going to help us right now or next year.
Maybe those are longer-term moves, where we’re sending out guys that are on this team right now and bringing in players for the future of this organization. I think we’ve put ourselves in a position where we’re not declaring ourselves being in one bunker or the other.
“We are going to be assessing moves as the market dictates. It makes for a complicated trade deadline and an unpredictable one, and we’re preparing for everything.”
The Orioles also locked up reliever Yennier Cano, agreeing to a two-year extension that covers 2027 and 2028 and includes an option for 2029. According to MLB.com, Cano will make $7.5 million in each of the first two years, with the option valued at $10 million. He has gone 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA and one save in 48 appearances this season.
Elias also addressed the status of Adley Rutschman, who is on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation and has drawn interest from other clubs. The Orioles president made clear how highly the organization values the catcher, while also acknowledging the reality of the deadline.
“We love him. You feel it when he’s gone,” Elias said.
“Absolutely love Adley and having him as long as we can, but we put ourselves in a position where we’ve got to be pretty open-minded here as we go into these talks. Adley is one of the best things that we have going for us.”
Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are both trending in the right direction. Elias said Basallo has started throwing and will hit in the next couple of days, while Rutschman has begun playing catch and is scheduled to start hitting Saturday.
A rehab assignment next week is possible for Rutschman. Elias added that the inflammation in the tendon in Rutschman’s left wrist is gone.
Basallo’s issue, Elias said, came after his shoulder was “barking.”
“He got inflammation in his shoulder, and we got him an injection, and hopefully cool that down, and now throwing and hitting will be the next step. With both of them, it was apparently just inflamed, soft tissue and just a matter of time to get it back.”
There was more encouraging news on Félix Bautista, who is coming back from rotator cuff and labrum surgery and could still factor into the bullpen this season. He has been throwing live batting practice in Sarasota.
“From all that I’m hearing, he’s looking really good,” Elias said. “Fingers crossed and kudos to him. He’s not back yet, but it’s going really, really well.”
Not every update was positive. Ryan Mountcastle had a setback in his rehab from a fractured left foot at Triple-A Norfolk and then suffered what Elias described as a “pretty significant” oblique strain. Elias said Mountcastle may not play again in 2026.
“We can’t expect him back any time soon,” Elias said. “We’ll get him back as soon as we’re able to. Hopefully that’s in 2026.”
Closer Ryan Helsley, on the 60-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, is also progressing, with Elias saying he is playing catch. Starter Chris Bassitt, recovering from back surgery, threw well for Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday night and is expected to make another rehab start or two before returning to the rotation. Utility player Blaze Alexander, out with a fractured left hand, is still healing, though Elias did not rule out an August return and said a return at the very outset of September is possible.
Right-handed pitcher Colin Selby had surgery Tuesday in Los Angeles to repair his right rotator cuff and labrum, and will miss the rest of this season and a significant portion of next year.
The Orioles also brought in catcher Jake Rogers, whom Elias drafted in Houston in 2016. Yohel Pozo was in Friday night’s lineup, but Elias said Rogers should help stabilize the catching group in the short term.
“Veteran catcher, really well-known for running a pitching staff, and we thought he’d be an upgrade in the short term,” Elias said. “So we brought him in, and he’s going to be catching a lot here in the next few days, and help hold down the fort until one or both of those guys is back. Even when they are back, we’ve run a three-catcher roster quite a bit here, and we also don’t know what the trade deadline’s going to bring.”
Friday night’s lineup for Baltimore featured Dylan Beavers in left, Pete Alonso at first, Gunnar Henderson at short, Taylor Ward at designated hitter, Leody Taveras in right, Jackson Holliday at second, Coby Mayo at third, Colton Cowser in center, Yohel Pozo behind the plate and Brandon Young on the mound.
Philadelphia countered with Trea Turner at short, Kyle Schwarber at DH, Bryce Harper at first, Alec Bohm at third, Brandon Marsh in left, J.J. Realmuto at catcher, Bryson Stott at second, Gabriel Rincones Jr. in right, Justin Crawford in center and Andrew Painter on the mound.
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