Baltimore’s offseason is shaping up to be about more than just filling holes. After a 2025 season that sent the Orioles from back-to-back playoff trips in 2023 and ’24 to a last-place finish in the AL East at 75-87, the front office has a chance to reset the conversation by chasing a true star.
That possibility feels even more real after the deadline trade of Adley Rutschman, a move that looked like the start of another rebuild, especially with Gunnar Henderson rumors also swirling. But it does not have to go that way.
Mike Elias already got a strong return for Rutschman, and Baltimore still has plenty of young major league talent in place. He also tried to add to the core last offseason with Pete Alonso.
This time, the Orioles should use the prospect depth they’ve built to make a bigger swing.
Two names stand out as trade chips: Joseph Dzierwa and Nate George.
Dzierwa is the cleaner fit for a headline deal. The left-hander, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 89 overall, has turned in a dominant first pro season after the Orioles took him in the second round in 2025 out of Michigan State.
He’s posted a 2.27 ERA across High-A and Double-A in 131 innings, with 90 of those innings coming at Double-A. He’s also held hitters to a .187 average while piling up 149 strikeouts against just 30 walks.
That kind of production gives Baltimore real leverage. The Orioles already have starting pitchers Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish and Brandon Young either under long-term contracts or carrying plenty of team control, and their system has other arms rising fast. With Anthony Eyanson now in the organization as Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect in the Rutschman deal and Caden Hunter developing as the No. 4 prospect, Dzierwa looks like the kind of arm the Orioles can afford to move if it brings back a true difference-maker.
George fits a different kind of trade calculus, but the same logic applies. Baltimore grabbed him in the 16th round out of high school in 2024, and he has already climbed to No. 6 in the organization. He’s a primary center fielder, and MLB Pipeline says “he has the chance to be a plus defender for a long time” at the position.
The issue is simple: the Orioles are stacked with center-field types. Six of their top 15 prospects are primary or secondary outfielders, and the major league club already has Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers in the big leagues while trying to sort out Heston Kjerstad’s future.
On top of that, Baltimore drafted Eric Booth Jr., another center fielder, with its first pick in 2026. Enddy Azocar, also a center fielder acquired in the Rutschman deal, is raking.
Ty Head, the club’s second-round pick in 2026, is viewed by MLB Pipeline as a “no-doubt” center fielder. Enrique Bradfield Jr., Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2023, is in that same lane.
At some point, the logjam has to be broken up. George, who is only 20, could bring back real value, and his missed time this season has been tied to a medical condition unrelated to baseball. If the medicals are clean, he becomes a strong trade piece.
Baltimore has spent years building this system. Now the Orioles have a chance to turn part of it into the kind of star power that changes the ceiling of the roster.
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Eddie Murray remains one of the most important hitters in Orioles history, a Hall of Famer who spent 12 seasons in Baltimore and helped drive the club to its 1983 World Series title. For a franchise that has leaned on its legends as part of its identity, Murrays place in the picture is secure because of everything he produced on the field, including the steady excellence that made him a multiple Silver Slugger winner.
Still, the story of Murray and the Orioles is not only about the highlights. His relationship with ownership soured in the mid-1980s, and by 1988 he was dealt to the Dodgers, a split that left a lingering sting for a player and a fan base that had watched him become a cornerstone. Murray did eventually return to Baltimore in 1996 after things improved, but the memory of how it ended the first time is still one of the more painful reminders in team history. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Mancini Gets The Orioles Ending Baltimore Fans Wanted
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Mancinis place in Orioles memory was already secure, but the one-day deal gives the story a cleaner finish and a sense of closure for the fan base that watched him become one of the clubs most respected figures. It is the sort of move that does not change a standings race or alter a roster, yet still matters because it speaks directly to the relationship between a player and a city, and Baltimores appreciation for one of its most enduring recent stars. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face One Defining Question About Elias After Front Office Shakeup
The Orioles 1-0 loss to the Brewers on a day meant to honor Trey Mancinis retirement as an Oriole was a reminder of how much attention is now shifting from the field to the people building the roster. Mike Elias said he and manager Craig Albernaz are expected back next season, but the organization is also continuing a front office search that could reshape the structure around them.
What makes the situation worth watching is the direction of that search. Baltimore is looking for a new general manager with a player development background, a clue that the club wants to reinforce the pipeline even as it absorbs recent changes, including the departure of director of player development Matt Blood and a title adjustment for analytics executive Sig Mejdal. The next hire may say as much about how the Orioles see themselves as anything Elias has said publicly so far. [Read more 🡒]