The Orioles have a familiar winter problem on their hands: a promising core, another season below .500, and a pitching staff that still needs real help. If Baltimore wants to avoid wasting what it has built, the front office has to find a way to add both impact and depth to the rotation, especially with Trevor Rogers potentially on the way out.
That’s where a trade with the Rangers starts to make sense, and Cody Bradford fits the bill as a possible target.
Bradford is the kind of arm who can get overlooked when a staff is already crowded with bigger names. Texas is expected to lean on veterans Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore, while Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker add more young talent to the mix. With that kind of rotation traffic, a soft-throwing lefty like Bradford could become expendable.
There’s risk here, of course. Any pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery carries that built-in uncertainty.
Bradford missed a year and a half because of a UCL injury and the surgery that followed, and he’s only now heading into what would be his first full season back. But the appeal is obvious.
Before the injury, he was dealing in 2024 with a mid-3.00s ERA, an 80th percentile hard-hit rate and an elite 96th percentile walk rate. In his return this past summer, he posted a 4.30 ERA and still showed the same strike-throwing touch, walking just 5.2% of hitters.
For Baltimore, the fit goes beyond the mound. The Orioles also have outfield depth that could help get a deal done, and Texas has its own reason to listen.
Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said at season’s end that the club needs to get younger, more athletic, and more dynamic. That message lines up neatly with what Baltimore can offer.
The Rangers also have a 2027 concern in Evan Carter, who may not be ready for Opening Day after labrum surgery. If they want more certainty in the outfield, the Orioles have options. Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, Tyler O’Neill and Blaze Alexander are all in the major league mix, while Enrique Bradfield Jr., Enddy Azocar, Ike Irish, Vance Honeycutt, Eric Booth Jr. and Nate George give Baltimore even more names waiting in the pipeline.
If Texas wants a more appealing package, Cowser and Beavers stand out. Both are under 27, both come with team control, and both still carry the kind of prospect pedigree that can tempt a club looking to reshape its roster.
Cowser, a former top-five draft pick, has been trying to recapture the impact he showed in his AL Rookie of the Year runner-up season in 2024. After dropping to an 83 wRC+ in 2025, he bounced back to a near-average 98 wRC+ in 2026 while providing elite defense in the outfield with 13 DRS and 10 OAA.
Beavers brings a different kind of upside. He flashed in his first 35 major league games in 2025 with a 126 wRC+, then settled in at .228/.307/.373 with a 94 wRC+ over 104 games in 2026. Even so, his minor league track record, plus his eye, arm and speed, still give him plenty of appeal if a new situation unlocks more of the bat.
Both clubs have more talent than they can comfortably squeeze into one roster. Baltimore needs pitching.
Texas could use outfield help. That kind of overlap is usually where offseason deals get real.
In Other News...
Orioles Got A Mixed Prospect Showing At The Perfect Time
The Arizona Fall League Fall Star Game offered a useful snapshot of where a few Orioles prospects stand right now, with four members of the organization taking part for Peoria. Pitchers Braxton Bragg and Patrick Reilly were both in the mix, along with outfielders Vance Honeycutt and Ike Irish, giving Baltimore a chance to see some of its better young talent on a stage built for evaluation. The Javelinas are tied for first in the AFL standings, so the setting has been as competitive as it gets for a developmental league showcase.
Reilly had a rough outing with his control in his start, while Bragg looked sharp in relief, a contrast that fits the uneven but revealing nature of fall ball. Honeycutt finished 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk, while Irish helped drive in a run with a single and also drew a walk, leaving the Orioles with a mixed but timely read on a group that could matter down the road. With the offseason still quiet and General Manager meetings approaching, Baltimores front office will soon have plenty to sort through, including where these young players fit into the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Have An Obvious Second Base Question They Can't Ignore
Second base has become one of the Orioles clearest offseason questions, and Brandon Lowe fits the conversation in a way few available options do. A Maryland native who played college ball at the University of Maryland, Lowe would bring a familiar local tie along with the kind of left-handed pop Baltimore has long valued in the middle of the lineup. His career has been built mostly with the Rays, with a stop in Pittsburgh, and he has paired that offensive track record with better work in the field in recent seasons.
Baltimores interest is easy to understand because the current answer has not held up, with Jackson Holliday struggling in 2026 and leaving the position unsettled. Lowe is not just a name on a free-agent board, either, since his recent production suggests he could help the Orioles in more than one way if they decide to make a move. The question now is whether Baltimore sees him as a fit worth pursuing, or whether the front office chooses to keep searching for a longer-term solution. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Have A Clear Trade Path To Fix Two Roster Problems
The Orioles are sitting on a familiar kind of roster problem, the kind good organizations eventually have to sort through. Baltimore has more infield talent than it can comfortably fit, and that surplus could give Mike Elias some real leverage as he looks for ways to shore up other areas of the roster. The Miami Marlins, meanwhile, are said to be shopping for help at corner infield and outfield, which gives the two clubs a natural match on paper.
For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: turn an area of depth into a chance to address a separate need, especially on the pitching side. Elias has worked with Miami before, and that history only adds to the sense that this is a path worth watching as the trade market develops. Names like Sandy Alcantara or Eury Perez fit the kind of upside the Orioles might chase, even if nothing has moved beyond the speculative stage so far. [Read more 🡒]