LAS VEGAS-With the General Managers Meetings getting underway and the trade market expected to be shorter than usual, the Orioles are going to be a team worth watching closely. There are plenty of names in play, but not all of them are equally available.
At the very top of the list, Pete Alonso does not sound like someone the Orioles would move. He signed a five-year, $155 million deal a year ago and backed it up with a huge first season, leading the American League with 43 home runs and 113 RBIs. He also carries a limited no-trade clause that blocks deals to eight teams.
Samuel Basallo is another player who would be a surprise to see dealt. He just finished the first season of an eight-year, $67 million contract, and while president of baseball operations Mike Elias has said the Orioles don’t view Basallo as a full-time catcher, they are still searching for a capable backup.
Basallo’s season was split in two: a strong first half with a .248 average, .772 OPS, 16 homers and 46 RBIs, followed by a rough second half in which he hit .140 with a .456 OPS, two home runs and eight RBIs. A right shoulder injury cost him nearly a month, and a concussion ended his year early.
The same logic applies to the rotation. Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish and Brandon Young are the top three returning starters, and with Trevor Rogers likely headed for free agency, it’s hard to see the Orioles moving any of them.
Baz and Bradish both signed extensions this year - five years and $68 million for Baz, five years and $90 million for Bradish - while Young has just wrapped up his first full season. The Orioles need established arms, not fewer of them.
Coby Mayo looks like another player the Orioles should be careful about moving. He entered 2025 as the organization’s second-ranked prospect and No. 14 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, and after a disappointing start to the year, he finished strong.
In the second half, Mayo hit .270 with an .876 OPS, 12 home runs and 29 RBIs. There has been talk about shifting him to the outfield, but whether he ends up at third base, in the outfield or at designated hitter, he’s showing the kind of upside the Orioles need more of.
Blaze Alexander fits a similar mold. He hit .303 with a .772 OPS in his first season with the Orioles and gave the club real flexibility by playing six positions, which helped cover for Jordan Westburg’s absence.
But after getting hit by a pitch in the final game before the All-Star break and then dealing with a back injury, he appeared in only 11 games in the second half. Like Mayo, he is not yet arbitration-eligible, and his versatility makes him valuable.
Gunnar Henderson is the name the Orioles would have to at least listen on. He had a down year in 2026, batting .225 with a .712 OPS, 24 home runs and 59 RBIs, but he still posted a 3.2 WAR.
If Baltimore moved him for prospects the way it did with catcher Adley Rutschman in August, that would send a clear message that the club is not serious about competing in 2027. Teams would line up for him, but with two years left before free agency, the Orioles would need to be blown away.
If they are out of the race at the trade deadline, he could become a more realistic option then.
Colton Cowser is another possible trade chip, though he comes with a catch. He made one of the season’s signature defensive plays by robbing a would-be game-ending home run in Colorado, but his bat was light, as he hit .226 with a .687 OPS, 13 homers and 40 RBIs.
His 2.6 WAR was driven mostly by defense, and the issue with dealing him is simple: he’s the best outfielder on the roster and covers center field at a high level. If the Orioles had more offense in left and right, his lack of production at the plate would stand out less.
Jackson Holliday could also draw interest. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft still hasn’t fully taken off, and this season included surgeries on both wrists.
He hit .229 with a .640 OPS, seven home runs and 30 RBIs, though his defense at second base improved. He won’t turn 23 until next month, which only adds to his appeal.
If Jordan Westburg returns from Tommy John surgery, the Orioles could slide Holliday into second base and move Mayo to third, or use Alexander there instead. Even so, it would take a massive offer to pry Holliday loose.
Dylan Beavers is another player who could be included in a package. He was a disappointment in 2026, although he did receive a fifth-place vote in Monday’s AL Rookie of the Year voting.
After a promising six-week stretch in 2025, Beavers hit .228 with a .680 OPS, along with nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 104 games. A strained right oblique cost him seven weeks, and his outfield defense was not strong.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand is worth keeping in mind as well. He may not have a huge market, but he put together a strong second half, hitting .277 with an .838 OPS, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 58 games. He plays the corner infield, and if the Orioles don’t move an infielder and Westburg comes back, there may not be an obvious place for him.
The Orioles could also look to their stash of starting pitchers in Double-A and Triple-A. Michael Forret has already been traded once and then reacquired from Tampa Bay, and right-handers Braxton Bragg, Nestor German and Levi Wells are all top 30 prospects. The club may need Trey Gibson and Cade Povich for rotation depth, but they, too, could be appealing pieces if Baltimore decides to put together a larger deal.
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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 🡒]