The Orioles are heading into an offseason that looks built around trades, not free-agent shopping, and the names floating around in that conversation are already piling up.
Jackson Holliday is the one the reporting here treats as the clearest departure, with the idea that Baltimore is signaling a change and is prepared to move on from a surplus of young talent. The same logic extends to a roster that, in this telling, is being reshaped through deals rather than outside spending. The club is expected to pursue fixed costs through trades and try to move prospects to make that happen.
That includes Adley Rutschman, who is described as having been kept off trade-candidate lists for weeks even as the belief here remained that he was always headed out at the deadline. Gunnar Henderson is also framed as someone the Orioles should market aggressively, with the argument that he is not going to sign an extension in Baltimore and could be gone by the deadline or even before the lockout. The view here is that failing to shop him would be “gross negligence.”
Heston Kjerstad is also mentioned as someone who was already moved for nothing in return, while the piece says even the team does not believe Colton Cowser is any good. Cowser’s usage last season is cited as evidence of that skepticism, with Leody Taveras playing over him and Christian Franklin and Rece Hinds also getting mentioned in that context. The conclusion drawn is that Baltimore does not trust Cowser to play much, and the industry knows the Orioles need an everyday center fielder.
Cade Povich is another name on the list. The article notes that he has flashed at times as a crafty left-hander, but also points to how other clubs have turned pitchers the Orioles moved on from, like DL Hall, into useful pieces. Povich is portrayed as someone without much of a future in Baltimore, with the added idea that moving him would help clear out part of the past the organization once sold as part of the future.
Coby Mayo comes up as a player the Orioles would rather keep than deal, though the piece still sees a fit issue. The reasoning is straightforward: the third base mix is crowded, there are too many similar right-handed bats, and Mayo’s power has shown up enough to keep him in the conversation.
Still, the article says his swing is too big, the defense is not good enough, and he is not going to reach base at the level needed. It also says Blaze Alexander is not going anywhere.
The final note is more speculative, but it fits the same theme. If Baltimore is not going to spend much in free agency and payroll stays flat, the article suggests the Orioles could try to land two starting-caliber outfielders through trades and even cover part of a salary to make a deal work.
In Other News...
Orioles Are Suddenly Becoming A Real Destination For Top Young Talent
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That momentum helps explain why the Orioles are being linked to Antonio Figueroa, a highly regarded outfielder from the Dominican Republic in the 2027 international class. Figueroa is expected to command a bonus of more than $1 million, a level that reflects both his standing and Baltimores growing willingness to compete for premium talent. The bigger question is whether the current international signing system will stay intact long enough for teams like the Orioles to keep taking advantage of it. [Read more 🡒]
Steven Kwan Could Fix Two Orioles Problems At Once
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Kwans appeal goes beyond a simple fit on paper. He also comes with playoff experience and a contract situation that makes him an attractive target for teams weighing a trade, which is why his name keeps surfacing in discussions around clubs like Baltimore. For the Orioles, the draw is obvious: one player could help address more than one weakness at once, even if the path to making that kind of move is still very much the part left to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Rotation Told A Bigger Story Than The Injuries Did
The Orioles spent much of the season managing the ripple effects of injuries to key arms like Zach Eflin, Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish, but the bigger picture in the rotation was how stable it stayed despite all of that. Baltimore used 10 pitchers in a starting role, tied for the third fewest in the majors, a sign that the club leaned on a relatively tight group even while shuffling through the usual late-season uncertainty that comes with a pitching staff.
The numbers tell the rest of the story. A 4.24 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP were not the kind of marks that put the rotation among the elite, yet they also suggest a staff that kept the team in games more often than the injury list might have implied. Bradish reaching his 500th strikeout was one of the seasons notable milestones, and the broader takeaway is that Baltimores rotation was defined as much by who it had available as by who it lost. [Read more 🡒]