Orioles Could Trade Top Prospect To Fix Glaring Issues With Starting Rotation

Should the Baltimore Orioles trade a top prospect to help their starting rotation?

Mar 13, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo (16) doubles against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Even though the season is still very young, the Baltimore Orioles have a clear need early on. 

This winter, the Orioles lost one of the best pitchers in the game to free agency in Corbin Burnes. 

Baltimore was able to bring in the former National League Cy Young last offseason in a blockbuster trade. 

The expectation was that Burnes might have been the missing piece for the Orioles to be a true contender. Last year, the right-hander did his part with a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA, but it didn’t result in any playoff success. 

Despite trying to bring him back, the offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks was too good to pass up. 

The loss of their ace resulted in the team needing to pivot to other options, but it’s hard to say that they did a good job trying to replace that production. In free agency, the notable additions to the team were Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton, and, late into the spring, Kyle Gibson. 

None of these pitchers would be considered an ace like Burnes, and it has left a significant void in the rotation. 

There were plenty of concerns coming into the campaign about the state of the rotation and those concerns have been validated by injuries and poor performances. 

With high expectations, the Orioles have the ability to pursue some of the best potential pitchers on the trade market, but it could cost them one of their top prospects. 

Recently, Ken Rosenthal spoke on Foul Territory about Coby Mayo’s future with the team and Baltimore potentially using him to trade for a top pitcher around the trade deadline. 

"[Coby] Mayo is going to be the next interesting test case for them, whether they hold him or not."

The Orioles could theoretically build a trade package around Coby Mayo for any available pitcher at the trade deadline, says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/7bYzC5k1ny

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 11, 2025

While Mayo is an exciting young prospect, Baltimore has a lot of good young position players and where he would potentially fit has been a topic of discussion. 

Even with the ability to play both first base and third base, that positional flexibility doesn’t help him get playing time with Ryan Mountcastle at first and Jordan Westburg at third. 

With no clear position to play in the near-term, moving Mayo to help fill a massive need could make sense. 

The talented slugger is certainly good enough to headline any package for one of the top pitchers that might be available, like Sandy Alcántara, Dylan Cease, Michael King or Luis Castillo, to name a few. 

However, with multiple key starters out and the rotation in shambles, the Orioles could quickly dig themselves into a massive hole in a challenging AL East. 

While trading Mayo makes sense, waiting until July might be too long for Baltimore.