Orioles Could Use Veteran Slugger To Kill Two Birds With One Stone As Trade Piece

In the early going of the 2025 MLB regular season, a few concerns have arisen for the Baltimore Orioles.

The biggest one is their pitching staff, more specifically, the starting rotation.

It was a massive question mark coming into the campaign and nothing has occurred that will quell those concerns. Through the first 11 games of the season, Charlie Morton and Dean Kremer both have negative WAR numbers.

Those two and Cade Povich all have sky-high ERAs, with Morton at 9.72, Kremer at 6.52 and Povich with 6.10. Eventually, those stats will regress to the mean, but their slow starts, coupled with injuries piling up, make the already sizable need for a starter that much bigger.

There is an obvious answer to how they can address that need on the mound: making a trade to acquire a legitimate ace.

However, such a move is easier said than done, especially given how they have gone about building their roster and organizational depth.

The team has shown no real desire to trade some of their top positional player prospects, such as corner infielder Coby Mayo or catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, to bring in an ace to anchor the staff.

However, there could be another player used as the centerpiece of a deal: first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

“I do think at some point they’ll move Mountcastle to open more of a pathway for Coby Mayo. Mountcastle isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season,” wrote Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required).

Clearing a spot for Mayo to get consistent at-bats in the Major Leagues should be a goal of the franchise in the near future. He has nothing left to prove at the minor league level and deserves a shot.

If they aren’t going to give that to him, he should then be used as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade seeking a pitching upgrade.

Mountcastle likely wouldn’t bring back a pitcher of the same caliber as Mayo, but he is a good enough player that a legitimate starting pitching upgrade could be acquired.

Entering his sixth year as a Big Leaguer, the veteran first baseman has improved each year. His WAR has steadily increased and he has turned himself into a very good fielder, offering two-way production.

The only real concern is his drop in power. His home run total dropping from a career-high 33 each subsequent season is far from ideal, but he has sacrificed power for contact and has still produced a slugging percentage of at least .423 every campaign.

There are some signs of the power stroke coming back, as he is hitting the ball as hard as he has at any point in his career early in 2025.

Racking up home runs would certainly improve his value, but he already provides a lot as it is. Through 11 games, he has a slash line of .324/.359/.432 without a home run but an impressive 126 OPS+ and 138 Rbat+.

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