Orioles Have To Cash In on Slugger’s Career Year Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

It is imperative the Baltimore Orioles make the most of one of their sluggers having a career season.

May 25, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Ryan O'Hearn (32) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have started to show a few signs of life recently, riding a three-game winning streak and winning six out of their last eight games.

They still own one of the worst records in baseball at 22-36, with only the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies having fewer victories.

The prudent thing for the franchise would be to sell ahead of the trade deadline, given how deep of a hole the team dug itself into already. There is a lot of talent on the roster, but the Orioles are already 14 games behind in the American League East and 9.5 back of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot.

An extended hot streak could have some people within the organization changing their plans, but Baltimore needs to be preparing to be sellers in the coming weeks.

While not yet ready to wave the white flag on the season, the Orioles have reportedly been telling teams they will be sellers this year.

If they got through with that, as they should, the player who makes the most sense to trade is designated hitter/first baseman, Ryan O’Hearn.

Orioles Need To Move Ryan O’Hearn Ahead of Trade Deadline

Baltimore’s most productive hitter this season, he is putting up career best numbers across the board with his unexpected breakout during his age-31 campaign.

O’Hearn has a .329/.416/.535 slash line, hitting nine home runs and eight doubles with 22 RBI in only 197 plate appearances. His OPS+ of 175 would be by far the best mark of his career and he has already produced 1.9 bWAR; his previous single-season best is 2.0, set last year.

There are plenty of contenders around the league who would love to add a left-handed bat of that caliber to their lineup, especially one that possesses the positional versatility of O’Hearn.

He isn’t going to be winning a Gold Glove Award any time soon, but has experience playing first base, left field and right field. In a pinch, he could go out there and eat some innings, but his bat is where his value is.

That level of production alone makes him valuable on the trade market. The only thing suppressing how much the Orioles could get for him is that he is on an expiring deal.

Rentals don’t generate as much value as someone under multiple years of team control, which is why it would behoove Baltimore to accept the harsh fate of 2025 being a lost campaign and get to working the phones as soon as possible.

With there seemingly being a lack of impact players available on the trade market right now, the Orioles being the first to start moving pieces would enable them to get the best returns, especially with multiple buyers bidding against each other.

With each passing day, O’Hearn's value on the trade market drops slightly because it is one less game he will be playing for a new team.

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