Orioles Touted As a Top Contender for Ace Pitcher in Potential Trade
The Baltimore Orioles front office has consistently said they were going to add impact pitching to their rotation. Whether that means they would play at the top of the free agent pool or pursue a blockbuster trade is still unknown.
However, it makes sense to assume that the Orioles are exploring trade opportunities. They have a very young core and an incredible farm system, the best in baseball in fact.
One potential trade Baltimore could pull off is for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo who has ace potential. According to Bleacher Report the Orioles are the second most likely landing spot for Luzardo in a possible blockbuster trade.
"We mentioned earlier that Jesús Luzardo straight up for Jackson Holliday would theoretically be a fair trade. But Baltimore would never do that," writes Kerry Miller. "However, the O's do have plenty of other valuable young position players they could dangle to bring the Marlins to the negotiating table..."
"The O's stockpiled hitting prospects for so long that they now have quite the surplus of them. Mayo has a ton of potential, but they can trade him without skipping a beat. Mayo wouldn't be enough for a one-for-one swap, but it's a big start. And 19-year-old Samuel Basallo might get the deal across the finish line."
Here is the entire trade package that B/R is postulating:
Trade Package: Miami sends LHP Jesús Luzardo to Baltimore for 1B/3B Coby Mayo and C/1B Samuel Basallo
That would be a rare deal in which both sides probably come out evenly. Luzardo slots in well to the rotation and has three years of team control with a low salary projected at $5.9 million, per Spotrac.
It plays well into Baltimore financial situation and still meets their comments on pursuing impact pitching, a must if they hope to repeat the successes of 2023. Add in the fact that they would be dealing from excess and it's a deal they should capitalize on if it the opportunity comes to fruition.
