Recent Surge by Orioles Makes Trade Deadline Plans Even More Murky

What should the Baltimore Orioles do before the trade deadline?

Jul 18, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias on field prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Things have changed for the Baltimore Orioles.

Winners of five in a row and eight out of their last 10, all of a sudden, this version looks more like what everyone envisioned coming into the season.

Is it too little, too late?

It's hard to make a definitive statement when it's still the first week of June, but the Orioles dug themselves into a major hole, sitting 13 games out of first place in the AL East and eight back from a Wild Card spot despite this red-hot stretch.

At the very least, this winning streak has made their potential trade deadline plans more murky.

Baltimore was expected to add to their roster in late-July, using that period to solidify their group to go on a postseason run. But the horrendous start to this campaign turned them into almost sure-fire sellers, getting pieces back for impending free agents.

That could still be the direction the Orioles take.

After all, it's not a given they will remain this hot and go on a sustained run that puts them back into the playoff picture.

Pressure is going to be on the front office to make the right decision, something that carries a ton of weight considering how badly they bungled the offseason.

It would have been a whole lot simpler from a strategic standpoint if they had continued to lose games, allowing them to become a fire-sale team without any second thought.

But this winning streak has changed the equation.

With Baltimore now playing up to their capabilities, it's not hard to envision a group that won 101 games two years ago becoming one of the better teams in the sport during the summer months.

Perhaps it is too little, too late and they should sell anyway.

However, it's not quite as clear as it once was.

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