Scout gets honest about Ryan Mountcastle's Orioles trade value

One anonymous scout spoke about whether he'd tell his team to try and trade for Baltimore Orioles infielder Ryan Mountcastle.

May 3, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) after an at bat against the Kansas City Royals during the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

When the Baltimore Orioles promoted top prospect Samuel Basallo and then gave him an eight-year, $67 million contract extension a short time later, many fans felt like this meant star catcher Adley Rutschman was going to be on the trade block because Basallo is also primarily a catcher.

However, Orioles 2025 interim manager Tony Mansolino seemed to shut this speculation down by saying, “Adley Rutschman is going to be your catcher here as long as we’ve got him...The beautiful thing about Sammy Basallo is he’s also a very good first baseman. So between the first base position, the DH and the catching position, there is no doubt they can both be in the lineup at the same time pretty much every day," on September 21.

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If Basallo is going to be at first base for much of the 2026 season, this would seemingly mean that Ryan Mountcastle is without a position.

Sep 19, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) celebrates after hitting a home run during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Even without Basallo's arrival, Mountcastle seemed like a likely trade candidate this winter. Mountcastle even admitted uncertainly about his future in Baltimore by saying, "You never know what's going to happen. Would love to come back. If it is my last game, I had a lot of fun here. If not, I'm super excited. I love all these guys, they're my family," per an X post from Jacob Calvin Meyer.

Scout Shares Optimistic Ryan Mountcastle Trade Value Stance

Mountcastle didn't have the 2025 campaign he was hoping for. After never having produced less than a .728 OPS in his first five MLB seasons, the 28-year-old hit .250 with a .653 OPS and 7 home runs in 2025. While he did only play in 89 games because of a hamstring injury, the bottom line is that Mountcastle wasn't great when he was healthy enough to compete.

However, this doesn't mean Mountcastle's trade value has diminished significantly. This was suggested by something an anonymous scout said that was included in an October 14 article from Roch Kubatko of MASN.

"Another scout said he’d recommend Ryan Mountcastle to his National League club if the first baseman became available," the article wrote.

Some observations on Orioles from opposing scouts https://t.co/tro9sJmKbF #orioles

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) October 14, 2025

This doesn't necessarily come as a surprise, given how valuable power-hitting first basemen are in the league.

Perhaps Baltimore being able to secure several top prospects in exchange for Mountcastle this season will be enough for Mike Elias and the rest of the Orioles' front office to deal him.