Inside The Orioles

Blaze Alexander Gets Blunt About Being Traded to Orioles

Blaze Alexander addressed being traded the Baltimore Orioles.
Grant Young|
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Blaze Alexander
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Blaze Alexander | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Baltimore OriolesArizona Diamondbacks

On February 5, news broke that the Baltimore Orioles completed a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for utility player Blaze Alexander. In return, Baltimore traded reliever Kade Strowd along with minor league players Wellington Aracena and José Mejia.

This was a relatively big haul for Alexander, especially when it came to Strowd, who tallied a 1.71 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 25 appearances (26.1 innings) for the Orioles last season. This suggests that President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias envisions big things for Alexander, who was selected in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

Read more: Trevor Rogers Makes Bold Claim About Orioles Rotation

There's no question that Alexander can bring a lot of value to Baltimore's roster. While his .230 average and .706 don't jump off the page, Alexander has provided timely offense in the past. Not to mention that he can fill in at multiple positions, which is a huge asset in the modern game. Especially given that Jackson Holliday will likely be sidelined for the start of the season, there's a path for Alexander to see time early in the year.

Blaze Alexander (9) leaps up
Blaze Alexander (9) leaps up | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blaze Alexander Addresses Trade to Orioles

Alexander spoke with MLB.com's Jake Rill for a February 16 article and spoke about several aspects of now being with the Orioles.

"Sometimes, in the offseason, you wonder if your name’s being thrown out there and stuff. To be traded for three guys, it means they value you and they wanted me, needed me," Alexander was quoted as saying. "I couldn’t be more excited to come here, represent Baltimore, and be an Oriole. I’ve heard really good things about the ballclub. The first couple days here, guys have been really nice, really good people, and that’s all I’ve been hearing."

When asked what Orioles fans can expect from him, Alexander said, "A super-athlete. A guy who can be versatile, can play everywhere, just go out there and make it happen. I’m a gamer."

In assessing his goals for the 2026 season, Alexander noted, "I’m here to get to the playoffs and help win a World Series championship, which I think we’re fully capable of doing."

That's the exact type of attitude that Orioles fans surely love to hear from a new player. It will be interesting to see how he acclimated to Baltimore's clubhouse and whether he can carve out a role for himself, even after Holliday returns from his hand injury.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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