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Inside The Orioles

Orioles Showed Interest in Trade for Star Outfielder, per Insider

The Baltimore Orioles had their eyes on this intriguing outfielder before he was traded elsewhere.
Grant Young|
Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaks to the media.
Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaks to the media. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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Baltimore OriolesNew York MetsChicago White SoxNew York YankeesCincinnati Reds

The Baltimore Orioles had several holes in their outfield after the 2025 season ended.

The most glaring one was in left field, and President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias did a great job of filling. that void by trading for former Los Angeles Angels slugger Taylor Ward. And this trade has already paid dividends, as Ward is hitting .300 through 20 at-bats this season. Not to mention that Grayson Rodriguez, whom the Orioles traded in return for Ward, is starting the 2026 season injured.

That left center field, which was another position of need for Baltimore. While they have Colton Cowser on the roster, the reality is that Cowser struggled to make a positive impact for the team last season, posting a .196 average and a .654 OPS in 92 games. While Cowser is still a talented player and could bounce back in a big way, the Orioles would have still used an upgrade in the middle of their outfield.

One of the most prevalent names on the trade market this offseason was former Chicago White Sox standout Luis Robert Jr. He had been a name mentioned in trade discussions constantly over the past year or so, largely because many felt like he needed a change of scenery to recapture his fantastic 2023 form.

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The New York Mets were ultimately the ones to execute a trade for Robert Jr. this offseason, sending prospects Luisangel Acuña (the younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr.) and Truman Hauley to Chicago in return for Robert Jr.

Orioles Had Interest in Luis Robert Jr. Trade, per Insider

Jon Heyman of the New York Post conveyed in a March 31 article that it wasn't just the Mets that were pursuing a trade for Robert Jr. The Orioles, along with the Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds, were also showing interest in the 28-year-old center fielder.

Heyman then noted that Baltimore was hoping that the White Sox would offset some of Robert Jr.'s salary in order to make a deal, but this was clearly something Chicago was not willing to do.

Since the Orioles weren't able to execute a trade for Robert Jr. or add another top-tier center fielder, it seems that they're content with putting Cowser there in 2026 and hoping he can produce some upside. This may be a position that the team targets if they're still contenders as the trade deadline approaches.

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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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