Inside The Orioles

Orioles Star Closer Felix Bautista Likely Off Trade Market After Latest Injury Update

The Baltimore Orioles are now very unlikely to move their star closer at this year's trade deadline after his latest unfortunate injury update.
Dylan Sanders|
Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) walks off the field after pitching the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) walks off the field after pitching the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In this story:

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are expected to be major players at this year's trade deadline, which is just a couple of days away. But one star is now very unlikely to get moved.

Jake Rill of MLB.com recently shared an update from Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino that revealed closer Felix Bautista will be "out a while" as he deals with his latest shoulder injury.

Bautista was placed on the 15-day injured list just a couple of days ago, but the true severity of his injury was unknown. He was placed on the IL with what was deemed "shoulder discomfort."

More News: Breakout Orioles Outfielder Now Considered 'More Attractive' Than Cedric Mullins

Teams can still trade players who are on the injured list, so the 30-year-old was still very much in play if this was going to be a short injury.

However, the fact that he may now miss a couple of weeks will likely complicate any trade discussions to the point where it is smarter to just wait it out. The return would be lowered and the urgency to add him is now lessened from contenders.

More News: Sought-After Marlins Pitcher Could Be Potential Orioles Fit This Winter

After missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and having a slow start in 2025, Bautista had been performing much better as of late with a 1.35 ERA, 33 strikeouts and just six hits allowed in his last 20 innings of work.

Teams on the prowl for an elite closer would be very happy to add that type of production to their bullpen, but now it seems like he won't be leaving Baltimore for a while.

More News: Orioles Lineup Made MLB History After Explosive Performance Against Rockies

He is under team control through 2027 and will be a great bullpen arm for the Orioles if they get back to playing like contenders next year.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.

Published
Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

Home/News