What can the Orioles do with their improved minor league system?

Will the Baltimore Orioles be able to turn things around quickly with their improved farm system?

Sep 30, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles logo in the stands during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are continuing to give some of their young players opportunities in the majors.

After the trade deadline, the Orioles, as expected, lost both of their series against the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. While Baltimore started their weekend series against the Athletics with a win, they are still moving forward with their young core of talent for the rest of 2025 with an eye on the future.

When thinking about the future, the team's farm system saw a major influx of talent at the deadline, aggressively shipping off short-term veterans for new prospects. Many of the new faces have slotted into the Orioles' top 30 prospect rankings, indicating their high upside.

Read More: Orioles' farm system rejuvenated by trade deadline additions

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about some of those significant improvements made to the Orioles' farm system.

“Pitchers Juaron Watts-Brown and Boston Bateman ended up being the only new additions to their top 10 prospect list, but several others fit into the top 25 prospects in the system, with several low-level minor leaguers capable of taking a step forward in the coming years.”

What Will Orioles Do With Top Prospects?

Shorebirds' Samuel Basallo (21) swings in the game against the Cannon Ballers Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. The Shorebirds defeated the Cannon Ballers 7-2. Bbm Delmarva Shorebirds Kannapolis Cannon Ballers | Lauren Roberts/Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Baltimore's minor league system was one of the best in baseball for the last several years, but many players have since graduated to the majors. Furthermore, with Samuel Basallo (the team's top prospect, ranked No. 8 on MLB's top 100) currently raking in the minors, it’s just a matter of time before he is called up too.

With two new prospects entering their organization’s top 10 after the deadline, it was a job well done by the Orioles. Improving the depth in the pitching department of the franchise was their goal, and that is wise considering what happened to the unit this year; during the winter, Baltimore failed to address an uncertain rotation that lost Corbin Burnes in free agency and wouldn't have Kyle Bradish for a vast majority of the year.

Now, the team will have some interesting options. This is a franchise that hopes to contend in 2026 and could end up utilizing their farm system to make a trade during the winter. Perhaps they could go after another top-tier starter, similarly to what they did with Burnes in the 2023-24 offseason.

With the system now ranking in the middle of the pack, it’s in a much better position after the deadline. Even though Basallo will likely be coming up soon, some new faces should help the unit remain strong or provide them some trade bait this coming offseason.