The One Deadline Move the Orioles Should Be Prioritizing

Over the winter Orioles failing baseball executive Mike Elias, never short on hubris, tried to match wits with the brilliant Tampa Bay Rays on a significant trade after just getting fleeced by them (for soon-to-be All Star reliever Bryan Baker in-season).

Elias mortgaged off a good chunk of premium 2025 draft capital to land starter Shane Baz. Baz has a great frame and a decent profile but lacks consistency and has mostly been an innings eater; that’s what he’s remained in Baltimore. Meantime, after years of failing to have any clue when to trade prospects and which ones to deal, Elias has managed to send what appear to be nothing but gems to Tampa in this trade.

And it’s time to reverse all of that. It’s time to do business with the Rays, again. Yeah, even at the risk of falling prey. The stars are just aligning that way with the trade deadline less than a week away.

Bye, Bye Adley

The Rays are desperate for a fourth real bat in their lineup and they are always averse to taking on massive salaries and (Adley Rutschman is arbitration eligible for another year and a bargain). They have a huge need at catcher and they love switch hitters and they love doing business with Elias (well, who doesn’t). These franchise match-up expertly in trade (as we broke down with Jon Morosi and Jarrett Seidler on “The Daily Flock Show”).

And wouldn’t you know it - the prospects Elias parted with are flourishing with a real franchise that has a real farm system and understands player-centric development and isn’t overloaded with over-promoted sophomoric goofballs who think they are the smartest people in baseball. So of course they are flourishing.

Yeah, three of these kids are among the Rays top nine prospects (both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America agree) in their loaded system. This is a real system, by the way, not Baltimore’s barely middling one – and it’s time to get some of them back.

So, if catcher Caden Bodine is already flourishing at age 22 at AA and looks the part and is now a top 100 prospect in baseball. So, Jason, if they need catching so badly and Adley is just a rental through 2027, why would they deal him? Well, because catcher Nathan Flewelling is an even prospect than Bodine and is already at High-A at 19.

Given Baltimore’s absolute atrocious record drafting and developing outfielders, and the fact that OF Auston Overn is now the Rays No. 9 prospect and is destroying the Southern League (AA) I wouldn’t mind him back. And while getting starter Michael Forret back too – he’s already at AAA though taking him lumps too – might be too much, the Rays have a pitching factory and are always developing interesting arms. There are other options.

Maybe you don’t want to go all the way back to this well and you get top shortstop prospect Carson Williams in this mix somewhere? Whatever. Prospects abound.

But Adley needs to go and going this looks like the best match.

The Time Is Now

Get Rutschman off the Injured List and make this happen. He’s brittle and can’t catch five days a week and hads caught way less than half the O’s games since June 21, 2024. He is one of the worst DHs in MLB when handed that role in that time frame (1 HR and 17 RBIs his last 52 games doing it) and he is never signing an extension here and if you think it’s a tough trade now, try it without two potential playoff runs in him.

The baseball culture here is warped and meek and he is the face of it, fair or not. Rookie Samuel Basallo, 21 and signed long-term, with a quality veteran back-up is the way for 2027 and Rutschman doesn’t provide nearly enough power – or, sadly, even on base – to be just a bat. And we’re talking 47 career homers when he catches.

They aren’t winning anything with him, and they are running out of control with him, and the next ouchie is always around the corner. The Rays helped cultivate some of these kids in ways that never would have happened in Baltimore. Take advantage of it.

A few weeks back Elias tried to claim he'd never even considered a future without Rutschman - just another weak ploy to sell tickets. Of course he is listening to trade offers and eagerly engaged on Rutschman and Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser and others; we told you that all along and ESPN is now reporting it.

Rutschman isn't going to play enough or do enough to increase his value and this front office has been horrible in keeping everyone far too long and selling far too late. Two playoff runs left with this guy on this contract. Send him out. I'd be talking to the Yankees, too, but I doubt The Warehouse has the stomach for that.

They'd best be open to dealing him in division elsewhere.

Subscribe To "The Daily Flock Show"' On YouTube For The Best Orioles Coverage:

Add us as a preferred source on Google