The Baltimore Orioles are expected to be one of the more active teams in the offseason. While additions are likely coming for Baltimore, they could wind up making a surprising subtraction.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Adley Rutschman, the Orioles’ starting All-Star catcher, has been drawing trade interest from around the NFL.
While trading him might seem like an unlikely outcome, it’s not an impossibility. There are a few key reasons why Baltimore has reason to move on from their star catcher this winter.
Why Orioles trading Adley Rutschman makes sense
“The teams getting the most calls and texts about catchers are the Orioles (on Adley Rutschman)…” Bowden writes.
The 27-year-old catcher is coming off a down 2025 season with the Orioles, where in 90 games, he had a career-low .220 batting average and .673 OPS.
After All-Star seasons in 2023 and 2024, Rutschman took a step back in 2025. Coinciding with this regression, the Orioles called up top prospect Samuel Basallo, and he impressed enough that the Orioles handed him a big contract.
Basallo signed an eight-year, $67 million extension through the 2034 season. Baltimore can hold onto Basallo for a long time at a reasonable price, while Rutschman is heading into his fifth MLB season.
Baltimore has nearly a decade of control for Basallo, while Rutschman is only under control through the 2027 season.
While the Orioles don’t have to move on from Rutscman just yet, trading him isn’t out of the question. Basallo is only 21 years old, while Rutschman is 27. Making the switch could save money in the long run, while also giving Basallo a runway to blossom into a star.
It’s also not like the Orioles would give their two-time All-Star catcher away; Baltimore could likely land a strong offer for their catcher.
The first overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft could be seeing his time with the Orioles come to an end this offseason, as Bowden reports Rutschman is one of the most talked about catchers in trade talks so far this winter.
