For most of the offseason, the Baltimore Orioles have been connected to the San Diego Padres when it comes to a potential trade for right-handed ace Dylan Cease.
At times, it’s been speculation. But, on Friday, MASN’s Roch Kubato reported that there were discussions between the two teams, and he was able to name the Orioles players that were on the Padres list for a potential trade.
Those players were current Major Leaguer Jordan Westburg, along with two of the team’s top prospects, infielder Coby Mayo and catcher Samuel Basallo.
Kubato noted that these were the players that the Padres “checked on,” and that the Orioles indicated that none of them were “on the table,” which has been the perception among baseball insiders for much of the past year.
Cease is entering the final year of his contract and will be a free agent after the season. It’s much the same situation as Corbin Burnes, who the Orioles traded for last offseason.
As a comparison, the Orioles gave up pitcher D.L. Hall, shortstop Joey Ortiz and the No. 34 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
Hall and Ortiz were well-regarded players by the Orioles, but they were not the top two prospects in the organization, which Basallo and Mayo are universally considered.
Westburg has the most Major League experience. He was Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2020, and he made his debut with the O’s in 2023. He’s primarily a second baseman but can play other positions. He carries a career slash line of .263/.312/.455/.767 with 21 home runs and 86 RBI.
One of the things the O’s will have to decide this spring is whether Jackson Holliday is ready to be the everyday second baseman.
If so, Westburg might become more expendable. But, the Orioles have been good at moving pieces around the diamond to create playing time for everyone.
Mayo struggled in the Majors last year, In the Majors, with a slash line of .098/.196/.098/.294. But he was named the organization’s player of the year by Baseball America as he tore up pitching at Triple-A Norfolk.
He finished with a slash line of .293/.372/.592/.964 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI.
Basallo has been on a rocket ship through the Orioles’ system since he was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in 2021.
He’s accelerated fast the past two seasons, as he burned through Class-A Delmarva, High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie in 2023 with a combined slash line of .313/.402/.551/.953 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI.
