The Baltimore Orioles are 10-17 to start the 2025 season. They came in with sky-high expectations after a tough second half last year and are off to a sluggish start.
Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Tyler O’Neill are all struggling and costing their team games. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal is looking ahead to the MLB trade deadline and who the Orioles could move.
“If the Orioles fail to ignite, they could become an intriguing seller, trading potential free agents such as [starting pitcher Zach] Eflin, center fielder Cedric Mullins, and reliever Seranthony Domínguez. Such a pivot, however, would further shrink their competitive window, which already is growing smaller as their young position players get closer to free agency. The Orioles have yet to sign any to extensions.”
If the Orioles keep going like this, their firesale should be more than just their pending free agents. While they have elite young talent, they have not blossomed into the stars they appeared to be last July.
Henderson, Rutschman, and Jackson Holliday should remain untouched. But the rest of the core should be shopped.
Other pending free agents include reliever Gregory Soto, catcher Gary Sanchez, and designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn. The Orioles may be trading all of them.
The Orioles need better pitching to improve quickly
Last year, the Orioles made a big trade for Corbin Burnes to start their year. Even though he was on an expiring deal, they took a risk by bringing him in.
It worked perfectly, as he started the All-Star Game and shoved in the playoffs. But their offense died in October, ushering a quick exit, and Burnes signed with the Diamondbacks.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias responded by signing three pitchers: Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Kyle Gibson. Sugano has been solid, with a 3.54 ERA in five starts and a 2-1 record.
Gibson was a late addition to the team and will make his first start against the Yankees this week. Morton has been the target of a lot of the blame this season, and his numbers show why.
The 41-year-old Morton is 0-6 in six starts with the Orioles, posting a 10.36 ERA and a league-high 28 homers allowed.
Despite a great career across five other teams, Morton has been miserable with Baltimore. He is the player who needs to step up for the Orioles to turn it around in the rest of the season.
Baltimore welcomes the Yankees to Camden Yards for three games starting on Monday.
