The Baltimore Orioles are poised to be extremely busy at the 2025 trade deadline and honestly, it is pretty easy to see why. Even if you are still bullish on the Orioles’ young core, this is a roster that has a lot of expendable supporting cast members and pending free agents they can (and should) move to teams closer to contending this year.

However, one name that has been a bit tougher to swallow as a potential trade candidate is reliever Felix Bautista.

Not only is Bautista extremely good and seems to be well-respected in the Orioles’ clubhouse, but he is also under team control via arbitration through 2027.

You won’t find anyone with the team that will say that they are not planning to be competitive in 2026 and 2027, so why would they get rid of their star closer who is going to be cheap and likely very good for those two years at least?

Well, that is exactly what ESPN’s David Schoenfield seems to think should happen as he believes the potential return Bautista could get at this year’s trade deadline would outweigh any contributions on the field from him.

Felix Bautista as an Orioles trade candidate may be starting to make more and more sense

No one denies that Bautista is a fantastic high leverage reliever. In a season where the Orioles’ pitching staff has been a sore spot, Bautista has pitched very well with a 2.41 ERA and remains a dominant and imposing force on the mound.

If Baltimore wants to be playing in games that matter in the near future, having Bautista around to play at the end of those games seems like a no brainer.

There are a couple problems with this though. One, Bautista has already suffered a serious arm injury and given his power stuff, he is at risk of another.

Second, he is a reliever which, as a demographic, can be very volatile. If there is a contender that is willing to pay up to acquire Bautista in a way that could remedy one or more of the Orioles’ more serious roster holes, it feels like it would be malpractice to not at least consider it especially given his risk factors.

Now, if teams coming calling and hoping for a bargain because they think Baltimore is desperate, that should be a nonstarter.

However, Bautista has enough of a track record and upside to at least entice buyers at the deadline to offer more than that especially with the woeful state of the market. If that happens, the Orioles should at least listen.