To say Baltimore Orioles fans aren’t thrilled with Mike Elias right now would be an understatement. Sure, this season going as poorly as it has might not be entirely his fault, but he certainly deserves the brunt of the blame.

And somehow, things are only going from bad to worse for the O’s based on the latest Felix Bautista update.

Bautista was placed on the IL on Thursday with right shoulder discomfort. He isn’t set to undergo an MRI until the Orioles return home on Friday, but the fact that he was placed on the IL before even getting further testing shows that Baltimore is at least a little bit concerned.

Now, the Orioles have gone from having a golden opportunity to sell high on Bautista to being stuck with an injury-prone closer.

Orioles could’ve struck gold with Felix Bautista trade

Whether the Orioles would’ve traded Bautista, obviously, is unknown, but they should have. They traded Bryan Baker just a couple of weeks ago and received the 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Baker has had a nice year and came with several years of cheap club control, but getting the 37th overall pick for a non-closer is quite the deal for Baltimore.

They could’ve gotten much more for Bautista, one of the best relievers in the game when healthy. Bautista missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he was nearly untouchable before that injury, and had a 2.60 ERA in 35 appearances to go along with 19 saves in 20 tries this season. He hadn’t missed a beat in his return to the mound.

Bautista is a 30-year-old under club control through the 2027 campaign.

What was stopping the Orioles from acquiring multiple top prospects for him?

Now, not only are the Orioles unable to sell high, but they have a bit of a dilemma on their hands with The Mountain.

Orioles might’ve missed their best chance to sell high on Felix Bautista

It felt as if this year’s deadline was the perfect opportunity for the Orioles to sell high on Bautista.

They saw Baker, an inferior reliever, bring back a hefty return, and Bautista had shown he was fully back after missing the year prior. Now, though, after what could be another serious injury, are we sure teams will do whatever it takes to acquire him?

I get wanting to wait until right before the deadline to trade star players, but, as we saw with Baker, teams can benefit by trading players early.

It’s easy to say this in hindsight, but the Orioles could have, and arguably should have, traded him by now. They knew Bautista’s health record, and a potential return would’ve meant much more to this team moving forward than a reliever in his 30s.

All the Orioles can do now is hope he’s avoided a major injury and is his usual dominant self whenever he can get back on the mound.

Until we see that happen, though, it’s hard not to blame Elias for selling high on Bautista, knowing that he might’ve missed his chance entirely.