Fans were well aware that the Baltimore Orioles were going to do a good bit of selling at the trade deadline. While trading away their core pieces would be a mistake, the sheer number of pending free agents the Orioles have, combined with how poorly the 2025 season has gone, has Baltimore in a prime selling position in a seller’s market. Unfortunately, it appears as though the Orioles did not take advantage of that position the way they should have with the late-night Andrew Kittredge trade.
Kittredge wasn’t a mortal lock to be traded at all this year as he has a $9 million club option for 2026, but that option also made him appealing to teams as a bullpen arm that could help next year as well. However, where things get dicey is with the Orioles’ return for Kittredge. The good news is that the prospect that came back for Baltimore, shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz, has great potential at the plate as a switch-hitter.
The problem is that he is also 17 years old and doesn’t seem like he will be a factor in the Orioles’ plans during this competitive window at all.
New Orioles prospect Wilfri De La Cruz is immensely talented, but too far away
Strictly looking at talent level, it seems like the Orioles did well here. Baltimore scouts hitters well and in De La Cruz, they are getting a guy at a premium defensive positon who was thought of enough that Chicago handed him a $2.3 million signing bonus in international free agency.
The issue here is that he was only signed this past January, and it is going to be years before he ever sniffes the major leagues. Assuming fans can take what Mike Elias says at face value and that the team is serious about competing next year and beyond, trading a year-plus control of Kittredge in this seller’s market for a single position player prospect that hasn’t even made it to full-season ball yet doesn’t feel amazing. The Orioles team needs reinforcements soon, and Baltimore may have just blown one of their better trade chips.
In Elias’ defense, there is an argument to just take the most talented player available, and De La Cruz could easily be that guy. However, with a roster that is about to be decimated post-deadline and a number of needs that will have to be addressed, the Orioles may now even be further behind their goal of competing in 2026 after this move.
