Grading Orioles 2025 trade deadline: Mike Elias was bold but altered the timeline

Orioles crushed the deadline—so why are fans still uneasy?

Jul 27, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias reacts on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Heading into the MLB trade deadline, the expectation was that the Baltimore Orioles were going to be at the center of many trade discussions. Even with the recent injury to Félix Bautista, the Orioles had several rental players that were expected to be moved, and credit to Elias for wasting no time in doing so.

The Orioles’ deadline approach should be viewed as a success, but there is also some unpacking needed.

The biggest trade the Orioles made was the deal that saw them send first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano to the San Diego Padres for a package of six players that included pitching prospect Boston Bateman and shortstop prospect Cobb Hightower.

Bateman has a fastball-curveball combo that should see him in the Orioles’ starting rotation once he’s ready, and Hightower is a nice change-of-pace from the power-hitting prospects the Orioles have preferred in recent years.

Orioles deadline haul was strong, but their next steps are risky

The sneakiest move the Orioles made at the deadline was moving Andrew Kittredge to the Cubs. While there is a case to be made that Mike Elias should have targeted one of the Cubs’ position-player prospects who are major league ready, infielder Wilfri De La Cruz was a steal. Only 17, there is a risk for variance as he develops, but he was a priority international signing for the Cubs, and has a very high ceiling.

The Orioles also struck gold when they added right-handed pitching prospect Juaron Watts-Brown from the Toronto Blue Jays for relief pitcher Seranthony Domínguez. Adding an organizational Top 10 prospect for a rental relief pitcher can’t be seen as anything but a success for the Orioles. Of all the prospects the Orioles received at the deadline, Watts-Brown is one of the closest to being ready for the major league level, with his debut expected to come as soon as next season.

Grading Orioles 2025 trade deadline: B+

There was a handful of other moves the Orioles made, including trading Charlie Morton and Cedric Mullins, but the deals with the Padres, Cubs, and Blue Jays breathed new life into the Orioles’ farm system. It was a success. That said, the timeline of when those prospects will be ready doesn’t exactly match that of a team expecting to return to contention in 2026. In short, there’s still work to be done for Elias.