REPORT: Baltimore Orioles Replace Ryan O'Hearn with Former A's Slugger

Can the Orioles unlock another once-promising bat?

Sep 22, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics infielder Ryan Noda hits a two-run double against the New York Yankees in the sixth inning at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles were sellers at this week’s Trade Deadline, which was not something that was expected when the season began.

Among the pieces that the O’s moved was All-Star DH Ryan O’Hearn, including him with former A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano in a deal that landed both in San Diego (along with Mason Miller and JP Sears).

Baltimore received six players in return in LHP Boston Bateman, RHP Tyson Neighbors, RHP Tanner Smith, SS Brandon Butterworth, SS Cobb Hightower and 1B Victor Figueroa.

While replacing an All Star isn’t exactly easy, the Orioles added former A’s first baseman Ryan Noda to the roster today to see if they can make some magic once again. O’Hearn had struggled with the Kansas City Royals for five seasons before landing in Baltimore, and the Orioles even designated him for assignment at the beginning of 2023.

Sometimes it just takes a little time for certain guys to figure it out, and Noda is following a somewhat similar path to the one that O’Hearn was on, so maybe they’ll get similar results.

Noda was selected by the A’s in the Rule 5 Draft from the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2023 campaign, and made his big-league debut with the club that season. At 27, Noda hit .229 with a .364 OBP across 495 plate appearances and finished with a 122 wRC+ (100 is league average).

Among players with at least 450 plate appearances, Noda ranked 10th among all first basemen, giving a glimpse of his potential, finishing with 2.1 fWAR. While he didn’t hit for a high average, his on-base percentage was solid, thanks to his 15.6% walk rate, which ranked No. 1 among that same group of first basemen.

The one concern with him from that year was that he was striking out at a 34.3% clip. That trend has continued. In 2024 he spent less time with the Athletics, and in 36 games he struck out 33.3% of the time. This year, in limited time with the Chicago White Sox, he struck out 19 times in 45 plate appearances (42.2%). He’s batting .088 this season with a .295 OBP.

Noda has been part of four organizations this season, beginning with the Los Angeles Angels, before being claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox in May. A month later, he was claimed again by the White Sox, where he got his first crack at a 26-man roster in 2025. Yesterday Noda was claimed off waivers yet again by the Orioles, and today he was added to the roster.

The fact that he keeps getting added to 40-man rosters should speak to the potential that clubs still see in him. He’ll likely receive some opportunities with Baltimore with the hope of working his way into their plans in some way for 2026.