Orioles fleeced Rays in Bryan Baker trade, per former MLB executive
The Baltimore Orioles waited as long as they could to start selling off pieces, giving their guys as long as possible to try and climb up the standings and back into the playoff picture.
Ultimately, the hole which was dug earlier in the campaign proved too much to overcome and the Orioles became one of the most aggressive sellers ahead of the trade deadline. The most was made of a lost campaign, turning several players on expiring contracts into prospects who have immediately helped boost the farm system.
The only player whom the Orioles traded that is guaranteed to not hit free agency at season’s end is relief pitcher Bryan Baker; the 30-year-old was the first player Baltimore moved, as he was shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2025 MLB Draft. The Baker trade signaled that Baltimore was ready to be open for business as a seller.
However, it was also arguably their best move, as the Orioles got the No. 37 overall pick in the draft in return. The pick was used on star prep outfielder Slater de Brun out of Summit High School in Bend, Oregon.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) highlighted this deal in a recent piece where he handed out superlatives, calling it the “Player who was acquired but should not have been”. The former MLB executive was surprised that the Rays were willing to give up a competitive balance draft pick, especially one as high as No. 37, for a relief pitcher.
Baker is under team control through 2028, so there is certainly some value in that for the small-market Rays. But he is a middle reliever who had accrued 1.7 bWAR across 177.1 career Major League innings before being acquired, with a 3.71 ERA.
Those numbers are serviceable, but turning that kind of player into a first-round pick is excellent work by Orioles general manager Mike Elias. Considering how many of Baltimore’s core players like Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Adley Rutschman were acquired through the draft, the Orioles theoretically may have gotten another player to add to that young nucleus for a pitcher who typically goes just one inning in a game.
If de Brun turns into a productive player at the major league level, then the Baker deal may be one of the most lopsided trades of the year.
