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MLB Trade Rumors: 5 players Orioles should acquire

By Joshua Sadlock

May 16, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) takes the ball to relieve relief pitcher Alec Asher (51) in the 11th inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) takes the ball to relieve relief pitcher Alec Asher (51) in the 11th inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 23, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (62) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (62) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Erick Fedde

The Orioles have not been sellers at the trade deadline at any point over the past five seasons of winning baseball. The need to make incremental improvements at the trade deadline, along with the draft picks surrendered to sign free agents, has left the team with one of the worst farm systems in the league.

Many expected some sort of sell-off to come for the Orioles next year after their core began to break up and hit free agency. The failure to develop quality starting pitching has left the club without a solid foundation. Any shot the franchise had at capitalizing on their championship window and Manny Machado’s presence is realistically gone. To drive the knife in even deeper, the Yankees and Boston Red Sox are loaded with young, cheap players all around the diamond.

The one thing the Orioles have plenty of is talented bullpen arms. Having Zach Britton on the shelf for most of the first half with a forearm issue may have sapped some of his trade value, but he is working back. If Britton is able to showcase his health by the end of June or early July, there is still a good chance the Orioles can trade him.

As painful as it would be, the most logical trade partner for the Orioles in any swap involving Britton or Brad Brach, their closer in Britton’s absence, is the Washington Nationals. There have been no notable trades between these two franchises as they continue to squabble in court over TV revenue. Desperate times, however, make for strange bedfellows. The Nationals have one of the worst bullpens in the league. The Orioles have two All-Star relievers under control beyond this season.

Next: Each MLB team's biggest trade chip

Erick Fedde is the top pitching prospect left in the Nationals farm system after they traded for Adam Eaton. He throws a fastball that can touch 96 with good late life. Fedde also has a good slider, deceptive changeup, and can command all three of his pitches. The right-hander was 3-3 at Double-A with a 3.04 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A. Fedde would instantly become the best pitching prospect in the Orioles farm system and could be a rotation option for them as early as 2018.

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