The few weeks leading up to the MLB trade deadline consist of everyone connecting players and teams and saying, "Well, that would make sense." So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O'Hearn is having his best statistical season, just played in his first All-Star Game and he and his wife are expecting their first child — congrats! Frankly, I kind of hope he doesn't get traded because it sounds like things are going pretty well for O'Hearn right now. But I also don't think that will stop the Orioles from trying to deal him, and there are plenty of suitors out there for the left-handed power bat who has an OPS of .840 at the All-Star break.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants made the biggest trade of the MLB season — and one of the biggest in-season trades in recent memory — when they acquired Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox earlier this year. Devers hasn't been the instant-impact bat the team expected (he's only played 25 games) but playing in an ultra-loaded NL West, why not double down and get another power hitter? Currently ranked No. 25 in home runs and No. 27 in slugging, it surely couldn't hurt.
Devers said he's willing to play first base (if you believe him) but adding O'Hearn could shore up first base, where Wilmer Flores has struggled this year, and keep Devers at DH. It wouldn't require too much roster shuffling and would add high-level production at a position the Giants haven't gotten much from this year.
Texas Rangers
Calling the Texas Rangers "contenders" might be just a bit of a stretch, but at 48-49 they're just 3.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot and one hot streak away from being squarely in the mix for a postseason appearance.
A team OPS of .676 doesn't lend much confidence that a hot streak is coming, though. Maybe one bat doesn't solve all of the Rangers problems, but maybe the pop O'Hearn brings in the middle of the lineup would be enough to at least keep the 2023 World Series champs in the mix for a wild card berth. O'Hearn plus a better second half from Adolis García could change things quickly for Texas, which has gotten splendid pitching all year but has stayed around .500 due to some brutal offensive displays.
Seattle Mariners
Don't let this historic Cal Raleigh season go to waste. Seattle entered the All-Star break with a sweep of the Tigers, and at 51-45 and five games behind the Astros, an AL West crown is not fully out of reach yet. Seattle's notoriously cheap front office doesn't like spending during the offseason, but they did swing trades for both Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner at last year's deadline. Jerry Dipoto loves making a deal and this year's deal could be super impactful if he manages to strike a deal with Baltimore.
O'Hearn struggles against lefties and so does Mariners current most-days first baseman Luke Raley, so manager Dan Wilson would have to figure out how to most effectively use his players, but O'Hearn surrounded by J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh in a lineup sounds like a lot of fun.
The Mariners have made one playoff appearance in the past 24 years. Why wait? Go all in. Trade for O'Hearn, Eugenio Suarez and a bullpen arm. Get crazy.
New York Yankees
That 175-foot wall (not an official number) in right field at Yankee Stadium is ultra-friendly to left-handed power hitters and Ryan O'Hearn certainly fits that description. He'd be a happy hitter in the Bronx, and he's mashed against the Yankees in his career, too.
A scorching start slowed to a big of a sluggish stretch before All-Star and now the Yankees find themselves two games out of the top spot in the AL East and just one game ahead of Boston for third. Adding O'Hearn wouldn't be a luxury move, it would be one of necessity for the Bombers.
Of course, intra-division trades don't happen too often so this move (even with O'Hearn being a free agent after the season) might hit a speedbump in negotiations if neither side wants to trade with a rival.