These Orioles will be gone by the MLB trade deadline

Every time it seems like the Baltimore Orioles take a step forward this season, they immediately take two steps back. Case in point: Two straight wins against the Marlins this week were followed by two straight one-run losses. Appeal to the potential and the on-paper talent here all you want; we're already well into May, and if the O's don't make a move soon, they might run out of time.

Because the truth is Baltimore doesn't have until the end of September. They have until the beginning of trade deadline season, at which point big changes could be coming to all levels of this organization if they're still well back in the AL East — including some very big names who could be on the move.

C Adley Rutschman

This will undoubtedly be the most controversial inclusion on this list, but let me make the case. Rutschman has been resurgent this season, looking exactly like the polished, well-balanced hitter he was in his All-Star years in 2023 and 2024 — you know, the last time he was consistently healthy.

The problem, though, is one of timing. Rutschman will be entering his final season of arbitration next year, and he and the O's don't appear to be anywhere near a long-term extension. With Samuel Basallo already locked up for years to come, it sure seems like the writing is on the wall regarding Rutschman's future in Baltimore.

Which leaves the Orioles with a choice. They can hold on to Rutschman and either try to sign him over the winter or make one more run in his contract year in 2027, but that comes with a ton of risk — risk of a rebuilding team handing a bag to a catcher entering his age-29 season, and of losing him for nothing in free agency. Or they can recognize where they're at in their competitive timeline and look to move on. If they opt for the latter, why not do it now when you can sell a team on getting multiple postseason runs out of him?

LHP Trevor Rogers

Regression was bound to come for Rogers after his historically hot run last season, and sure enough, he's got a 4.75 ERA across his first six starts. But while the lefty wasn't as good as his top-line numbers suggested in 2025, he's also not as bad as they're suggesting in 2026. Case in point: Rogers' chase and whiff rates are still rock-solid, and his expected ERA is a more than respectable 3.69

A free agent at the end of the year, Baltimore won't have a ton of use for Rogers if they're out of it by the deadline. He's exactly the sort of arm that contenders will be willing to give up something of value for, if not to start a postseason game than at least to help you get to the postseason in the first place (and potentially move to the bullpen in October). He's can be still a credible No. 4 starter on a championship staff when he's right.

OF Taylor Ward

Ward has flipped his career script in some fascinating ways: After blossoming as a three-true-outcomes bat with the Angels, he's suddenly become a contact maven in Baltimore, slashing his K rate and hitting .270 with a .420 OBP ... and exactly one homer.

It's hard to know just how sticky those changes are, given what we knew about his profile entering the year. Either way, though, he's a perfectly cromulent corner bat, someone who will be able to draw walks, get on base and lengthen any lineup. And like Rogers, he's a rental, making him a target for a ton of teams — the Guardians, Royals, Mariners and Pirates among them — who could use some more offensive juice.

RHP Andrew Kittredge

Sure, you might look at Kittredge's production date — an unsightly 13.50 ERA and 2.79 WHIP — and wonder why any team with designs on contending would want to acquire him. But he was one of the sturdiest middle-relief men around prior to coming to Baltimore, and a look under the hood reveals that not a whole lot has changed. He's fallen victim to some preposterous batted-ball luck, as a 2.29 expected ERA would suggest. His pitch profiles look about the same, and other teams would no doubt be willing to bet that he's roughly the same guy who's posted a sub-3.50 ERA or better every year since 2020.

RHP Yennier Cano

Unlike some other pitchers on this list, Cano isn't a rental; he's not due to hit free agency until after the 2028 season. That said, he's already 32 years old, with a history of both injuries and ineffectiveness despite his explosive sinker/splitter combo. Given how reliant he is on ground balls — and on having those ground balls not find holes — and a notoriously unreliable splitter, Baltimore would be wise to sell high when it can.

That would sure seem to be now, as Cano has a sparkling 1.29 ERA through his first 18 appearances. Again, if the O's are left reevaluating what they thought would be a championship window, is it really worth hugging a reliever too tightly as he enters his mid-30s? An arm with his profile and multiple years of team control could provide a haul that Balitmore could desperately use.

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