3 Baltimore Orioles MLB trade deadline mistakes Mike Elias will regret

As the MLB trade season has come and gone, the Baltimore Orioles were one team that was busy ahead of the 6 p.m. deadline on Tuesday evening. They made some moves but it's not clear it's enough to get them a World Series title and they may come to regret some of these mistakes.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. Trading for Eloy Jimenez

I scratched my head for a minute when I saw that Baltimore was bringing in Eloy Jimenez to help with the team's lack of outfield production. Most importantly, it's a known fact that Jimenez has been injury-prone throughout the duration of his career. He has already missed nearly half the games this season (appearing in just 66?) and has not registered more than 120 games ever.

Regardless of the injuries, it's notable that Jimenez currently owns a career-low, 16 percent worse than the league average 84 wRC+. His 2024 slash of .240/.297/.345 will also not move the needle offensively for Baltimore. You could say his .285 BABIP is slightly unlucky, but his .105 ISO (career-worst), 33 percent hard-hit rate, and 2.7-degree launch angle indicate much to be desired for a player who was brought in to help with "outfield woes" but has played as a DH in every game except for one this season.

That is because Jimenez spent the last four years toward the bottom of the league in both Outs Above Average and Runs Prevented defensively. The only thing good about this move is that it's a low-risk, high-reward upside play.

Although his expected stats aren't much more significant than his actual stats, Baltimore only had to give up one low-level prospect who was not highly touted in their system. Still, it's hard to see this being a move that Elias can justify with Jimenez's $16.5 million annual price tag. He has two club options after this season, so it will be interesting to see if the team opts in.

2. The Trevor Rogers overpay

With a powerful farm system near the best in all of baseball, the fact that Elias sent multiple top 100 prospects to Miami for Trevor Rogers when they likely could have obtained somebody better for a similar price is. Consider that the Orioles also landed Zach Eflin, a pitcher having a better season, for less.

Of course, if Rogers continues turning it around as he has recently, you can see why they made the move. Still, it feels like a move made out of desperation, as the price was steep, even if Rogers does have another two years remaining on his contract.

The Orioles currently boast a starting rotation ERA of 3.73, the third-best in the American League. Adding a player with a career 4.23 ERA and a 4.53 ERA on the season does not seem like the best way to help your team. You're better off cashing in on some of that prospect currency and landing the guy who helps catapult you forward.

1. Not landing Jack Flaherty/Tarik Skubal

This ties right back into the Orioles giving up too much but who they did get, but not being willing to pull the trigger on an even bigger trade for Jack Flaherty or Tarik Skubal. Jackson Holliday is a potential star in the making, but the Orioles already have multiple prospects that have worked out. With how close Baltimore is to World Series contention, you have to think it would have been wise to really add those finishing touches to the roster.

The Orioles were extremely fortunate that the New York Yankees wound up passing on Flaherty due to what they deemed a medical concern. New York landing Flaherty, with their already solid rotation, firmly sees the Orioles' chances of winning the AL East drop dramatically.

The L.A. Dodgers swooped in and added Flaherty to their rotation, whose medical staff voiced no concerns. If there were the slightest concern regarding Flaherty's health, the Dodgers would have passed, too. This was a big missed opportunity to pull away in the division for Elias and the Orioles front office.