An Orioles-Giants trade to improve Baltimore's pitching staff without a Tarik Skubal swing

The Baltimore Orioles have somehow been better than many expected. Their starting lineup is full of future superstars that are already playing way above the level that many expected them to be at. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg spearhead the future in Baltimore.

One place that was a bit of a question mark before the season was their bullpen, specifically their closer. Felix Bautista, their usual closer, was down with elbow surgery, set to miss the entire 2024 season. Craig Kimbrel has stepped in and been great for Baltimore, but they need more depth at the back end of games, especially if Kimbrel begins to falter.

Enter Camilo Doval of the San Fransisco Giants. MLB insider Bob Nightengale recently wrote on his increasing possibility of being traded before the deadline. He was never a name mentioned at the beginning of the season, due to his team control, but the Giants may look into dealing him, per Nightengale.

"If the San Francisco Giants sell at the trade deadline, teams will pounce on 27-year-old closer Camilo Doval, despite his struggles," Nightengale wrote.

An Orioles-Giants trade if MLB insider is right about Camilo Doval's availability

Doval is having an okay season, certainly worse than expected. His ERA is north of 4.00 and his WHIP is over a 1.50 at this point. But he still has an electric slider and a cutter that tops out over 100 MPH. And he has three more years of team control. A trade for him doesn't make a ton of sense for the Giants, unless they get a haul in return.

Gauging the value on a player like Doval is incredibly tough. He has the potential to be one of the best relievers in the big leagues and he's proven that before. But he's a reliever and relievers simply don't hold the same value as starters.

So, this mock trade has the Orioles tenth-ranked and 15th-ranked prospects, per MLB Pipeline, being sent to the Giants for their closer.

Horvath is a talented infielder, slashing .259/.368/.481 in his pro ball career. But he simply doesn't have a place to play with the Orioles. Since Baltimore has top infielders Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, alongside a plethora of top prospects to play the infield, there's simply no future for Horvath with the team.

Bright, 23, has shown serious promise this year. Don't let his 0-9 record fool you. He's typically limited to around 60-80 pitches which leads him to be ineligible for the win by not pitching five innings. He's only allowed over three runs in a start three times this season.

The Orioles have the prospect capital to go after a reliever like this. Doval would bolster the Baltimore bullpen for years to come. If they have a chance to pair him alongside Bautista for the next three years, they need to jump on it.