An Orioles-Cubs trade for a rotation enhancement they ought to be scouting already

The Baltimore Orioles are in one of the best spots as a franchise in the past 25 years. They have built their team on the backs of young, controllable stars like Jordan Westburg, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.

Still, they have one of the best farm systems in baseball, headlined by prospects Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday, among others. There has been a ton of speculation that the Orioles would use this farm system to acquire a huge name at the trade deadline, maybe along the lines of Mason Miller or Garrett Crochet.

But the idea has since changed. Now, it's expected that Baltimore will land one of the cheaper pitchers on the market, rather than a superstar.

An Orioles-Cubs trade would boost the backend of the Baltimore rotation

Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs has been gaining some steam in the trade market. Chicago has faltered, resulting in them being one of the few teams in the National League that could end up selling.

Taillon is attached to a huge contract, one that Chicago will need to pay in order to move him for solid prospect capital.

Taillon has been excellent this year for the Cubs, pitching to an ERA of 2.99 across 87.1 innings. He's shown the true potential of being a gamechanger if he ends up on the right team in October.

A deal like this is complicated because it really depends on how much money the Cubs are willing to pay of Taillon's contract. If they are willing to eat a bunch of the money, they would be able to acquire more prospects than the offer. If they aren't willing to eat too much of the deal, they would need to take less than the offer above. This trade assumes that the Cubs meet in the middle and eat half his deal, putting the rest onto Baltimore.

Horvath, Baltimore's 10th ranked prospect, is an infielder with a mediocre slash line of .229/.322/.424 this year, after having a tremendous 22-game stretch to begin his pro career last season. But he doesn't have a spot in the Orioles' future, given their young infield is so talented and deep.

Bright, Baltimore's 15th-ranked prospect has been excellent this year, pitching to the tune of a 4.00 ERA in 16 starts. He's a high-strikeout pitcher who struggles a bit with command. He's been in the zone enough this year to be effective though.

The Orioles would benefit from this deal. It's moving the depth of their farm system for a pitcher with team control. If they're willing to eat half his contract, they should be on the phone with Chicago about Taillon in the coming weeks.