Taking Inventory: What Will the Baltimore Orioles Sell?
The Rest of the Roster
Mychal Givens would surely be in this category before the season. Now, it’s a bit more questionable. He’s been a staple set-up man for the Orioles since debuting in 2015, but this year has struggled to control runs (4.40 ERA).
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Advanced metrics suggest Givens has been a victim of bad-luck (2.73 FIP/4.09 XFIP). Givens is controlled through 2021, which makes him even more desirable. However, I’d expect the Orioles to want value for the top end set-up man he was last season and I don’t expect anyone to pay it.
Note: Since this was written, reports emerged that the Indians are interested in Givens.
I don’t see anyone else on the move in Baltimore. The Orioles showed with Britton and Machado they will need to be overpaid to trade a player with control remaining. No one left on the roster is worth doing that for.
Jonathan Schoop was a candidate, but his struggles this year would be selling very low. They’re better off hoping for a bounce back second-half to sell in the off-season.
Mark Trumbo is too one-dimensional and overpaid to draw interest.
Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman seem off the table.
Summation
The Baltimore Orioles have two of the best players available. They have two elite players, but looming free-agency cuts into their returns. Even if the Orioles only trade Machado, Britton, and Brach, they should acquire 5-6 prospects that rank among the organizations top 30. For a team on pace for terrible, that’s the kind of hope they need.