Baltimore Orioles: Are they buyers at the MLB trade deadline?

The Baltimore Orioles continue to defy the odds (and preseason predictions) as they look to win their 11th straight game on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

This series against the Tampa Bay Rays will provide a big test so where the Baltimore Orioles really stand before the All-Star break

Although if the Baltimore Orioles were to lose the series but are not swept, they will still finish the first half of their season with a .500 record. The O’s are in a great spot and, at this point, all they can do is greatly exceed their preseason expectations … but now they need to capitalize.

They should no longer be sellers, and they should be looking to improve their team at the MLB trade deadline. They are only 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot and they need to fight two teams in their division, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. What makes this tougher is that the AL East is far and away the best division in the league with every team now being .500 or better.

Although there could be a scenario where four AL East teams make the postseason, could the Orioles be one of those teams?

The Orioles must hold their ground and not deal team leader first baseman Trey Mancini or outfielder Anthony Santander. These players are essential to what the team does and they both provide good leadership in the clubhouse.

Baltimore needs help in the rotation, and there’s no better place to look than Cincinnati ace Luis Castillo, who the Orioles may be able to acquire by putting together a package of interest for the Reds. Castillo would really signal that the O’s are not only going for it this year, but in the future as well. Castillo would also be locked into next season and at that point, the O’s could work on a long-term deal with him. Castillo is 3-4 with an ERA of 2.77 in 78 innings. He also has 82 strikeouts and has averaged six innings per start. On Thursday night, he was impressive against the Yankees, pitching seven innings allowing just one run and striking out eight.

Another pitcher the Orioles could look into is Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas, as long as he’s healthy.

The O’s farm system is very good and they have a lot of talent they could trade to make big-time moves. Some minor moves they could make would be for some more infield depth and relief pitching. What do you think the O’s should do at the deadline? Let us know in the comments section below.