Baltimore Orioles: 3 bold trade deadline predictions

As the Baltimore Orioles near the August 2 trade deadline, they enter Tuesday’s play at .500 (48-48) and are only a half-game behind the Boston Red Sox for fourth place in the American League East. Additionally, the Orioles are just 3.5 games back of the third AL Wild Card spot.

There have been many questions floating around from Baltimore Orioles fans about who will be traded, and what the front office might be looking for in return for those trades.

This article contains 3 bold predictions for the Baltimore Orioles trade deadline

1: The Orioles DO NOT trade Trey Mancini

There have been trade rumors circulating around Trey Mancini in every season since 2019. The rumors have become serious this year, with quotes coming out saying that he is taking in every moment at Camden Yards in the series they are currently playing against the Tampa Bay Rays because he feels this may be his last time playing in Balitmore as an Oriole. I don’t think this will be the case. Not only is Mancini an amazing first baseman and designated hitter, he is also an incredible teammate and a great guy all around.

Thursday is Mo Gaba Day at Camden Yards, so he is guaranteed to be an Oriole until then due to his friendship with Mo, but I think Mancini will be an Oriole through the end of this season at least.

2: The bullpen gets blown up

The Orioles have the third-best bullpen in all of baseball, boasting a 3.09 ERA so far through the 2022 MLB season. This comes after having one of the worst bullpens for three of the last four seasons. The bullpen is one of the biggest reasons for Baltimore’s success. However, a lot of teams that are buying need bullpen pieces, so I see the Orioles moving some pieces from the bullpen.

The only solid piece I see not being negotiable is Felix Bautista, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see All-Star Jorge Lopez, Cionel Perez, Keegan Akin, Dillon Tate, or more being traded before the deadline. Those trades could add more prospects to what is already the best farm system in the MLB.

3: An infielder gets traded

There are quite a few infielders sitting in Triple-A, ready to be called up. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Rougned Odor get traded. He isn’t batting well or playing particularly good defense, but the leadership he brings to a team could be wanted. He is a great bench bat, can be very clutch, and is a great teammate.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Mike Elias found a way to get someone to put some feelers out for Jorge Mateo or Ramon Urias, both of whom are hitting incredibly well right now. However, I feel out of the three names mentioned, Odor has the best chance of being traded. It would be incredibly bold to think Mateo or Urias or gone, but I have been surprised by Elias before.

There are some not-so-bold predictions for trades, including Anthony Santander being traded which has been mentioned before. He has officially been vaccinated, meaning any MLB team would not have to worry about benching him if they travel to Toronto. I mentioned Keegan Akin previously, he has also been vaccinated and is a great long reliever out of the bullpen, whose name has also been tossed around in trade talks.

With the Orioles doing so well, I think trading Mancini would be a poor decision if the franchise wants to make a playoff push for this year, something that all Baltimore fans would love to see.