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It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but the 2025 Orioles are in the unexpected position of being sellers at the deadline. With the playoffs likely out of reach and a roster that is much more talented than its record, O’s management was extremely aggressive in getting rid of any players who aren’t part of the future in Baltimore. 

GM Mike Elias traded 9 big leaguers for a total of 15 prospects and a high draft pick. Big names including former All-Stars like Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn were not spared. However, the O’s future is still intact with guys like Henderson, Holliday, Westburg, Rustchman, Cowser, Bradish, Bautista, and more. 

The team will be back in 2026 to compete for a World Series ring, but selling was the only move at this time. So why should a team who expects to win soon sell off assets? Here are a few reasons:

• MLB’s expanded playoffs force the majority of teams into competing late into the season. There are more buyers than sellers, so it becomes a sellers market with a lot of value out there.

• 5 of the 9 players traded had contracts expiring at the end of the season, and 3 others were veterans who only had 1 extra year left. Those players’ value would never be higher than it is now.

• The farm system was middle-of-the-pack this season at best after being at the top most of the previous 3 seasons. These deadline moves reload the minors and moved the Orioles back into the top 10 and maybe even top 5 in the rankings when you add in the new draft picks as well.

• Having a top system gives you great cost-controlled talent, as well as more trade chips. The O’s will be buyers in free agency, now adding all of these young pitchers will make it easier for them to find another top-level starter via trade this offseason.

• Most of the prospects received are in the lower levels of the minors and at least a year or 2 away from the big leagues. This is unfortunate, but no team is trading major-league level talent for a 2 month rental.

So where do they go from here? There are two months left in the season, it's time to test out young players from the upper minors who are ready for a chance at the big leagues. The gap between minor and major league play has increased. The team can afford to give young players a ton of at bats/pitches without any added pressure. The off season will be the most important of Elias’ tenure. The O’s have to swing for the fences while they have this young core together.

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Below I have discussed each trade in depth with a short breakdown of each prospect the O’s got in return.

RHP Bryan Baker Traded to Tampa Bay Rays for No. 37 Overall Draft Pick in 2025 (OF Slater de Brun)

We previously discussed the Baker trade here but now we know the return. The Orioles were able to nab high school outfielder Slater de Brun with their final pick of the first round in 2025. De Brun is a talented center fielder who was committed to Vanderbilt University, but the O’s were able to entice him with a $4 million signing bonus, almost double the slot value. Slater has a good hit tool and the athleticism to stick at center field throughout his development. GM Mike Elias doesn’t usually take high school players early or give them big money unless he rates them highly. Previous big money draftees out of high school include Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Coby Mayo, who are all on the big league roster. Hopefully de Brun can continue the trend a few years from now.

LHP Gregory Soto to New York Mets for RHP Wellington Aracena and RHP Cameron Foster

Soto was up and down throughout his time as an Oriole, he always had a devastating fastball/slider mix that he struggled to command at times. He came during last year’s deadline from Philadelphia, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Soto had a 4.33 ERA and 65 strikeouts across 54 innings during his year in Baltimore. 

Wellington Aracena is the Mets 19th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline. At 20 years old and having just joined Low-A Delmarva, he is a few seasons away from the big leagues. He possesses a power fastball around 99 mph and a tough cutter hovering between 92-94. He is still figuring out the rest of his repertoire, but has time to do so. They are trying him out as a starter for now, but he still could be a potential reliever down the line with 2 strong pitches. His live arm will be one to watch as he moves up the minors over the next few seasons. Aracena had 1 solid start in Delmarva, and just got called up to the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Cam Foster, 26, just moved up to Triple-A level and has already thrown an inning for Norfolk. While his stuff isn’t quite the level of Aracena, he is a lot closer to the majors, and could be in the mix for the bullpen next season as guys are currently being shipped out. If just one of these guys contributes to the big club in the future, this trade would be a big win, since Soto was on his way out at the end of the season anyway.

RHP Seranthony Dominguez to Toronto Blue Jays for RHP Juaron Watts-Brown

Dominguez was probably the best bullpen arm on the trading block for Baltimore. Another expiring contract meant this was the last chance for Baltimore to get any value back. Dominguez was traded between a doubleheader, and simply walked from one side of Camden Yards to the other to join his new teammates. He always had a high 90s fastball and a good slider, but this season he added a splitter that strikes fear among left handed hitters. It’s sad to see him go to a division rival, but at least it wasn’t the Yankees or Red Sox.

Juaron Watts-Brown, 23, slots in immediately as the O’s number 8 prospect according to MLB pipeline. He also walked across the stadium to join his new teammates in Bowie, as the Baysox were playing the Jays AA affiliate at the same time. Watts-Brown profiles as a starting pitcher with two above-average breaking balls and a mid-90s fastball. Between High and AA, he has a 3.54 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 89 innings across 19 starts. Juaron has improved his fastball velocity and has a good pitch mix that sets him up well to be a potential starter at the big league level within 1 or 2 seasons. If he starts more than 20 games in his career for the Orioles, this is a home run.

RHP Andrew Kittredge to Chicago Cubs for SS Wilfri De La Cruz

Another piece of the bullpen gone, Andrew Kittredge was a free agent signing this past offseason. He missed the first 2 months of the season, but came back strong with a 3.45 ERA in 31 appearances. Kittredge had a club option for next year to retain him at $9 million, but it seems the O’s want next year's bullpen to be Felix Bautista and a clean slate.

Wilfri De La Cruz is a 17-year old shortstop signed this year from the Dominican Republic. He signed for $2.3 million as the Cubs biggest international signing this year, and was a top-20 prospect in the organization. He is a switch-hitter who is 6-2 and still growing, but his bat plays well. He has a .859 OPS in the Dominican Summer League with more walks than strikeouts, the kind of profile Mike Elias loves. If he keeps growing he might get moved to third base down the line, but hopefully his power develops with it. He is a long way away from MLB at 17, but he has a lot of interesting tools, and the more dart throws the Orioles acquire, the higher chance a few of them become big league contributors.

3B Ramon Urias to Houston Astros for RHP Twine Palmer

Ok, now this is starting to hurt. Urias was a waiver claim in 2020 who turned into an important contributor for the O’s over the past 5 years. He was primarily a 3B, winning a gold glove in 2022, but he played every infield position throughout his time. Urias was a solid player who always was up to the task. While not a prodigious power hitter, he had a lot of timely hits for the birds and accumulated 10.5 bWAR. He was one of those “glue guys” that teams have, never an elite player, but always ready for whatever the situation required. Moving Urias opens up an infield spot, which is necessary with Ryan Mountcastle returning soon. Jordan Westburg will continue to be the primary 3B, and Coby Mayo is the most likely backup, having spent a lot of time there during the minors. Finding more at-bats for Mayo is important, as he has big time power and could be a force in an Orioles lineup that lacks power from the right side.

Twine Palmer is another lottery ticket arm who is still an unknown commodity. He’s been very good in Low-A in 2025, sporting a 2.13 ERA and a .172 batting average against over 42 innings pitched. Right now, he is mostly a starter, but it remains to be seen whether he can stick in the rotation. At 6’5’’, Palmer is a big boy who has a fastball that sits 90-93. The Orioles are great at getting big pitchers to add a few more mph, so this deal fits with their organizational strengths. Palmer could be a big league reliever in a few years, and still has time to learn at just 20 years old.

Cedric Mullins to New York Mets for RHPs Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gomez, Chandler Marsh

The hits keep coming. I expected Cedric to be dealt, but I didn’t expect to be this sad about it. Cedric was the heart and soul of this ball club during some rough years and turned into a star and a leader on a team that completed one of the quickest turnarounds in MLB history. Mullins was a fan favorite, a true Baltimore icon. The bat would go hot and cold, but he always brought speed, defense, and effort when other things would let him down. Even though he was out of contract at the end of the season, it’s sad that we don’t get to spend more time with him. We will always have the highlight reel catches, the 30/30 All-Star season, and the 2023 AL East title. Love you Ceddy!

Anthony Nunez fits right in the Orioles new look top 30 prospects list. He has a good mid 90s fastball and a cutter that plays well off the fastball. Nunez has 2 60-grade (above-average) pitches in his slider and change up, giving  excellent weapons that can dance to both sides of the plate. In 40 innings pitched between A and AA ball, Nunez has 60 strikeouts and a sparkling 1.58 ERA. He profiles as a future major league bullpen arm, and it would not be a surprise if he pitches for the O’s next season.

Raimon Gomez and Chandler Marsh both moved from low to high A this season and have posted decent numbers as relief arms. In 42 innings, Marsh has allowed opponents to hit just .133 against him. Gomez’s fastball hit 104.5 mph this season, the fastest on record this year at any level. He doesn’t have command of it quite yet, but if the O’s coaching staff can help him harness the heat, he will be a problem for opposing hitters. All 3 of these guys are future bullpen pieces, with Nunez much closer to the big leagues than the other two.

1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn and OF Ramon Laureano to San Diego Padres for 6(!) Prospects

The biggest trade of the day was for 2 guys who were probably the front runners for Most Valuable Oriole this season. Ryan O’Hearn’s career was dead in the water before the O’s found him in 2023. All he’s done since he’s joined the club is hit, culminating in his first All-Star appearance as the starting DH for the American League. He was one of the biggest trade candidates on the market, and the O’s were able to get a huge return thanks to him and Ramon Laureano. Laureano was a bargain basement FA signed right before the season started to face left handed pitching. Well, he ended up leading the Orioles in a lot of offensive categories including batting average (.290) OPS (.884) and home runs (15). He had a club option for next season to stay for $4 million, but management seemed to like the return for him better. It was an unexpected moment of brilliance to sign him, but it was also smart to sell now. Laureano’s value has never been better than it is now, and he is currently having a career year. It makes sense to cash in now, and combining these 2 convinced the Padres to give up a huge chunk of their farm system. San Diego gave up their number 4,6,12, and 30th best prospects, plus 2 more guys! This trade will work out great for the Orioles, I think at least 2 of these guys will make the big league roster at some point. 

LHP Boston Bateman - A 19 year-old, 6 ft 8 behemoth, Bateman has a fastball that can reach the upper 90s and a plus slider. He’s notched 75 k’s in 68 innings and allowed just 1 home run. Currently the Orioles 6th ranked prospect and 2nd best pitcher. Bateman needs to add more pitches to his repertoire, but he has future starter written all over him with his frame and extension, albeit a few years away. Fangraphs describes him as “built like the drawbridge of a medieval Transylvanian castle,” whatever that means. He has the highest ceiling of the group, and is a unique profile in the O’s system.

SS/2B Cobb Hightower - 20 year-old versatile infielder who has good athleticism and already showed a good glove. He is expected to be a decent hitter, although the power may be lacking. He struggled through most of the year in low-A ball, but racked up 12 hits in his last 5 games before the trade.

RHP Tyson Neighbors - A nasty relief pitcher who throws an upper 90s fastball with good movement, a back breaking slider, and a plus curveball. Neighbors was a closer in college and has been used as a reliever his whole professional career as well. So far he has a 1.85 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 43 innings, and has moved quickly to Double-A. He could be the first player of this entire list of new prospects to make the big league club. These first 3 players were the Padres 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks in last year's draft.

1B/OF Victor Figueroa - A big time bat who has a lot to figure out defensively. Figueroa is hitting .318 with 12 HR and 47 RBI across 2 levels. His power is his calling card, but 10 errors and a struggle to find a position may prevent him from reaching the big leagues down the line. Moved up a level to High-A Aberdeen.

INF Brandon Butterworth - Glove first infielder who has done pretty well with the bat so far this season in High-A. Butterworth has a .782 OPS with 11 HR and 46 RBI, not bad for a guy who was supposed to be a utility infielder with limited upside. He will need to cut down on the strikeouts, but his glove will be his best chance to make it. The O’s moved up a level to AA Chesapeake, and he already hit a home run over the weekend.

RHP Tanner Smith - Big 6’6’’ pitcher who has done well in his first professional season. Smith has a 1.80 ERA since moving to Low-A. So far he’s been a 2 inning guy, so probably a future reliever. The O’s love their big pitchers, I expect him to get a boost this offseason working with the O’s pitching coaches.

RHP Charlie Morton to Detroit Tigers for LHP Micah Ashman

Uncle Charlie turned it around after an atrocious start to the season. The Orioles lost the first 12 games he pitched in. Morton was able to turn it around by finding his curveball again. He went from a potential cut to an actual trade chip. The Orioles should have targeted a higher caliber of pitcher last offseason, but I give credit to Morton for working hard to turn his season around.

Micah Ashman is a lefty reliever who has had an outstanding season so far, and he just got promoted to Double-A. He has an excellent 1.49 ERA in 30 games and was 4 for 4 in save opportunities. Another 6’7 giant, the Orioles certainly have a type. It’s a miracle they got anything of value for Morton. It’s best for all parties if we forget about his time in Baltimore. But hey, maybe Micah Ashman is the Orioles future closer. That’s the beauty of the trade deadline, the possibilities are endless.