3 early-season trades Orioles must make

This reversal of fortunes is a welcome sight in Baltimore, but this Orioles team is not without its flaws. The bullpen lacks stability, no one really knows who the second baseman will be in a few months and the team could probably still use another veteran bat. Perhaps it isn’t necessary to upgrade at all of those spots, but it certainly makes for a fun exercise.

That’s why today, we’re going to hypothesize about what an all-out, no-holds-barred trade season would look like for these Orioles. If general managaer Mike Elias wants to come out guns blazing, we’ve got just the moves he needs to make. Starting with…

Acquire Athletics closer Mason Miller

The baseball universe might actually burn to the ground if the Oakland Athletics trade Mason Miller. The 25-year-old has been the most dominant reliever in the sport this season, throws harder than anyone in the game, strikes out over two batters an inning and has completely broken the field of statistics, posting a FIP of -0.16.

Yet, this is the Oakland Athletics we’re talking about here, so of course there’s a possibility they could trade away Miller when his value is at its peak, even when he doesn’t hit free agency until 2030. It would be blasphemous on the part of the A’s, but the Orioles shouldn’t be in the business of holding teams to their scruples. In a cutthroat business like professional baseball, you’ve got to take advantage of any and all teams acting in bad faith.

And if any team is going to put together a prospect package for Miller that can satisfy the baseball conscience, Baltimore is that team. They’ve still got the deepest farm system in the game without having to trade Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo or Coby Mayo and they’ve got the need, knowing Craig Kimbrel is unlikely to work out long-term as the closer. And while this is obviously a trade focused on 2024, just imagine this bullpen in 2025 when Félix Bautista rejoins Miller at the back end?

Acquire Giants SP Alex Cobb

We gave consideration to addressing the second base position here, but we’re trusting the organization to figure that out with some combination of Jorge Mateo, Ramón Urías and Jackson Holliday. And you can absolutely never have too much starting pitching, as the Orioles have found out by losing Grayson Rodriguez to the 15-day IL. So it’s time for a reunion no one ever saw coming.

Alex Cobb has had a really nice career, but his Orioles tenure was a giant stain on that track record. He’s got a career 3.85 ERA in 230 starts, but from 2018-20 with Baltimore, he had a 5.10 ERA and allowed 1.7 home runs per nine innings. But what has changed since then? Well, Cobb has pitched a lot better, for one, but the Orioles also moved their left field fence back 30 feet and turned a bandbox into a pitcher’s paradise against right-handed batting.

Cobb also underwent hip surgery at the end of the 2023 season, but is eligible to return at the end of the month. And if the San Francisco Giants continue on their current losing trajectory, they’ll be more than happy to part with the 36-year-old for any sort of prospect return, because the Giants have consistently been an old team with a depleted farm system these last 10 years. If Cobb returns to his 2023 All-Star form, the Orioles will look like geniuses.

Acquire Mets DH J.D. Martinez

As things stand with Baltimore right now, J.D. Martinez would be more of a luxury acquisition than anything else. With Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle essentially taking turns between first base and DH, there isn’t a clear-cut spot in the lineup for Martinez. But veteran presence goes a long way for a young team trying to make a playoff push and in a 162-game season, a spot usually opens up.

O’Hearn is a capable right fielder, which could certainly open up some DH opportunities for Martinez, particularly against left-handed pitching. Plus, the minute anyone gets injured, Martinez would be the best insurance policy money (and prospects) could buy. Moreover, Martinez has basically been a second hitting coach everywhere he’s gone, with Mookie Betts essentially saying Martinez changed his career at the plate.

And oh, by the way, the last five times MLB has had an All-Star Game, J.D. Martinez has been named to one of the rosters. He’s not off to the hottest start in 2024, but he always finds a way to hit, no matter the circumstances. If the Orioles acquired Martinez, there would almost certainly be a key at-bat in October where they’d be glad he was the man in the batter’s box.