1 pitcher the Orioles should be trading for no matter what their record looks like at the deadline

The Baltimore Orioles are in a precarious position with nine games left to go before the trade deadline. Currently sitting three games out of a playoff spot, they are right on the edge of the buy/sell line. Right now, the Orioles front office is preparing two courses of action, one for if they play well in the next nine games and buy, and one for if they play poorly and have to sell. The difference in those plans will be sizable, but there is one move that they should be looking to pull off no matter how the next nine games go: trading for Reid Detmers if the Angels make him available.

Acquiring top-end starting pitching has proven to be difficult for the Orioles. In each of the last two offseasons, the Orioles believed they were in the running for several of the top free agent starters; they signed none of them. This coming offseason, the free agent starting pitching class is very weak once you get past Tarik Skubal, who the Orioles are not going to be in the market for, so if the Orioles plan on finally landing an impact starter in the near future, it will have to be done via trade.

Reid Detmers would be a perfect fit on this Orioles team

Impact starters don't get traded very often. If the Angels are making one available right now that is under contract through the end of 2028, then that's an opportunity the Orioles need to be all over regardless of their 2026 playoff odds. If the Orioles pass on trading for Detmers and another team trades for him, that team is not going to turn around and trade him to the Orioles this offseason. This could very well be one of the Orioles' only chances at trading for a pitcher this good with this much control.

Detmer's 4.05 ERA might not scream "can't miss trade target," but looking at his other stats, you can see why Detmer's is going to net the Angels a haul if they decide to move him. He has four pitches that rate out as above average according to stuff+, and he has above average command on all of those pitches according to location+. That kind of mix of stuff and command doesn't grow on trees, especially not in Baltimore, where it's felt like the Orioles have always had to deal with their pitchers having one or the other but rarely both.

Detmers' other peripheral stats like FIP, xFIP, xERA, and SIERA would all tell you that Detmers is one of the better pitchers in the league, and when you're looking for pitchers that you want to have on your team for years to come, these numbers matter more than his ERA over a 120-inning sample this season.

It's also worth mentioning that Detmers has been this good while pitching for one of the least analytically advanced teams in all of baseball. It's very possible that with the right guidance, he could be even better than what he's shown so far.

The reports out of Los Angeles this week are that the Angels are "very open" to trading their controllable players and starting a much-needed rebuild. The Orioles have a deep farm system and could offer a large package of solid prospects similar to what they gave up in the Shane Baz deal, with the big difference being that they'd most likely have to include a higher-end prospect than the best player included in the Baz trade. A shotgun blast of Orioles prospects would put a large dent in the Angels' fledgling rebuild. The question is, are the Orioles going to be willing to put the necessary pieces on the table, or will they let another opportunity to acquire pitching slip past them?

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