2 Orioles prospects that should be traded, and 2 they should hold onto

The Baltimore Orioles have done a good job turning their top prospects into everyday major leaguers. There are some disadvantages to having a roster made up of so many young players; last season, it felt like all of them were slumping at the same time, and they didn't have anyone to help them pull out of the spiral. The advantage of having a roster full of young players is that they are cheap and they're under contract for a long time.

With the Orioles having so many prospects come up over the last couple of seasons and become at least average, if not above-average, regulars, they have a lot of payroll and positional certainty for the next three to five years at most positions.

Of course, nothing is for certain: Jordan Westburg is hurt quite regularly, Colton Cowser may not stick in center, and Coby Mayo hasn't proven he can stick anywhere. The Orioles will need more than these nine players to make it through the next few years, but they won't need a ton more, making many of their prospects very expendable. The tough part is deciding which prospects to keep and which prospects to trade.

2 Orioles prospects that should be traded

Ike Irish

Irish was the Orioles' first-round pick in the 2025 draft. At the 19th pick, he was something of a steal; some mocks leading up to the draft had him in the top five. As fortunate as the Orioles were to get their hands on a talent like Irish, he's the kind of prospect the Orioles should be willing to flip to improve their current roster.

Irish was drafted as a catcher but will most likely end up as a corner outfielder/first baseman or designated hitter. With Basallo and Alonso both under contract for the next five-plus years, that's a lot of 1B/DH at-bats that are spoken for. In the outfield, the Orioles already have two left-handed outfielders under contract, each for four plus years. It's going to be hard to find playing time for the Irish anytime in the next five years. With that in mind, the best thing the Orioles could do with him is to trade him now while he's still possibly a catcher and his bat is especially strong for that position. Waiting until he's a bad defensive corner outfielder with a decent bat will yield a much smaller return

Nate George

George flew up prospect rankings last year after he surprised everyone with both his hit tool and the exit velocities he was putting up in the lower minors. Now that he appears on most of the top prospect lists, his trade value is much higher than anyone would have anticipated when the Orioles took him in the 16th round of the draft.

Because of his ability to play center and hit right-handed, George isn't as blocked as Irish, but the Orioles should consider trading him anyway. A lot of the hype around George is due to people projecting that his bat speed and exit velos will translate to in-game power, which it hasn't yet. If George doesn't start showing real in-game power soon, he'll quickly slide back down the same prospect rankings he just shot up. Better for the Orioles to strike while the iron is hot and get something for this surprise top prospect.

2 prospects the Orioles should hold on to

Wehiwa Aloy

Whether it's because Westburg can't ever get healthy, or because Holliday never fully develops as a hitter, or because Henderson gets stolen away in free agency, the Orioles are likely to need some help somewhere on the infield in the next few years. Aloy was a great defensive shortstop in college and should be able to play anywhere on the diamond. His offensive weakness in plate discipline is something the Orioles have improved in many of their other prospects.

Aloy was just drafted, so he likely won't be up in the big leagues until late 2027 at the earliest, which gives the Orioles plenty of time to sort out their infield and see where he'll be most needed, and Aloy's versatility should allow him to slot in wherever they end up needing him.

Aron Estrada

Estrada is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Orioles system. Last year, he made the jump from High-A to Double-A look easy, and in spring training, despite being one of the youngest players to get an invite to major league camp, he looked very competent on both sides of the ball.

Like Aloy, what makes Estrada a good fit to stay in the Orioles system is his versatility. Estrada is primarily a second baseman, but he's also made starts at every position on the field except for first base and catcher. He'll be able to fit in wherever the Orioles need an extra glove.