Baltimore Orioles: Be prepared for a sale at the trade deadline

For the second time in the history of Peter Angelos’s ownership of the Baltimore Orioles, there are rumors of sale preparations.

The Baltimore Orioles are rumored to be listening to offers for nearly all of its players, especially the relief pitchers who have value.

But, according to the same sources, two players are untouchable: Manny Machado and Adam Jones. The team is rumored to keep Mychal Givens, despite other rumors that teams are asking about him.

The rumors about potential trades are coming from two sources: MLB Trade Rumors and MLB expert Ken Rosenthal. In a Facebook post, Rosenthal wrote:

"“Orioles GM Dan Duquette currently is in a similar position, informing teams that he is willing to deal his top relievers and potential free-agent outfielder Seth Smith as long as he receives ownership approval, major-league sources say.”"

Did the Yankees start a trend?

The “similar position” is in reference to the New York Yankees who traded both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller for valuable prospects in 2016. Chapman netted four prospects for the Yankees when they traded him to the Chicago Cubs. The Cleveland Indians traded two pitching prospects for Miller. The big Yankee sell off at the trade deadline in 2016 was a major surprise for most baseball fans who have only known the Bronx Bombers as buyers in the past few decades. The team that was known for its aging players now has very few “old guys” remaining.

And, the Yankees were able to get their coveted fireballer, Chapman, back after the Cubs were finished with him. Although, the Cuban Missile has not been pitching as well as he did in previous seasons. Yes, the Yankees had to pay him a little more the second time around – but Chapman now comes with his very own World Series ring.

More from Orioles Rumors

• Rumor: Baltimore Orioles Interested In Michael Wacha
• Orioles select Andrew Politi in Rule 5 Draft
• Baltimore Orioles Sign Outfielder Nomar Mazara as Winter Meetings Continue
• Orioles Rumors: Mike Elias Wants More Pitching
• Baltimore Orioles Players We May See in the World Baseball Classic

Who could go?

With this announcement from Dan Duquette, the Orioles will hopefully be able to turn around the future of the team. Despite the strong start in April, the starting pitching has been nothing short of atrocious and has been losing games at an incomprehensible clip. Orioles’ fans are a loyal bunch and they deserve to have a team with pitchers who can get outs – not provide batting practice to opposing teams.

In many cases, trade deadline deals are often just short-term rentals. Players like Zach Britton could make the difference for a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers who might need one more arm to make it deep into the post-season. Then, when the winter meetings come around – Britton could be back on the market and could be snapped up by the Orioles for the following season. The Orioles would then reap the benefits of trading in July and from the open market in the off-season.

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Like the Yankees, an Orioles sell-off at the deadline would not be geared toward a complete rebuild. The Birds have one of the worst pitching rotations in the MLB and a change is needed. If there are teams that are interested and the offers are in the Orioles’ favor, then trades should happen. Fans should prepare themselves – the team will most likely look a bit different as the end of July rolls around.