Baltimore Orioles: Three Trades The Birds Could Make

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BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 11: Dylan Bundy #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 11, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

July is fastly approaching, and the Baltimore Orioles have moves to make. What could some of their deadline trades look like? Let’s take a look at three mock trades.

The baseball world saw it’s first significant trade of the 2019 season this week when the Seattle Mariners traded Jay Bruce to the Phillies. This summer the Baltimore Orioles will surely be sellers as they look to make trades to help the team in the future.

New general manager Mike Elias helped trade away several veterans during his time with the Houston Astros which later guided Houston to a World Series in 2017. Thus, it’s safe to assume Elias will be unafraid to pull the trigger for trades on players such as Trey Mancini.

It’s safe to say no one on the Orioles roster is safe if Elias finds the right deal. With that, let’s take a look at three trades that could make sense for the Baltimore Orioles.

Trade One:

It’s time for the Orioles to move on from Dylan Bundy. Bundy was once the Orioles top prospect but has yet to shape into the ace the O’s hoped he’d be.

However, he is a serviceable middle of the rotation arm that could help a contending team in their pennant race. The San Diego Padres seem like a logical fit as they will likely not be looking for an earth-shattering trade but rather a rotation depth piece to help them fight for one of the National League Wildcard spots.

Since Bundy is still 26 the O’s could get two of the Padres top-ranked farm system’s prospects that are ranked among the best 30 in the organization according to MLB Pipeline. Two names the Orioles could target are right-handed pitcher Anderson Espinoza and second basemen Esteury Ruiz.

Espinoza is a 21-year-old who was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2014 for $1.8 million before being traded to San Diego in 2016. The Padres 22nd ranked prospect is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery but when healthy can hit triple digits on the radar gun.

Esteury is the 25th ranked prospect in San Diego’s farm system. So far this season at High-A Lake Elsinore the second basemen is batting .254 with five home runs. According to MLB pipeline, Ruiz combines bat speed and physical strength to produce line drives and raw power. One can’t teach speed, so if the Orioles were to obtain the infielder and work on mechanics, they might just find their future second basemen.

DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 26: Jonathan Villar #2 of the Baltimore Orioles scores on a Trey Mancini 2 RBI triple in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 26, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Trade Two:

The Rockies have missed DJ LeMahieu more then they could have imagined this season as they’ve been left with a significant hole at second base. Baltimore should take advantage of this and send Colorado the speedy Jonathan Villar.

Villar can play all over the infield, hit for power, and is a threat to steal every time he’s on base. Thus, the O’s should try to sell high.

Garrett Hampson is one piece the Orioles should obtain. The 24-year-old is currently in the majors on the Colorado bench but is struggling as he’s batting just .186 in 97 at-bats this season. However, he has upside and would benefit from playing every day. The Orioles could plug him in right away and let him continue to develop while getting big league reps.

Two other pieces the O’s could look to steal from Colorado are prospects Ben Bowden and Casey Golden.

Bowden is the Rockies 16th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and is having an outstanding year at AA Hartford. In 24 relief appearances Bowden has posted a 1.14 ERA, and opposing hitters are batting just .104 against him. If the Orioles were to acquire him, he could be a future anchor of their bullpen.

The final piece of this proposed trade is Casey Golden. He is Colorado’s 30th ranked prospect. Despite being 24 years-old Golden is still in High-A ball; however, has a lot of pop and is a prospect the O’s could potentially catch lightning in a bottle with.

BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 02: Trey Mancini #16 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with third base coach Jose David Flores #11 after hitting a home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 2, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

Trade Three:

If the Orioles trade Trey Mancini in the division they better sell high. The Tampa Bay Rays make a lot of sense for Mancini since he’s affordable, locked up for multiple seasons and can fill the Rays void at first base. In addition, Tampa’s great farm system means Baltimore can get a lot for their top trade chip.

By trading the soon to be all-star the Orioles could get one MLB talent and three of Tampa’s top 30 prospects.

The MLB talent the O’s could ask for is Daniel Robertson. Robertson can play all over the diamond with solid defense. His offense has been a work in progress, but he’s worth bringing in and giving a shot for Baltimore.

As for the prospects, the Orioles could obtain they could start with right-hander Shane Baz. Baz was one of the players Tampa received in the Chris Archer last season. At Low-A Bowling Green this season Baez has posted a stellar 1.44 ERA in five starts.

Next up, outfielder Lucius Fox. Fox is the Rays 10th ranked prospect who according to MLB Pipeline has some of the best speed in the Tampa farm system. He’s only batting .208 at AA Montgomery this season but is still 21 and has plenty of room to improve.

The final prospect the Orioles should ask for is Josh Lowe. Lowe is an outfielder with a lot of pop as he has 10 home runs at AA Montgomery this season. He could be a future power bat for the Orioles going forward.

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Would you like to see these three trades go down? Or would the Baltimore Orioles be giving up too much? Comment your thoughts below.

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July is fastly approaching, and the Baltimore Orioles have moves to make. What could some of their deadline trades look like? Let’s take a look at three mock trades.

Trade One:

Trade Two:

Trade Three:

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