2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

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Just thinking out loud, but the Baltimore Orioles have a few weak links hindering this rebuild. Maybe, they should ditch them… just thinking… out loud.

Even in a rebuild there will be dead weight on a baseball team. With the Baltimore Orioles slowly climbing out of that hole, that is the case more than ever at the moment. The Orioles have a handful of players that have made this rebuild movement possible, and then there are others who are still holding it up.

2022 promotions like Adley Rutschman, Tyler Nevin, and Nick Vespi have shown us all that the O’s farm system is on fire, and the glow up is still happening. With those bright spots come an equal, if not greater, amount of disappointment in certain instances.

There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that cannot or will not change right now, and that is understandable. Unless a trade happens for the likes of Mancini, Mullins, or Santander, they will be a stable on the O’s starting-9. Austin Hays isn’t going anywhere, and neither are Ryan Mountcastle, Jorge Mateo, or any of the beforementioned youngsters.

2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

Even in a rebuild, it is imperative to make moves and rearrange players to find what works, and what doesn’t. Chris Owings is a good example of that. The O’s tried, it didn’t work, it didn’t work some more, and then some more, and then finally, they gave up on the struggling utilityman.

Let’s be clear while I am thinking out loud… I am not saying that I want these players gone forever, but right now just isn’t there time to shine for the Baltimore Orioles. With that, let’s dig into who the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the ASG.

Starting pitcher Bryan Baker #43 of the Baltimore Orioles. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Oh, Bryan Baker… talk about a roller coaster of a 2022 campaign for this right-handed hurler. What started so well on Opening Weekend, has turned into a dumpster fire of epic proportions. Let’s back up a moment, because it’s not all bad.

Bake has been a loyal contributor to the team wherever he can. Twice so far he has started in a “bullpen” game, and once that worked out well. Since that showing in Saint Louis, however, things have been on a continual slide.

On four different occasions Bake allowed two or more runs in an inning or less. Bryan Baker has the second highest ERA on the Baltimore Orioles, and not a single point towards any of it getting better. Unless, of course, you count his sweet stache which is surly due to the new Top Gun movie. Can you blame him?

2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

The Baltimore Orioles bullpen started out the year as one of the best, and they are still doing really well… well besides Baker, of course. Besides the O’s newest bullpen member, Austin Voth, there’s not a single member of the pen within 2.00 of Baker’s ERA.

We’ve already seen that the bullpen can be upgraded from the Triple-A level, ala Nick Vespi, and that is what needs to happen again. Cole Uliva, Marcos Diplan, and hey, even DL Hall could be good call-ups from the minors and fill the gap. Hall is currently starting, but with his arm strength, could be a solid ringer from the pen. Sorry, Bryan Baker, you have to go — maybe for good.

Ryan McKenna #26 of the Baltimore Orioles. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

If you’ve made it this far into the article, and haven’t turned it away due to your possible love for Ryan McKenna, hear me out… I too love the Baltimore Orioles speedster, but I think he needs more time to learn big-league hitting.

Unlike Baker, I don’t want him gone, gone. Just back to the minors for someone else. His speed is something that would certainly be missed, but I truly believe that Kyle Stowers could be the immediate replacement for McKenna for the now.

2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

McKenna has starting hitting a lot better, and honestly can get much better from going back to Triple-A because he has clearly mastered the art of hitting there. Remember, this is me thinking out loud, and if it came down to a 1v1 swap, I want to see more of Kyle Stowers over more or Ryan McKenna.

Should the Baltimore Orioles keep him around in the organization? Absolutely, because I think he will have a critical part in the rebuild moving forward, just not right now. We need to see how Stowers can play, and maybe even some others from the minors, and then go from there.

Next. Baltimore Orioles: Reevaluating the Manny Machado trade. dark

I cannot emphasize this enough, I DO NOT WANT RYAN MCKENNA GONE, he just needs to be ditched from the big club for now. If you want to have a true rebuild, you need to see what you have at the lower levels and challenge them. This is the Baltimore Orioles chance to do that, and see what the rest of the 2022 season will look like.

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2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

2 players the Baltimore Orioles should ditch before the All-Star Break

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