Orioles: Recap of a Busy Trade Deadline in Baltimore

Orioles trade Mancini and Lopez while adding Brett Phillips and pitching depth.

Mike Elias and the Baltimore Orioles front office were put in a unique situation when the Orioles got within a couple of games of a playoff spot after a 10-game win streak right before the All-Star break in July. Before the win streak, the consensus seemed to be that the Orioles would be obvious sellers at the deadline for the fifth season in a row, but the narrative then became that the Orioles could possibly look to add MLB talent in pursuit of their first playoff appearance since 2016.

However, despite the on-field success the Orioles decided to sell at the deadline and add minor-league pitching depth with the trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge Lopez. The reaction of Birdland to these trades has been mostly negative since the Orioles traded away two key pieces to a team that could compete for a playoff spot down the stretch. With the deals, the Orioles also added Yusniel Diaz and Nick Vespi to the active roster and traded for Brett Phillips from the Rays. Let’s look at each trade individually as the Orioles look to finish off the second half of the season.