Bleacher Report's wild trade proposal is bad news for Orioles

From a 30,000 foot perspective, what the Orioles have done over the last two seasons has been nothing short of spectacular. After an extended stretch of futility, Mike Elias has put together a team that won the AL East in 2023 and competed right down to the wire in 2024, falling just short of their second straight division title.

However, there were quite a few things that went wrong this past year, and O's fans haven't been quiet about the ways in which we'd like to see Elias address the roster in the offseason. It's a popular idea among Orioles fans to make a blockbuster trade this winter, similar to how Baltimore acquired Corbin Burnes a year ago.

If the Orioles want to acquire a high-caliber player, they'll have to give up something of value. While there are ways to do it without breaking the bank, Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer's idea of dealing away Jordan Westburg is taking things a step too far.

The Orioles have no business trading away All Star infielder Jordan Westburg

The idea behind moving Westburg, according to Rymer, is that the O's have top prospect Coby Mayo waiting in the wings to take over the third base job in 2025. Mayo was outstanding during his time in Triple-A Norfolk this year, but wilted when given the opportunity in Baltimore.

There's still plenty of time for Mayo to figure things out in the big leagues but there's a difference between giving him the chance to earn the job and leaving him as the only option out there. It would be an especially tenuous decision given fellow top prospect Jackson Holliday's failure to launch this year as well.

As it stands, Westburg is one of the most consistent hitters in the Orioles lineup. It's unclear whether Anthony Santander will return to Baltimore in 2025, or if he'll sign a free agent deal elsewhere. Moving Westburg would create another massive hole in the lineup that wouldn't be easy for Elias to fill.

On the other hand, it's certainly possible that Westburg just had a career year. He well outpaced his 2023 output and he'll be entering his age-26 season without ever having played a full major league season. He also wasn't particularly good in his brief return from a broken hand in September, so there will be question marks heading into spring training.

Overall though, trading Westburg likely creates more problems than it solves. The Orioles could likely get similar value trading from their prospect pool without giving up a strong major league asset like Westburg.