Early trade deadline results suggest Orioles fans should feel really good about prospect return for Dean Kremer

Over the weekend, it was the Baltimore Orioles who kicked off the starting pitching trade market by trading longtime starter Dean Kremer to the Twins. Over the next few days, as more starting pitcher trades have trickled in, it would appear that when it comes to the non-Tarik Skubal pitchers traded so far, the Orioles have gotten the most prospect bang for their traded starting pitcher buck.

As of right now, in addition to Kremer, other starting pitchers traded at this deadline include the Mariners trading Luis Castillo to the White Sox, former Oriole Kevin Gausman going from the Blue Jays to the Cubs, the Giants sending Tyler Mahle to the Braves, and the Mets shipping Freddy Peralta to the Rays. Looking at the packages that the teams trading those pitchers got in return, it's possible to argue that Kremer brought back the single best prospect so far.

The Orioles did very will in their Dean Kremer trade

In return for Kremer, the Twins sent the Orioles Jhomnardo Reyes, whom they signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2025. Reyes is a massive 18-year-old corner outfielder currently in Low-A. In his very short professional career, he has already put up some eye-popping exit velocity numbers. He has some swing-and-miss concerns and still needs to figure out how to get his impressive power to play in-game more frequently, but he's already shown improvements in just one year and has a long runway before he's expected in the big leagues. In the FCL this year, he was slashing .296/.409/.541.

Fangraphs had him as the Twins #10 prospect, and Baseball America slotted him in at #12 in their system. This was a really good get for the Orioles. Reyes might be a ways away from the big leagues, but he has a very high ceiling as far as what he could become as he continues to develop and mature.

Looking at the other prospect returns that teams have gotten for their starters, it's hard to see as much upside.

The Mariners basically salary-dumped Luis Castillo. All they got back for him was Seranthony Domínguez, who the White Sox couldn't wait to get rid of, Nolan Jones, who just isn't a major leaguer anymore, and Boston Smith, who was a throw-in.

The prospects that the Blue Jays got for trading Kevin Gausman will most likely both reach the majors, which is nice, but both also profile as little more than bench players, which gives fans the feeling of, why did we even do this?

Tyler Mahle was traded for Anthony Molina, who is not a prospect but rather a three-year veteran who has never posted an ERA below 5.40.

The return for Freddy Peralta is the biggest contender to potentially outstrip what the Orioles got for Kremer. With the Mets getting three prospects back for Peralta (OF Aiden Smith, SP Gary Gill Hill, and 2B Emilien Pitre) compared to just one for Kremer, the value of the total package goes to New York.

As far as the single best prospects from the two trades, Fangraphs has both Reyes and Hill with FV 45s. The fact that Hill is further along in the minors would suggest that he might be more highly regarded, but it's debatable depending on what you prefer in a prospect.

With how far apart Kremer and Peralta were viewed coming into the season and still today, the fact that they were both traded at the deadline and that it's a close contest as far as who brought back the better prospect is a big win for the Orioles.

Over the course of the day, it will be interesting to keep track of the returns for starting pitchers to see how the return for Kremer stacks up compared to the arms waiting to be dealt. If the Orioles decide to make more trades, hopefully they can continue to get this kind of value for the players they are looking to move.

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