Orioles' 2025 MVP might have saved previously ill-advised Mike Elias trade

During a down year for the Baltimore Orioles, 27-year-old starting pitcher Trevor Rogers has emerged as an undeniable star at Camden Yards. Entering Wednesday, Rogers held a 9-2 record on the season (17 starts) with an incredible 1.35 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Rogers was also named the 2025 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole on Tuesday, an award that’s voted on by local media in Baltimore (every season since 1954). Besides being an obvious honor for Rogers, it served as a reminder that his Orioles tenure hasn’t always been pretty.

Rogers struggled mightily out of the gate in an Orioles uniform in 2024. Following the Orioles' deal with the Marlins that brought Rogers to Baltimore in exchange for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby, Rogers performed badly in his first four Orioles starts (7.11 ERA) and was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as a result. 

Rogers began the current 2025 season recovering from a dislocated kneecap, all while Stowers was excelling in Miami, leading Orioles fans to universally blame general manager Mike Elias for what clearly looked like a failed trade.

Trevor Rogers’ outstanding 2025 for the Orioles has turned the tables for Mike Elias

In defense of the Orioles fan base, there was no indication as of May 2025 that Elias’s trade for Rogers had been a wise one. Everything pointed to the contrary. But from the moment Rogers re-entered Baltimore’s rotation on May 24 (a scoreless effort against the Boston Red Sox in which he retired 19 of 22 batters faced), Rogers has been one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, and the entire narrative about the trade has been flipped on its head.

This has all been great news for Elias, of course. Now, Rogers, too, is reaping the rewards — in Tuesday’s case, the “award” — for his success. Baltimore presented the Most Valuable Oriole honor to Rogers before Tuesday’s game at Camden Yards. Per MLB.com’s Jake Rill, Rogers became the first Orioles pitcher to win the award since Rodrigo Lopez in 2002. 

“I’m honored just to be in the elite company that’s had this award in years past,” Rogers said about being named Most Valuable Oriole, per Rill. “Just the entire journey that I’ve been on since I’ve gotten here -- kind of a bumpy start, not the start that any of us would have wanted, but seeing where we are today, it was worth it going through those struggles. Getting this award, I’m very thankful.”

Per Rill, eight other Orioles received votes for the award this season, including Dylan Beavers, Dylan Carlson, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Gunnar Henderson, who won the award in 2023 and 2024.

What’s most exciting about Rogers is that his best baseball might be ahead of him. After making one more start this season, Rogers will be looking ahead to a 2026 season in which he figures to be a Cy Young candidate, provided he can stay healthy. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s front office should do everything it can to finalize an extension for Rogers as soon as possible.

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