Orioles' back-to-back blowout defeats give Mike Elias all the ammo he needs to justify a trade deadline fire sale

A month ago, Baltimore Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias verbally indicated that, despite the team being roundly disappointing, the Orioles front office was still planning to go for it this season. Hearing that sentiment, you would think that if by the time the deadline came around and the Orioles were still within a couple of games of a Wild Card spot, Elias would be a man of his word and the team would "go for it." However, Elias did caveat his statement by saying that "he was going to have to look at the circumstances" and that he would be "doing what was best for the franchise no matter what."

These little caveats that Elias snuck into his press conference quotes gave him just enough wiggle room to still sell at the deadline even if the Orioles were within striking distance of the playoffs. Even in seasons where the Orioles have had the best record in baseball, Elias has viewed having to buy at the deadline as a chore that he'd rather avoid. He has gone through the motions and made some deadline trades before, but based on the players he brought in and the prospects he was willing to move, it was always clear his priority was protecting his precious farm system rather than giving his team the best chance to contend for the World Series.

Mike Elias never wanted to supplement this Orioles team and now he won't have to

The last thing Mike Elias wants to do is trade valuable prospects to supplement a team he doesn't believe is good enough to compete. The fact that the Orioles were managing to hang around close enough to the playoffs where buying was a real option was likely causing him a lot of stress. You can imagine his heart sinking watching the Orioles complete their seven-run comeback against the Tigers and realizing that the fan base was going to expect him to actually do something at the deadline besides hoard toolsy High-A prospects.

When the Orioles completed yet another comeback win on Friday to pull within 1.5 games of the playoffs, it seemed as though they were going to successfully force the front office's hand to bring in some reinforcements. Cortisol levels in the warehouse were probably through the roof. Fortunately for those geniuses, the next two games could not have been more demoralizing as the Orioles lost back-to-back games to the Phillies by a combined score of 15-0.

Sunday afternoon's game felt like it was designed in a lab to make fans as apathetic as possible heading into the deadline. A rain delay knocked both starting pitchers out of the game after two and a half innings, and when play resumed, the Orioles proceeded to bring out reliever after reliever to get rocked by the Phillies. At the same time, the Orioles offense kept up an impressive pace of stranding runners in scoring position. By the time the game was called off, it felt like a mercy to Orioles fans not to have to watch the carnage any longer.

The Orioles will make it to the trade deadline just 2.5 games back of a playoff spot. Well within the margin for a team to justify buying and adding talent. However, the last two games have fully taken the wind out of the Orioles' sails. If the deadline had been after the Tigers series when the team was still 2.5 games back but riding high, selling rather than buying would have resulted in a fiery response from the team and the fanbase. Three days later, still 2.5 games back, but after back-to-back blowout shutouts, nobody is going to bat an eye when the Orioles are the one team on the cusp of the playoffs selling.

Mike Elias won; his prospects are safe, and nobody will be able to make fun of him for accidentally trading away a future all-star for a mid-rotation arm that gives you fewer than 10 innings that season. Orioles fans lost and will continue to lose as long as their front office is more concerned about the Frederick Keys than the Baltimore Orioles.

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