Orioles cannot let the trade deadline pass without patching up their greatest weakness

Being on the wrong side of .500 is usually not a good sign for most teams as they approach the trade deadline. For the Baltimore Orioles, they’ve flirted with mediocrity throughout the 2026 season. As a result, it has put them in a tough position when it comes to the state of the roster. With plenty of valuable right-handed relievers that many teams have their eye on, the Orioles could make out like bandits at the deadline. However, according to Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner, the team may be on the prowl to add a lefty in the bullpen. But with the Mets already dealing A.J. Minter to the Twins, the Orioles may not have much time to make their move.  

Out of the 30 teams in baseball, only six have waved the white flag and accepted their failed 2026 campaigns at this point in the season. The rest of the league all have at least some semblance of a chance to claw back and compete for a Wild Card spot. The Orioles currently find themselves within an arm’s length of the Cleveland Guardians for the third Wild Card spot. This could encourage GM Mike Elias to become aggressive at the deadline and shore up any perceived weak spots on the team. That includes the team's bullpen.

The Orioles need a left-handed releiver more than anything at this trade deadline

Despite posting their strongest month of the 2026 season in July, the Orioles have struggled to truly separate themselves from other Wild Card contenders. As of July 31, the team is sitting at 53-56, providing them with little clarity on which direction that Elias and the front office should take for the remainder of the season. But if they feel that the team has turned the corner and is ready to compete with the big dogs, the time is now to make a move. 

When the Mets shipped Minter to the Twins on July 30, it started a clock that the Orioles potentially weren’t ready for. The LHP is certainly a premium in the big leagues, meaning that it can often be a seller’s market when it comes to acquiring one. That can sometimes force buyers to make desperate moves just to fill a need on the roster. The Kansas City Royals acquired Matt Strahm in the off-season with the hopes of adding one of the league’s strongest lefty relievers over the past two seasons. Since Strahm is currently sporting a 7.27 ERA, the Royals may be having some severe buyer’s remorse. Taking a look around the rest of the league, the Orioles won’t have too many options when it comes to finding a LHP of their own to add to the pen. 

As ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted in his top trade candidates rankings, the best remaining left-handed bullpen arms that Baltimore could target are the Padres’ Adrián Morejón and Daniel Lynch IV of the Royals. Kansas City will be in the driver’s seat with Lynch IV, who is having his best year as a pro. This means that the Orioles would need to fork up a very competitive trade package to land the lefty, something that Elias may hesitate to do. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Padres now appear to be leaning towards holding onto star closer Mason Miller. This may indicate their newfound desire to remain competitive in the NL Wild Card race, potentially making Morejón an even pricier acquisition target for the Orioles.

Who does that leave? The Rockies’ Brennan Bernardino and Caleb Ferguson of the Reds would be the next best options. Since Ferguson is a free agent after the season, he would be an affordable half-season rental. But the eight-year veteran has struggled to keep runners off the base paths in 2026. Through 24 games with the Reds, he has posted an unsavory WHIP of 1.500 and a 4.39 FIP to go along with it. On the other hand, Bernardino is having a career year with the Rockies, putting up a 0.9 fWAR season through 51 games pitched. The lefty hasn’t allowed an earned run since a June 6 matchup against the Brewers, something that the Orioles will certainly value. The 34-year-old will also have three more years of team control after 2026. 

With the lefty reliever trade market looking very sparse this year, the Orioles will either have to pay a premium for a top arm or settle for a warm body who can enter in mop-up duty. With a postseason berth looking like a brutal fight over the next two months, the Orioles will not have any time to second-guess their next move at the deadline.

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