Orioles could target soft-tossing Rangers lefty in mutually beneficial swap

The Baltimore Orioles enter the 2026-27 offseason with the task of finding a way to not squander the talented core they've developed over the years. And after another under .500 season, there are countless directions they could take to achieve that. It's no secret that pitching is something of a necessity for the Orioles this winter, and the focus seems to be primarily on their starting staff, with the potential of losing Trevor Rogers a real possibility.

First and foremost, the Orioles likely need a splash at the top end of the rotation, whether that be Rogers or not. But while the need for an ace is prevalent, so is their need for starting depth beyond Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz. And perhaps a trade with the Texas Rangers could provide them just that via Cody Bradford.

At the end of the season, Rangers President of Baseball Operations, Chris Young, stated that the team needs to get younger, more athletic, and more dynamic. What the Rangers also face in 2027 is the likelihood that former top prospect Evan Carter won't be prepared for Opening Day due to labrum surgery. The Orioles have a need for pitching, along with outfield depth to potentially entice Texas to make a deal, so a trade seems doable on their end.

And for the Rangers, similar to the O's crowded outfield situation, their starting rotation has too many names in the fold, with Bradford slated for his first full season after missing a year and a half due to a UCL injury and subsequent Tommy John surgery.

While acquiring any arm coming off recent Tommy John surgery is always a risk, there's a lot to like about Bradford as an innings-eating middle-to-low-end starting pitching asset. Before he went down with injury, Bradford was rolling in 2024 as a mid-3.00s ERA arm with an 80th percentile hard-hit rate and an elite 96th percentile walk rate. And in his return this past summer, Bradford may not have set the world ablaze, but he still sported a respectable 4.30 ERA along with that patented control of the strike zone with just a 5.2% walk rate.

The Orioles have multiple outfielders that could entice the Rangers in a Cody Bradford trade

Again, with a starting staff that projects to feature veterans Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore, along with rising youngsters Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, soft-throwing names like Bradford simply get lost in the fold. And with Carter's injury hanging over them, the Rangers' duo of Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo could use a better third.

This is where the Orioles could easily profile as the ideal trade partner, as if they have a surplus of anything right now, it's outfielders...particularly young outfielders.

At the major league level, the likes of Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, Tyler O'Neill and Blaze Alexander all project as safer major league options. Then, waiting in the wings, the likes of Enrique Bradfield Jr., Enddy Azocar, Ike Irish, Vance Honeycutt, and, more distantly, Eric Booth Jr. and Nate George all project as names with pedigree who could need big league reps in the foreseeable future -- some possibly in 2027.

For this reason, perhaps the more valuable duo of Cowser and Beavers could be on the table to catch the Rangers' eye. Both are under 27, with plenty of team control, and come with plenty of previous prospect pedigree to dream on — how's that for getting younger, more athletic, and more dynamic?

The former top-five draft pick in Cowser has been searching for a way to look just as impactful as he did in his AL Rookie of the Year runner-up season back in 2024. And after falling to just an 83 wRC+ in 2025, he notably rebounded to a near-average 98 wRC+ at the plate with elite outfield defense at 13 DRS and 10 OAA. He may've brought his year-over-year trade value up; however, he still doesn't seem like the right name to block the likes of top prospects like Azocar.

Then there's Beavers. After an impressive minor league career and a 126 wRC+ debut in his first 35 games of MLB baseball in 2025, he didn't live up to the hype of being a former 33rd overall pick in his first full taste of The Show in '26. In 104 games this past season, Beavers looked rather pedestrian with a .228/.307/.373 slash line and 94 wRC+. However, with the right change of scenery, perhaps his bat could look more like the promising minor league reputation he built and pair well alongside his above-average eye at the plate, strong arm, and blistering speed.

Both teams are working with respective surpluses that seem unsustainable to try and manage for another season. So, if that's the case, why not find ways to address each other's needs and get some worthwhile offseason business completed?

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