Orioles may not like what Josh Naylor trade return says about their All-Star slugger

The Baltimore Orioles can check the Mariners off their list of potential suitors for Ryan O'Hearn at this year's trade deadline. On Thursday night, the Diamondbacks shipped slugging first baseman Josh Naylor to the Mariners as Seattle looks to bolster their roster for a potential playoff run.

Though the Mariners have now filled their need for a slugging first baseman, the O's will have other suitors for O'Hearn. Baltimore's DH represents one of the more impactful bats at this year's trade deadline. The return Arizona received, however, might be rather troubling for Mike Elias and the Orioles front office.

The D-backs, who've been said to be seeking young, controllable pitching at the deadline, acquired Bradyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi from the Mariners. According to MLB Pipeline, those two pitchers were Seattle's No. 16 and No. 11-ranked prospects, respectively.

Orioles may not like what Josh Naylor trade return says about All-Star slugger Ryan O'Hearn

Garcia is a relief prospect, though the D-backs may choose to stretch him into a starter next season. The lefty was an 11th-round selection of Seattle back in 2023. Izzi represents the Mariners' fourth-round pick in 2022, and though he's still seen as a starting pitcher, there's a ton of reliever risk with the young right-hander.

Objectively, O'Hearn is the better player by numerous metrics this season. O'Hearn's fWAR, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage are all higher than Naylor's. O'Hearn is also the more versatile defender; able to move to the outfield as needed.

But overall, O'Hearn and Naylor represent a similar type of player. Both are in the final year of their respective contracts, are middle-of-the-order bats who hit from the left side, and play adequate defense at first base.

If two mid-tier pitching prospects is all Arizona was able to receive in return for Naylor's services, Elias and Co. might quite disappointed with the incoming offers for O'Hearn over the next week. Perhaps Baltimore, looking for quality over quantity, might be able to tempt another team to surrender a top-10 organizational prospect, but it would seem that things are shaping up to be a buyer's market at the moment.

Of course, this was the first major deal of the trade season, and as the deadline creeps closer, teams desperate to make that postseason push might be willing to up the ante at the last minute. For now though, the Orioles have to be disappointed with the way the market is shaping up.

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