3 important things we’ve learned about the Orioles after the MLB trade deadline

The Baltimore Orioles were very active as the MLB trade deadline came and went. They brought in seven major league and two minor league players, while sending away 10 players from the system. Austin Hays and Connor Norby were the only two on the O’s active roster that were traded away.

There were several factors that were known to the public as the deadline approached. The Orioles are in the World Series window they’ve built up to and are looking to win now, and they needed some pitching help to increase their odds. But here are a few things we learned. 

3: The front office believes in this team more than most

Many fans were clamoring for the Birds to make a big splash at the trade deadline by getting the biggest stars available. Names like Tarik Skubal, Mason Miller and Garrett Crochet were tossed around frequently and while they would have been very expensive, the Orioles had the pieces to make any of those trades happen.

Instead, the front office showed an enormous amount of faith in the players they already had (deservedly so), and opted to bring in a supporting group of players. Mike Elias and company have built what they believe is a championship caliber team from the ground up and they doubled down on their belief. We should continue to trust them.

2: The youth movement is still a work in progress

The youth movement in Baltimore has been phenomenal with guys like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez becoming some of the biggest stars in the game. Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser are having breakout seasons, though Westburg is now injured, and Jackson Holliday is being joined by Coby Mayo in Baltimore.

As great as all those players are and will be, it’s difficult to rely on so many young players come playoff time. With that in mind the front office brought in a few veteran bats they believe will have an impact. They also allow Heston Kjerstad, who’s been struggling recently, to get going again in Norfolk with the possibility of rejoining the Orioles in the playoffs. 

1: The Orioles have the best ownership group in baseball

This is something many people have been saying but with little significant basis. We were all thrilled when the David Rubenstein led group purchased the Orioles and they have endeared themselves to the fans, but this was the first real test to show the type of owners they will be.

The ownership group has an accumulated wealth of greater than $100 billion, one of the wealthiest ownership groups in baseball. They could have gone to Elias and said bring these players to Baltimore. The Orioles had the capital in both players and finances to make any move they were willing to pay for, but they didn’t. Instead the owners stayed hands off and allowed Elias and company to do what they do best while providing the justifiable support.