Conflicting reports indicate Orioles' willingness to trade Jackson Holliday

With the All-Star game now in the rear view mirror, trade season is fully upon us. Over the next few weeks, rumor after rumor will come out of the woodwork, some with legs and some without.

Sometimes, rumors come out that initially have legs but are then called into question. Such is the case for a rumor surrounding Orioles' top prospect Jackson Holliday and Pittsburgh young righthander (no, not that one) Jared Jones.

Kyle Corwin has 22,400 followers, hosts a podcast, and has appeared on Baltimore's own Ryan Ripken's podcast. I do not doubt that he knows people in the industry and would not make up a rumor just for the fun of it. His tweet cites Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports, a journalist with 145,300 followers on X and the creator of independent Pittsburgh sports journalism site, DK Sports. Like Corwin, I do not doubt that Kovacevic has connections in the industry.

However, Fansided's own Robert Murray debunked this rumor with one word: "no."

Kovacevic doubled down on the rumor, adding that it was Pittsburgh's Ben Cherington who backed off.

Gotta love trade season.

Whether this rumor has any legs or not (I believe Robert Murray that it does not), it is interesting that Jackson Holliday, previously thought to be as untouchable as they come, is being mentioned in rumors. Indeed, Holliday's name has been mentioned as one of several players that the Tigers could be interested in for star lefty Tarik Skubal. And if Kovacevic is right that the Pirates said no, this could be indicative of a nosedive in Holliday's perceived value around the league.

Jackson Holliday's name again mentioned in trade rumors for potential deadline stunner

But now that we have this "rumor," let's work with it. We all know Holliday's story: he was incredible in the minors, dominated Spring Training but was optioned to start the year, struggled mightily in his taste of the big leagues in April, and was again sent down shortly thereafter. Despite the big league struggles, Holliday has posted a stellar .913 OPS for AAA Norfolk, including a ridiculous .442 on-base percentage.

To be clear, Kovacevic said this happened at some point this season and the deal is no longer on the table. But would Jones have been worth trading one of baseball's top prospects for? The 22-year-old right-hander is 5-6 on the year with a 3.56 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 91 innings.

He is earning $745,000 this season and is under team control through 2029, and is undoubtedly one of the best young arms in the National League. But if offered the deal right now, I would say no. Jones was shut down on July 5 for at least two weeks with a lat strain, and likely will not return until August, at the earliest.

Would I have traded Holliday for a healthy Jared Jones? Quite possibly, considering the Orioles' need for pitching, the impending loss of Corbin Burnes, and their glut of infielders. The Orioles desperately need starting pitching help: they lost starters John Means, Tyler Wells, and Kyle Bradish for the season, and optioned struggling lefty Cade Povich to AAA before the All-Star Break. But again, this appears to be a moot point: if the deal was ever on the table, it is not now, and Jones is currently injured.

If nothing more, the rumor provides a possible window into the Orioles' willingness to deal Holliday. The availability of Holliday and the Orioles' willingness to deal someone once thought as untouchable as they come will be a fascinating story to monitor over the next 12 days until the deadline hits.