This proposed trade deadline move for the Orioles may be the worst one yet

The Baltimore Orioles are going to be an interesting team to watch at the trade deadline. They're going to need help in the bullpen and in the starting rotation. As far as the rotation goes, they are without John Means, Kyle Bradish, and Tyler Wells, all of whom are out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Orioles have made the AL East race very interesting as of late, having recently surpassed the New York Yankees for the top spot. But if they want to maintain their perch atop the division, some moves are going to need to be made.

However, a recent proposal for a trade on Bleacher Report might just be the worst idea yet. The proposal features the Orioles acquiring Max Scherzer and minor-league pitcher Josh Stephan from the Texas Rangers for closer Felix Bautista. It should be noted that Stephan is not a top 10 prospect in the Rangers farm system and currently is in Double-A.

Recent trade proposal for Orioles is truly outlandish

This idea truly does not make sense. Baltimore would be foolish to trade their All-Star closer for a pitcher on an expiring contract and another that isn't a top 10 prospect. Scherzer could certainly help the Orioles, but it wouldn't make sense to add him in this kind of a deal.

At this point in his career, Scherzer may not cost too much, especially since he is on an expiring deal. A separate proposal has the Orioles replacing Bautista with Mason Miller in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, which is possible. But if the Orioles already have a top closer in tow, it just doesn't make sense to trade him and then burn through more prospects to get another top closer.

Again, if the Orioles want to trade for Scherzer, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. But the package would have to make sense, and this package simply does not make any sense for the Orioles. In the long run, it would benefit Texas for more, as they would enter 2025 with a back-end duo of Bautista and Jose LeClerc in their bullpen.

But the Orioles would be best served holding onto Bautista, and it's highly improbable that they are even thinking about the proposed deal that would send him to Texas for Scherzer. It might be somewhat similar to when the Milwaukee Brewers traded Josh Hader at the deadline in 2022.