Rising calls to trade Adley Rutschman must be met with firm resistance from Orioles

Every time a young star signs an extension, the trade machine fires up. That’s exactly what’s happening for the Baltimore Orioles right now. The ink is barely dry on Samuel Basallo’s long-term deal and already there’s a corner of the baseball internet wondering if Adley Rutschman has suddenly become “expendable.” 

The logic goes something like this: the Orioles need pitching, they have two high-end catchers, and Rutschman’s offense has dipped from his early peak. Package Adley in a blockbuster, patch a few holes, and trust Basallo to grow into the role. On paper, it’s tidy. In reality, it’s the kind of shortcut that can get a team that’s trying to contend in serious trouble.

Trading Adley Rutschman now would undo years of Orioles progress

Strip away the hot-take energy and what you’re really talking about is trading the heart of the pitching operation at a discount. You don’t move a player like that just because a younger, louder bat has arrived, especially when that younger player is still sorting out his defensive home and learning how to hit big-league pitching.

If the Orioles are serious about staying in the championship window they’ve cracked open, the instinct shouldn’t be to cash out on Rutschman. It should be to make sure they’re getting every ounce of value from having both of these guys in the building.

Start with the most basic problem: the timing is all wrong. If the Orioles were to put Rutschman on the market this winter, they’d be selling low. His bat has cooled from the early-career surge that helped launch Baltimore’s turnaround, down to a .220/.307/.366 line over 90 games in 2025, and other front offices have noticed.

You don’t shop a franchise catcher coming off his worst offensive stretch and expect to be blown away. Any offer would be priced with that dip baked in, leaving the Orioles taking on risk while another team scoops up the upside if — or more likely, when — Rutschman bounces back. That’s how you lose a trade twice.

Then there’s the idea that Basallo’s extension somehow makes Rutschman redundant. That’s not how this works. Basallo is under control for a long time and the bat is absolutely real, but he is still very much an unfinished product behind the plate. Evaluators have been consistent on this for years: his power is ahead of his glove, and there’s a non-trivial chance his long-term home is first base or designated hitter. He’s already seeing time there. Betting your staff, your game plans, and your postseason hopes on a kid with 30-ish big-league games and a shaky defensive projection is a leap of faith, not sound roster construction.

The contrast in track records isn’t subtle. By the end of the 2025 season, Rutschman had logged more than 500 major-league games and established himself as a steady, above-average hitter with real on-base skills. His slash line may not scream “MVP candidate” anymore, but a mid-.250s average with strong on-base ability and double-digit homers from a premium defensive position is still star-level value.

Basallo, meanwhile, is sitting on a sub-.200 average and a sub-.600 OPS in a tiny sample, with all four of his homers falling under the “flashes of potential” label rather than bankable production. One of these profiles is proven over years; the other is a projection.

This is also a roster-building advantage, not a redundancy. The modern game is brutal on catchers; guys get worn down, foul tips pile up, and the grind shows up in September and October. Having Rutschman as your defensive anchor and Basallo’s bat rotating between catcher, first base, and DH is exactly how a smart club weaponizes its depth. It keeps Adley fresher. It lets Basallo’s power play without forcing his glove into a role it might not be ready for. And it gives the Orioles coverage if either player slumps or gets dinged up. Trading Rutschman doesn’t “unlock” Basallo. It strips away the safety net and narrows the path to winning.

So yes, other teams are going to call. They should. Any front office that doesn’t at least ask about a catcher of Rutschman’s caliber isn’t doing its job. But there’s a difference between listening and actually entertaining the idea.

The Orioles have worked too hard to climb out of the rebuild mud just to turn around and move a foundational piece at his lowest perceived value while the heir apparent is still proving he can handle the job. Rising calls to trade Adley Rutschman should be met with what they deserve from Baltimore’s side of the phone: a polite chuckle, a firm “no,” and then a quick hang-up so the Orioles can get back to the real work of building around both catchers instead of tearing down the one who already changed the franchise.