This buy-low opportunity could net the Orioles a perfect Blaze Alexander replacement at the trade deadline

If the Baltimore Orioles are going to be buying at this upcoming trade deadline, one part of their team that needs to be reinforced is their defense. The Orioles came into the season with a lot of poor defenders on their roster, and a spree of injuries starting with Jordan Westburg in February and culminating in losing Blaze Alexander and Adley Rutschman in July have left them in a position where they are playing questionable defenders at almost every position. The Orioles have lost a bunch of close games in the last few weeks, and poor defense has played a role in all of those losses.

It's asking a lot of the Orioles pitching staff to constantly be pitching in front of first basemen playing third base, second basemen playing shortstop, right fielders playing center field, DHs in the corners, and a fourth-string catcher behind the plate. What the Orioles need is a player who can play quality defense at multiple positions, and the Cincinnati Reds have a player who would be a perfect fit: Matt McLain.

Matt McLain would be a perfect fit with the Baltimore Orioles

McLain is a former first-round pick selected 12 spots after the Orioles took Colton Cowser with the fifth pick. He debuted in 2023 and looked and played like a potential franchise cornerstone, slashing .290/.357/.507 while playing solid defense at both shortstop and second base.

Unfortunately for both the Reds and McLain, he suffered a shoulder injury leading up to the 2024 season that caused him to miss the entire year, and he has not been able to find his form since. Over the past two seasons, he has slashed .210/.297/.338. That is not good, but over that same span his defense has remained very good. He's still a solid defensive shortstop, although he doesn't play there much becuase of his superstar teammate Elly De La Cruz, and he's one of the best defensive second basemen in the league. The Reds have also asked him to play some center field, and although the sample size is very small, he was adept at that as well.

If the Orioles were to acquire McLain, he would instantly be their best defender at second base and third base and would be a better backup shortstop and center fielder than the Orioles' current options when they want to get Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser off their feet.

Basically, he would slide perfectly into the role that the Orioles lost when Alexander was injured as the utility man who could play everywhere and hit at the bottom of the order.

As far as the bat, as mentioned above, it hasn't been good for a while, but he has flashed the potential before, and a change of scenery and a chance to work with different hitting coaches could help him find some of what he showed in 2023. The Orioles would be mostly acquiring him for his glove, but it is nice that there is a bit of upside to dream on.

Another plus is that McLain is under team control through 2029, so he would not be a rental but instead a potential role player on many Orioles teams to come. If the Orioles started the 2027 season with both Alexander and McLain as good defensive utility players who can give you something with the bat, it would take a lot of pressure off Jordan Westburg's return and give the Orioles some insurance against Jackson Holliday not being able to stick at second.

The question is, would the Reds consider trading McLain? This would be admittedly selling low on a player that they once viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone next to De La Cruz in the infield. That said, the Reds have made the mistake of not selling their guys and waiting for a bounce-back that never came, eventually having to cut bait for nothing. That's how the Orioles got Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

The Reds were reportedly interested in moving a different controllable utility player, Spencer Steer, at this deadline, but an untimely injury has likely taken him off the market. With that being the case, it feels possible the Reds could be willing to move McLain instead in order to bring in some new prospects into the organization at this deadline.

In order to get the Reds interested in the deal, the Orioles might have to put a little more on the table than you'd like in exchange for a player currently OPSing .621, but McLain's defensive skillset would be such an upgrade for the Orioles at so many positions it might be worth it for them to "overpay".

As far as what the Orioles might have to pay to get McLain, the package might be similar to what they gave up a few months ago to get Blaze Alexander. You would need a Kade Strowd (an MLB-ready prospect even if they're not that highly regarded), a Wellington Aracena (an interesting lower-minors prospect with some helium), and a Jose Meija (a throw-in).

An updated version of that package that the Reds might be interested in would be Creed Willems, Yebier Cartaya, and Griff O'Ferrall.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow