This offseason trade is paying more dividends than expected for the Orioles

When the Baltimore Orioles traded for Blaze Alexander in early February, they didn't envision him taking on an everyday role in their infield. At the time of the trade, both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg were healthy and projected to start at second and third base almost every day in the upcoming season. Those two went down with injuries in quick succession, and Alexander's importance on the roster quickly rose.

To start the season, Alexander appeared to be a part of a trio of infielders who would share second and third base duties while Holliday and Westburg were out. He only started one of the games in the Orioles opening series against the Twins. However, it quickly became apparent that Alexander was the Orioles' best defensive infielder on the roster, and he was outperforming Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson at the plate. As a result, his manager has started penciling him into the lineup with more regularity, and he's since started seven of the Orioles' last nine games.

Blaze Alexander has quickly become a fan favorite in Baltimore

Looking at his stat line, it may seem overly positive to mark this move down as a big success. He has no extra-base hits and has only walked once. His OPS currently sits in the low .600s, which is actually lower than it's been in the past.

The Orioles didn't trade for Blaze Alexander to hit in the middle of the lineup and carry the offense, though. They traded for him to improve their infield defense and provide positional versatility, and that's exactly what he's done. He's played second, third, and short and looked smooth and comfortable at all those positions, including one of the most impressive defensive plays so far this season, robbing Henry Davis of a double down the line and throwing him out at first.

Davis had hit the ball hard enough down the line; he just assumed it was in the outfield and rounded first to go to second, only to find out he'd been thrown out. There was visible confusion on his face as he saw Pete Alonso set up to receive the throw from Alexander.

Alexander can also play the outfield, which hasn't come into play yet, but the way some of the outfielders are playing might soon.

So, with the quality defense in his back pocket, what Alexander has provided with his bat has been a nice surplus. As mentioned above, the OPS isn't great, but he has the highest batting average out of any of the Orioles' regular players, and he leads the team in stolen bases. He has been excellent in the nine-hole role of "bottom of the order leadoff man". He's put pressure on opposing pitchers by getting on base in front of the Orioles best hitters and scored key runs in close games.

The walks and occasional extra-base hits will come and raise that OPS. It's worth noting that Alexander has been productive while also being unlucky. He has an expected batting average at the 100th percentile (.411) and is also in the 96th percentile in hard-hit rate. That means that the extra base hits are coming, and his stat line will soon match the eye test that says this guy is swinging a hot bat.

The Orioles front office deserves credit for being proactive and pursuing a player like Alexander, who could provide defensive versatility along with the occasional offensive spark, even when it seemed like they wouldn't have room for him. The whole transaction has been a big win for the Orioles, as the primary piece they gave up, Kade Strowd, was optioned to the minors and has yet to make his 2026 season debut.