The Baltimore Orioles have taken the lead in the American League East and are currently one game ahead of the struggling New York Yankees, who have a record of 2-8 in their last ten games.
Considering the Orioles have lost three of their starting pitchers to injury in recent weeks, this may be their worst performance of the entire season, which is a scary thought for the rest of baseball.
They are expected to move aggressively during the deadline and sign one or two starting pitchers. It’s unclear who exactly they will target, as they could be looking for depth rather than star power, but Baltimore has the tools to do both.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand asked American League teams questions before the deadline, asking the Orioles if they can get the starter they need.
“If any club has what it takes to make it big, it’s the Orioles, who entered the season ranked No. 1 in MLB Pipeline’s organizational rankings.
“Even after Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg graduated last year (not to mention trading both DL Hall and Joey Ortiz for Burnes), Baltimore still has four of the top 20 prospects in baseball (No. 1 Jackson Holliday, No. 12 Samuel Basallo, No. 18 Coby Mayo and No. 20 Heston Kjerstad). If GM Mike Elias wants to overwhelm the White Sox for Crochet, he has the means to do it.”
Feinsand makes a valid argument, as Baltimore’s farm system is arguably the best in baseball.
If there is one team in Major League Baseball that could be of interest to any star, it is the Orioles.
However, with the trade deadline approaching, they have some tough decisions to make. This team can clearly win a World Series if everything goes according to plan, and you could even argue they’re the favorite to do so.
However, it is not easy to win. Baltimore is already coming off a bad series and has to go on vacation in October.
Even if they make a few moves to improve their starting pitchers, it’s not a guarantee. But it will make them a better team and give them a better chance of winning the World Series.
That should be the focus, even if it means losing a few young players along the way. If they have to trade a few, Baltimore’s farm system is deep enough that they have others that could make an impact one day.
As one of the youngest teams in baseball, they have the potential to be a dynasty if everything goes according to plan. First, they need to win the World Series, and the conditions are there to do so.
