It is imperative the Baltimore Orioles make the most of one of their sluggers having a career season.
Kenneth Teape | 32 Minutes Ago
May 25, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Ryan O’Hearn (32) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles have started to show a few signs of life recently, riding a three-game winning streak and winning six out of their last eight games.
They still own one of the worst records in baseball at 22-36, with only the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies having fewer victories.
The prudent thing for the franchise would be to sell ahead of the trade deadline, given how deep of a hole the team dug itself into already. There is a lot of talent on the roster, but the Orioles are already 14 games behind in the American League East and 9.5 back of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot.
An extended hot streak could have some people within the organization changing their plans, but Baltimore needs to be preparing to be sellers in the coming weeks.
While not yet ready to wave the white flag on the season, the Orioles have reportedly been telling teams they will be sellers this year.
If they got through with that, as they should, the player who makes the most sense to trade is designated hitter/first baseman, Ryan O’Hearn.
Orioles Need To Move Ryan O’Hearn Ahead of Trade Deadline
Baltimore’s most productive hitter this season, he is putting up career best numbers across the board with his unexpected breakout during his age-31 campaign.
O’Hearn has a .329/.416/.535 slash line, hitting nine home runs and eight doubles with 22 RBI in only 197 plate appearances. His OPS+ of 175 would be by far the best mark of his career and he has already produced 1.9 bWAR; his previous single-season best is 2.0, set last year.
There are plenty of contenders around the league who would love to add a left-handed bat of that caliber to their lineup, especially one that possesses the positional versatility of O’Hearn.
He isn’t going to be winning a Gold Glove Award any time soon, but has experience playing first base, left field and right field. In a pinch, he could go out there and eat some innings, but his bat is where his value is.
That level of production alone makes him valuable on the trade market. The only thing suppressing how much the Orioles could get for him is that he is on an expiring deal.
Rentals don’t generate as much value as someone under multiple years of team control, which is why it would behoove Baltimore to accept the harsh fate of 2025 being a lost campaign and get to working the phones as soon as possible.
With there seemingly being a lack of impact players available on the trade market right now, the Orioles being the first to start moving pieces would enable them to get the best returns, especially with multiple buyers bidding against each other.
With each passing day, O’Hearn’s value on the trade market drops slightly because it is one less game he will be playing for a new team.
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Published 32 Minutes Ago
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at [email protected].
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Two Orioles Bats ‘Up For Grabs’ at Deadline in Recent Trade Prediction
The Baltimore Orioles could deal two prominent bats at the deadline based on this recent prediction.
By Anders Pryor | May 31, 2025
May 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Ryan O’Hearn (32) hits a single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The Baltimore Orioles have had a nightmare of a season. They’ve been one of the worst teams in the American League and more than a dozen games out of first place in the AL East.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where they don’t sell, even if they get a couple win streaks here or there, just because of how far ahead other teams are in the division.
Bleacher Report released a list Friday morning of players who are very likely to be “up for grabs” at the trade deadline, according to writer Kerry Miller. He listed two veteran Baltimore bats that several teams could pursue and plug in positions of need during playoff pushes.
Cedric Mullins – CF
Cedric Mullins is slashing .232/.324/.448 with ten home runs and eight stolen bases in 2025. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, turning 31 in October. He just went on the injured list on Friday, but the extent of the injury doesn’t sound serious — at least not serious enough to keep him from being dealt by the deadline.
Mullins still has real value as one of the best defenders at the centerfield position. According to Baseball Savant, his Range (OAA) is in the 84th percentile, and his sprint speed is in the 79th percentile.
May 19, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) tries to make a diving catch on the fly ball hit by Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) (not pictured) during the fifth inning at American Family Field. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
With prominent outfield prospects like Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Vance Honeycutt, it would be unlikely that Mullins would be extended by the Orioles anyway. Bradfield could replicate a lot of Mullins’ abilities with his 80-grade arm tool and 70-grade fielding tool on the MiLB 20-80 grading scale.
Mullins could be a great fit for several teams with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
Ryan O’Hearn – OF/1B
Ryan O’Hearn is slashing .338/.427/.550 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and will turn 32 in July. He has emerged as the Orioles’ top power source this season.
O’Hearn has been a huge offensive bright spot for Baltimore in a year where Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman have disappointed offensively. Baltimore would be able to get decent value for him even if it were only for a few months. His positional versatility would expand the market for him shoudl the Orioles shop him.
By trading O’Hearn, Baltimore could clear the deck for top prospects Coby Mayo or Samuel Basallo to play first base in 2026.
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Published May 31, 2025
ANDERS PRYOR
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