Sitting at five games below .500 this deep into the season, rumors have begun to circulate that the Baltimore Orioles are willing to have a “fire sale” of their roster by trading away talent to rebuild a new team.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado writes in the infield dirt before a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Baltimore, Friday, July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
According to MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, the Orioles are preparing for a sell-off that could include almost everybody on the team with the exception of a few players. Rosenthal mentioned one player that is most certainly “not for sale”: third baseman Manny Machado. Center fielder Adam Jones was also mentioned as “off the table.”
Jones and Machado are the best players on the team and probably would generate the greatest value back if they were traded. But both are having somewhat of a down year in production, which could also diminish their trade value. That could explain the Orioles’ brass deciding to keep them off-limits. Trading them now may not get the Orioles the best return value. Or, they could just want to keep Jones and Machado on hand and build a whole new roster around them.
Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Jones (10) celebrates his two-run home run with Manny Machado (13) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, July 22, 2017, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
According to Rosenthal, the Orioles are willing to deal away their star bullpen, including premiere closer Zach Britton and his set-up man Brad Brach. Reliever Darren O’Day would also be on the trading block. Britton and Brach are two of the best closers in baseball, and every team can use a good closer, so expect a ton of interest from other clubs.
Rumors claim the Los Ageles Dodgers and Houston Astros are extremely interested in both Britton and Brach. If the Orioles do decide to part ways with one or both, expect good talent in exchange.
