Report: Orioles Open To Trade Offers On Majority Of Roster

The Orioles are going into the offseason with a very open mind, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Per Kostka’s report, first baseman Pete Alonso is the only untouchable player on the roster. The O’s are open to offers on everyone else as they look to upgrade the rotation, the outfield and the catcher position. It’s worth emphasizing that there’s a difference between actively trying to trade players and being open to offers, a distinction that Kostka clearly makes in his report. Still, it’s notable that the Baltimore front office is going into the offseason with the willingness to consider sweeping changes. The openness is certainly understandable. The Orioles did a big tank job from 2018 to 2021, placing themselves as one of the worst clubs in baseball for that stretch in order to stockpile young talent. There was no draft lottery at that time, making that strategy more viable. They then won 101 games in 2023 with a young core featuring Gunnar Henderson, Kyle Bradish, Adley Rutschman and many others. It felt like a dynasty was brewing. Instead, things have changed in more recent years, and not for the better. Many of the club’s planned core players have regressed or haven’t panned out. The team still snagged a Wild Card spot in 2024 but has finished below .500 in each of the past two seasons. After that slide, it seems the desire for change is there. Rutschman was surprisingly flipped to the Red Sox at the deadline. Perhaps more players who were once viewed as cornerstones in Baltimore will end up wearing different uniforms. The report specifically mentions the possibility of a Henderson trade. Kostka says a trade shouldn’t be considered likely and would only happen if the O’s got blown away by an offer, but the fact that it’s even possible is noteworthy, especially since that is seemingly what happened with Rutschman. Henderson’s career peak, at least thus far, occurred back in 2024. He hit 37 home runs, stole 21 bases, and slashed .281/.364/.529 for a 154 wRC+ while holding down the shortstop position. FanGraphs credited him with 7.9 wins above replacement. He finished fourth in American League MVP voting. Since then, he has battled some nagging injuries and his production has dipped a bit. He hit just 17 homers in 2025, leading to a .274/.349/.438 line and 120 wRC+. In 2026, he increased the home run total to 24 but did way worse on balls staying in the park, leading to a .225/.309/.403 line and 101 wRC+. Henderson is still a valuable player and could potentially be even more valuable with some better health and better batted-ball luck. The Orioles wouldn’t give him up lightly. But he is now just two years from the open market. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $14.1MM salary next year. He would be due another raise in 2028, perhaps to the $20MM range. As a client of the Boras Corporation, an extension may not be likely. That situation is somewhat analogous to where Rutschman was not too long ago. Rutschman was traded when his window of control was down to about a year and a half. It didn’t seem as though the O’s were really shopping Rutschman but they flinched when the Sox put a big package out there. Henderson’s stock may be down a bit after a couple of lackluster seasons but some clubs might be willing to bet on the upside. He is still just 25 years old, turning 26 in June. The free agent market for shortstops is weak. The trade block might feature Zach Neto, Jeremy Peña and others but it’s not a lock that those guys will be available. If another team wants to give the O’s a package headlined by a clearcut playoff starter or a strong everyday outfielder, perhaps they could be tempted. Kostka also mentions the third base mix as an area the O’s could consider trading from. That feels like a more plausible, but less exciting, scenario than a Henderson trade. The Baltimore roster currently has Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Blaze Alexander as options for the hot corner. Westburg has shown some talent in his career. He has a .264/.312/.456 line and 116 wRC+ in just over a thousand plate appearances. But he has missed a lot of time due to injuries. He didn’t play at all in 2026 due to Tommy John surgery. While Westburg was out of action this year, Mayo and Encarnacion-Strand both got some playing time and had varying degrees of success. Mayo’s third base defense was subpar and he struck out at a 30.4% clip but he hit 24 home runs, leading to a .228/.297/.461 line and 112 wRC+. He also finished stronger than he started. He had a .193/.264/.395 line in the first half while striking out 32.5% of the time, but then hit .270/.337/.540 in the second half with a 27% strikeout rate. Encarnacion-Strand launched 11 home runs in just 213 plate appearances, leading to a .277/.325/.513 line and 133 wRC+. That’s certainly enticing but it was buoyed by a .328 batting average on balls in play while his strikeout and walk profile was subpar. He has had encouraging bursts before, such as in 2023, but his production tailed off significantly in 2024 and 2025. Alexander also had a BABIP-fueled 2026, as he slashed .303/.358/.414 thanks to hitting .385 on balls in play. Given all those options for one spot, the O’s could poke around and see what kind of return they could get, though each player has some question marks from health, defense, inconsistent offense or some combination. Kostka also mentions the possibility of the Orioles trading from the back of the bullpen. Félix Bautista has been the club’s primary closer for the past few years but he was slated to miss most of 2026 while recovering from shoulder surgery. The O’s signed Ryan Helsley to a two-year deal with the second year being a player option. Helsley had once been a lockdown closer himself but struggled in 2025. In an ideal scenario, Helsley would have had a bounceback. That would have helped the Orioles compete in 2026. He could have then declined his player option to return to the open market. At that point, Bautista could have retaken the closer’s job. But it didn’t play out that way. Helsley had mixed results while missing time due to elbow injuries. He exercised his player option to return to Baltimore for 2027. In theory, that gives the Orioles two closers for next year, though neither is a sure thing right now. As mentioned, Helsley went on and off the injured list with elbow problems in 2026. Bautista made it back from his surgery absence late in the year but was roughed up in his two appearances. There’s an argument for the Orioles to hold onto both until they get more certainty but there’s no harm in listening if some other club wants to make an offer on one of them. Turning to what the Orioles would be looking to add, the targets are logical. The rotation was middle of the pack in 2026. Baltimore’s starters had a collective 4.24 earned run average, 17th in the majors. Trevor Rogers and Chris Bassitt are now free agents. Bradish, Shane Baz and Brandon Young are still around but it’s a group that could use some more upside. In the outfield, they currently project to have Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill out there. All three of those guys were subpar hitters in 2026. Behind the plate, Rutschman is gone. The long-term hope will be for Samuel Basallo to be the answer back there but he still hasn’t fully cemented himself in the majors. He hit 18 home runs this year but with a low on-base mark and mixed results on defense. The O’s have Carlos Narváez and Zach Morgan on the roster as potential backups but could look for someone more established. Targeting those areas could be done in free agency but there are also challenges there. For one thing, this winter’s crop of free agents is broadly considered to be less impactful than any other recent offseason. In addition to that, the Orioles haven’t been huge players in free agency. In the past eight years, the deals for Alonso, O’Neill and Helsley were the only times the O’s gave a free agent more than one year. In the latter two cases, the player had an opt-out after the first year. It would be stunning if the O’s emerged as a contender for Tarik Skubal. Trying to re-sign Rogers or make a run at Freddy Peralta, Michael King or Sonny Gray is more plausible but not necessarily likely. Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena and others are out there for the outfield but will require a deal almost to the range of Alonso’s pact. Perhaps the Orioles will consider those things while also exploring various trade scenarios. As mentioned, taking calls doesn’t necessarily mean huge roster turnover is guaranteed, but it will be an interesting wild card for the winter ahead. Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images