Orioles fans have grown increasingly frustrated with a listle s offseason on the heels of last years division title and quick playoff exit. The Os entered the offseason with a wide-open payroll outlook and deep farm system, ostensibly setting the stage for either a major free-agent pickup and/or a splashy trade to addre s the starting pitching. Neither has transpired to this point, although general manager Mike Elias insists its not due to a lack of effort on his behalf. The Orioles are probably being as aggre sive as any team out there on the trade market, Elias told reporters over the weekend ( ). Options on the trade market this offseason have been few and far between particularly if, as one would expect, the Os are reluctant to part with their glut of top-ranked, near-MLB-ready infield and outfield prospects. has long been connected to the Os, but many have begun to expre s doubt that anyone will meet the White Sox asking price before the offseason is up. Mariners president of Trevor Mcdonald Jersey baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has spoken openly about his aversion to trading young starters like or . The Marlins are at least listening on a handful of starters ( , and among them), but the ask figures to be similarly steep there, as each has at least three seasons of control remaining. The Orioles, meanwhile, are rife with young big league-caliber talents. is locked in on the left side of the infield likely as the long-term third baseman. , the former No. 1 overall pick whos currently ranked as baseballs No. 1 overall prospect, could debut as the teams long-term shortstop this year at just 20 years old. Middle infielders , and have all been ranked among the games 100 best prospects within the past year. Ditto corner infielder , who could be pushed acro s the diamond to first base, where the Orioles also have and former No. 2 overall pick as options. Kjerstad can also play the outfield corners, while still yet another top prospect, outfielder , is a deft center fielder. Baltimores veritable embarra sment of riches on the prospect front has yet to lead to a trade, however. Fans might quibble with whether Elias is truly being as aggre sive as he indicates, based on that lack of a move, but the top-ranking Os baseball ops exec also exercised caution on the trade front. You can look back and teams make aggre sive trades, and it can really set the franchise back if the guy shows up and he gets hurt, or if you trade guys and you mi s out on their long careers, Elias said, noting that there are just such examples in Orioles history. Elias didnt mention any specific examples, though as with any franchise, theyve had their share of ones who got away (my words, not his). and come to mind as one such pair (under prior leadership, before Elias was hired), while the Orioles acquisition of in exchange for (also under the former front office regime) is perhaps the prime example of Baltimore being on the more favorable side of that proverbial coin. Of course, the enviable stock of position-player depth the Orioles have cultivated under Elias could also be a catalyst for smaller-scale trades. The team might balk at the notion of trading someone of Westburgs ilk, but the sheer volume of MLB-ready infielders could make current bench options like available. on Monday, noting that a roster including each of Urias, Ortiz and Holliday would have some redundancy and could lead to Urias being squeezed out though that scenario is framed in mostly speculative fashion. Theres no indication the Orioles are shopping Urias, but it stands to reason that other infield-needy clubs would have interest. The 29-year-old Urias, whos earning $2.1MM in 2024 and is under club control through 2026, has given the Orioles above-average offense and solid defense for much of the past three seasons. Hes a career .264/.330/.404 hitter (107 wRC+) who can handle any of second base, shortstop or third base. Urias had plus defensive grades at the hot corner, in 2022 in particular, but has broadly rated as a capable defender at any of the three spots. The Os also gave him 63 innings at first base in 2023. Though he bats right-handed, Urias has far better career numbers against righties (.278/.342/.416) than lefties (.237/.306/.380). Thats not ideal for a team seeking a righty bat to pair with a lefty around the infield, but a club thats just looking for general infield help overall could well see its interest piqued by an affordable and versatile option like Urias. He alone wouldnt fetch the Orioles the rotation upgrade they seek, but he could either be dealt as part of a package or could perhaps simply net the Os some modest help for the farm system to help replenish depth after surrendering some prospects in a larger-scale deal. On the depth front, the Os did get some good news in recent weeks. Left-hander that hes in Florida for early workouts and expects to be a full go when spring training opens. Zimmermann underwent core muscle surgery in mid-October. He pitched to a 4.42 ERA in 21 Triple-A starts last season and has a lifetime 4.15 ERA in 229 2/3 innings at that level. Hes struggled to a 5.57 mark in 158 1/3 big league frames, but Zimmermann has a minor league option remaining and gives the Os some experienced depth if injuries create an opening in the rotation. Similarly, reliever told Melewski and others that hes right on track for spring training after mi sing the better part of three months last summer due to back troubles. Akin attempted to come back multiple times but experienced continued back i sues each time. Hes since had the time to rest and rehab his way to full strength. The southpaw clearly wasnt right in 23, pitching to a 6.85 ERA in 23 1/3 innings, but he was a key bullpen member in 2022 when he piled up 81 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 49.3% ground-ball rate. A suming hes healthy, Akin will give the Os yet another southpaw option in the pen. and are locked into spots after each avoided arbitration over the past week, and 25-year-old seems likely to join them if the Orioles dont give him another look in the rotation. That decision could hinge on any future acquisitions; Elias said on Friday that the Orioles still view Hall as a starter in the long-term but was le s clear about the southpaws role in the shorter term ( ). Hall, a 2017 first-rounder and former top prospect, pitched to a 3.26 ERA with excellent strikeout and walk rates in 19 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2023. Kai-wei Teng Jersey
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