The Baltimore Orioles are among the top teams in baseball, with a farm system that uniquely equips them to acquire almost any player available at the MLB trade deadline. As two All-Star starting pitchers appear in trade rumors, other teams are closely monitoring the Orioles’ top prospects.
The Orioles’ farm system is exceptionally strong. Scouts have noted that four of their top prospects could start for most MLB teams right away. Jackson Holliday is considered the best prospect in MLB, and Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo, and Connor Norby are seen as future key players for a World Series contender.
Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles in Talks on Blockbuster Trade
Tarik Skubal stats (FanGraphs): 2.34 ERA, 10.68 K/9, 1.61 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9, 30% K-rate, 4.5% walk rate, 25.5% K-BB rate, .199 batting average allowed, 0.92 WHIP in 123 innings pitched
With their talent-rich roster and minor league system, the Orioles have a significant advantage at the MLB trade deadline. They are favorites to land players like Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal and Chicago White Sox’ All-Star Garrett Crochet, who are available for trade this summer.
In the days leading up to the July 30 trade deadline, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Tigers have sent one of their top scouts to watch the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. This allows Detroit to evaluate top prospects Holliday, Coby Mayo, Connor Norby, and Kyle Stowers up close.
Tarik Skubal contract: $2.65 million salary in 2024, arbitration-eligible 2025-’26
MLB Insider Reveals 2 New Baltimore Orioles Trade Targets
While Holliday is the least likely to be traded, despite his struggles after making his MLB debut, Norby could be very appealing to Detroit. He is MLB-ready, and Baltimore might be open to trading one of its top prospects from a position of depth.
Another top prospect to watch is Basallo. Rated by MLB.com as one of the best prospects in baseball, his path to the Orioles is blocked by Adley Rutschman. Although it’s expected that Skubal will stay in Detroit, Baltimore is one of the few teams capable of making a deal happen.
