Why an insider believes that an Orioles everyday starter is “most likely” to be moved
When play began on Thursday, the Orioles had a 6-9 record in July. Playing the Miami Marlins, who are in last place, they dropped their opening two games.
Additionally, the Orioles have failed to take command of the American League East due to the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
The Orioles’ starting pitching depth has gotten untenably low, as has been evident for weeks. It is implicitly anticipated that Baltimore will bolster their rotation when trades close on July 30. However, the offensive has also cooled off recently.
The Orioles are 22nd in the majors with a team OPS in July of 694. To further mix things up, the Orioles might be in a position to deal one of their regular-position players since they have so many prospects clamoring for big-league playing time.
The Orioles may think about transferring first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, according to reports from Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic on Thursday. This could potentially strengthen the pitching staff.
The authors speculated that Mountcastle might be the most likely to disappear.
Moving Mountcastle would also free up space for Coby Mayo, a corner infielder with a.967 OPS at Triple-A and a batting average of.297 entering Wednesday.”
For a while now, Mountcastle, 27, has been among the Orioles’ most reliable position players. Since making his debut in 2020, he has had a career.769 OPS/113 OPS+. But there’s every reason to think that both sides stand to gain by exchanging Mountcastle.
According to Rosenthal and Woo, Coby Mayo looks to be Baltimore’s first baseman of the future. In Triple-A, the 22-year-old pitcher, who stands at six feet five, has dominated right-handed pitchers. Mountcastle’s primary flaw is that he mostly targets lefties for his damage.
As a dead-pull hitter at the toughest ballpark for right-handers to hit in, Mountcastle has long been considered one of the most unlucky hitters in Major League Baseball.
His actual slugging percentage is.436 but his predicted slugging percentage of.473 is in the top 50 in the MLB, right behind All-Star Carlos Correa.
A move to an attacking setting that is more suited to Mountcastle’s skill set could be extremely beneficial to his career.
Additionally, the Orioles may be able to use the profits from a quality big-league hitter to acquire a valuable relief arm or a back-end starter for their postseason push.
Should a deal of this nature materialize, it might already be in the process of being negotiated. There are just five days left until the trade deadline, which is this Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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