Baltimore Orioles Trade Deadline Tracker

The Baltimore Orioles enter the weekend before the MLB trade deadline just 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. A thrilling series win in Detroit appears to have the Orioles poised to be buyers at this year’s deadline, but there’s still a critical series against the Philadelphia Phillies looming.

Whether the Orioles are buyers, sellers, or both, the next couple of days could feature plenty of movement. As moves are announced, we’ll be tracking them here and providing instant analysis of each move.

Stay tuned to our podcast feed and YouTube channel Monday night (August 3rd) for a full recap of the 2026 trade deadline.

• Baltimore receives: C Jake Rogers

• Detroit receives: RHP Zane Barnhart

With both Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo on the Injured List and no clear indication of when either will return, the Orioles made their first move during deadline season to address the catching position.

A 31-year-old right-handed-hitting backstop, Rogers has played parts of six seasons in the major leagues (all with the Tigers) and was recently designated for assignment after appearing in 36 games this season and hitting .161 with three home runs in Detroit. His best season came in 2023 when he jacked 21 home runs across 107 games and was worth 2.5 fWAR, an impressive feat after Rogers missed the entire 2022 season due to UCL surgery.

Despite the lack of offensive production over the last few seasons, Rogers was a beloved veteran in Detroit and provided strong defensive value for the organization, but just like his offensive numbers, his defense has also seemed to decline. During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Rogers graded out as one of the top defensive catchers in the league, but now finds himself among the bottom quarter of the league in numerous defensive metrics. Whether it’s due to a lack of regular playing time with the emergence of Dillon Dingler or something else, the Tigers finally decided to move on from their longest-tenured player on the roster at the time.

Rogers will be a free agent after the season and is clearly a short-term option to help until Rutschman and/or Basallo return. The Orioles were reportedly interested in acquiring Logan O’Hoppe before he was traded to Texas on Wednesday, who would have brought multiple additional years of control, not that it’s needed in this case, but does lead to questions about just how long Rutschman and Basallo will be out. (7/31 update: Rutschman and Basallo are progressing well, according to Mike Elias, and the addition of Rogers was not due to any injury concerns).

Rogers was drafted out of Tulane in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Houston Astros, a draft led by current Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias.

In return for Rogers, the Orioles sent RHP Zane Barnhart to Detroit. A 17th round pick out of Hillsdale College (Michigan) in 2023, Barnhart appeared in 111 games in the Orioles minor league system, reaching as high as Double-A. Across those 111 games, Barnhart logged 150 innings with a 3.41 ERA, 10 saves, and 167 strikeouts. Armed with a lively fastball and big extension from his 5’10” frame, Barnhart was a pleasure to watch over the last four years and we wish him all the best with the Tigers.

• Baltimore receives: OF Jhomnardo Reyes

• Minnesota receives: RHP Dean Kremer

And then there were none. OF Yusniel Diaz, IF Rylan Bannon, RHP Zach Pop, IF Breyvic Valera, and now RHP Dean Kremer, the entire return in the 2018 Manny Machado trade, are all gone.

Late Friday night, the The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Baltimore Orioles are sending Dean Kremer to the Minnesota Twins for 18-year-old outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes.

Reyes signed with the Twins last year for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic and was recently promoted to Single-A after dominant campaigns in the Dominican Summer League in 2025 and the Florida Complex League this season. In the DSL, Reyes hit 10 doubles, 9 triples, and 1 home run with a .291 average and a 120 wRC+, but started tapping into more of his plus-raw power this year, logging 7 home runs with 12 doubles and 3 triple and a .296 average, good for a 138 wRC+.

Per FanGraphs, Reyes was the 10th ranked prospect in the Twins system, with the outlet giving him a 40 FV hit tool, 65 raw power, 50 run, and 50 fielding grades.

Kremer is still under team control for another season, but has struggled in his seven starts this year: 36 IP, 6.50 ERA, 12 home runs allowed. His final outing in an Orioles uniform came three days ago in Detroit, where he allowed 8 runs on 8 hits across 4 IP. While his tenure was full of ups and downs, you could look back at most Dean Kremer seasons and be pleased with the overall solid back-end of the rotation production from him. But clearly, things weren’t getting better for Kremer this season after returning from injury.

RHP Chris Bassitt is expected back in the next week or two and RHP Nestor German is riding an impressive stretch down in Triple-A, as his knocks at the gates of Camden Yards grow louder and louder. Of course, RHP Trey Gibson and LHP Cade Povich are already on the 40-man roster. But it’s only Friday night. The deadline frenzy is just beginning.

• Baltimore receives: RHP Alex Hoppe, RHP Brock Moore, RHP Harrison Kreiling

• Seattle receives: OF Taylor Ward

The sell-off continued early Monday afternoon with the Orioles shipping OF Taylor Ward to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for three minor league pitchers.

Hoppe is a 27-year-old (turns 28 in December), former 6th round pick of the Red Sox out of UNC-Greensboro. He was traded to Seattle in November last year in exchange for catcher Luke Heyman. Hoppe made his MLB debut this with the Mariners this year, appearing in 24 games with a 5.79 ERA (3.63 xERA/2.88 FIP), a 27.6% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate with a 44% groundball rate.

According to FanGraphs, Hoppe’s overall arsenal grades out at a 110 Stuff+, with his fastball at 102, sinker at 112, and slider at 116, all with a 102 Location+. The fastball averages 98 mph and hits triple digits, while the slider has produced a whiff rate north of 40% this season. He’s an MLB ready reliever with his full array of minor league options, quality stuff, and good control.

Brock Moore is a 26-year-old, 6’6” reliever currently in Double-A and was the 24th ranked prospect in the Mariners system last year but is unranked this year, per FanGraphs, who gives him a 60 grade fastball, 55 grade slider, 40 changeup and 40 control (all future value). He was a 7th round pick out of Oregon in 2024.

From Eric Longenhagen’s latest write-up on Moore: “Moore touches triple digits and his slider flashes plus, but he’s a stiff athlete with a big head whack and bigger control problems.”

In 16 High-A innings this season, More pitched to a 1.13 ERA with a 58% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate (as a 26-year-old), and has logged 22.2 Double-A innings with a 5.56 ERA (3.98 FIP), a 33.7% strikeout rate and .218 average against, but also a 16.3% walk rate. There’s no denying the fastball/slider combo, but his control will determine how far he goes.

Harrison Kreiling is a 24-year-old righty who is listed at 5’11”/200 pounds. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2024 draft out of Nebraska-Omaha but did not pitch after the draft or in 2025. He made his pro debut earlier this month, logging 10.2 innings between rookie ball and Single-A with a 1.69 ERA and 16 strikeouts to one walk.

The below report is from Baseball America’s 2024 look at the top senior-sign options going into the 2024 draft.

• Baltimore receives: RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, OF Enddy Azocar, C Carlos Narvaez, Player To Be Named Later

• Boston receives: C Adley Rutschman, C Jake Rogers

From a pure emotional view, this move hurts. The top pick in the 2019 draft and face of the Orioles rebuild is off to a division-rival. Adley may not have lived up to expectations and the Orioles had zero playoff success during his tenure, but he represented hope and optimism after years of turmoil.

There will be plenty of discussion about the Adley side of this trade that can’t be put into a small blurb, but for now, a quick look at the return.

Carlos Narvaez is a 27-year-old catcher who made his MLB debut in 2024 with the New York Yankees, but was traded to Boston after the season. He would appear in 118 games with Boston in 2025, hitting 15 home runs while showcasing a league-average bat with elite defensive metrics. He hasn’t been as productive this season, but Narvaez isn’t arb-eligible until 2028, has minor league options, and could pair well with Samuel Basallo for the next couple of seasons.

The heart of the return lies with pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon. Both were appointment TV viewing when they were at LSU and Oklahoma, respectively, and now both instantly rank as two of the top prospects in the Orioles system.

The 21-year-old Eyanson is listed at 6’2” and was a 3rd round pick of the Red Sox last year, signing for $1.75 million out of LSU. The scouting grades, per FanGraphs: 55 FV prospect, 55 fastball, 60 slider, 60 curveball, 60 changeup, 55 command. Across 68 innings between High-A and Double-A, Eyanson holds a 1.32 ERA with a 36.6% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate.

Here was my blurb on Eyanson last year as part of my draft coverage (he has since added a splitter and a couple of ticks to the fastball):

RHP Kyson Witherspoon was Boston’s first round pick in the 2025 draft out of Oklahoma, signing for $5 million. His early professional numbers haven’t been as dominant as Eyanson’s and his ranking on prospect lists varies, but he brings the kind of moldable clay the Orioles pitching development loves.

FanGraphs currently gives him a 50 grade fastball, 50 slider, 60 curveball, 55 changeup, 55 cutter, and 45 command. He’s pitched 75 innings in High-A this year with a 4.78 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate.

From my draft write-up last year:

OF Enddy Azocar is a 19-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder who signed with Boston for just $40,000 in 2024, but has quickly risen to become one of the top prospects in Boston’s system, 3rd according to FanGraphs. There are some contact concerns and work needs to be done on his swing decisions, according to many public reports, but Azocar brings plus bat speed, power, and the potential to stick in centerfield.

He has split his time between Single-A and High-A this year, hitting a combined 18 home runs, 27 doubles, and 8 triples with a 119 wRC+ and 11 total stolen bases.

Oyster Analytics@oysteranalytics

Enddy is our 67th-overall hitter, and he's a rare triple threat in contact, power, and K avoidance. His contact rates aren't amazing, though, and are the biggest threat to his road to the show. Also a + OF, a solid acquisition for the @Orioles! @TheVergePod

MLB Pipeline @MLBPipeline

The Orioles are reportedly acquiring 3 Red Sox prospects, Carlos Navarez & a PTBNL for Adley Rutschman, per @IanMBrowne: No. 2 (MLB 49) Anthony Eyanson (RHP) No. 4 Kyson Witherspoon (RHP) No. 5 Enddy Azocar (OF) More on the prospects: https://t.co/SILuXNaAfA

7:44 PM · Aug 3, 2026 · 141 Views

• Baltimore receives: RHP Michael Forret

• Tampa Bay receives: RHP Tyler Wells

This was certainly quite the surprise. Wells had stepped up for the Orioles after Ryan Helsley went down with an injury and is still under team control for 2027, but he joins Bryan Baker and Cedric Mullins in Florida now.

The Orioles just traded Forret to Tampa as part of the package for RHP Shane Baz, but he’s on his way back to the Orioles system after a dominant 2026 campaign between Double-A/Triple-A. Across 93 innings, Forret has a 3.29 ERA with a 26.6% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate between the two levels.

Baltimore didn’t trade away anyone on the very long list of Rule 5 eligible prospects, but they did add Forret who will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason (CBA and all that pending, obviously). Armed with a plethora of pitches, plus command, and still more physical projection in the frame, Forret’s mid-rotation upside has become even more clear over the last year and he will slot in as one of the top prospects in the system again, with an eye towards a major league debut, potentially later this season.

• Baltimore receives: OF Christian Franklin

• Washington receives: RHP Joe Glassey

Franklin is a 26-year-old, right-handed hitting outfielder who was on Washington’s 40-man roster, meaning he will join the Orioles’ 40-man and potentially see plenty of playing time with Taylor Ward being traded to Seattle.

The former 4th round pick out of Arkansas (teammates with current Oriole Heston Kjerstad) has yet to make his major league debut. He was hitting .249 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home runs, and a 15% walk rate in Triple-A this season, good for a 101 wRC+. Franklin can play a plus defense in the corners, has shown the ability to get on base at a high clip, and has shown fairly even splits against lefties and righties.

With plenty of questions still surrounding if Kjerstad will ever contribute in the big leagues, the extreme injury history of Reed Trimble (currently on the 40-man), and Enrique Bradfield Jr not likely to make his MLB debut in the immediate future and plenty of questions still remaining, Franklin has an opportunity to carve out a role as a valuable depth/part-time bat in the big leagues here in Baltimore.

Glassey, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, was someone we’ve written and discussed a lot on the podcast and here on Substack. Across 65 innings, Glassey worked a 2.20 ERA and walked a grand total of 10 batters his entire with the Orioles. However, trading a Double-A reliever for someone who could potentially add immediate value in the big leagues could turn out to be a solid, under-the-radar type of move.

One hour after the deadline, two more trades were announced. The Orioles are receiving RHP Codi Heuer from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations. They are also receiving OF Reece Hinds from the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.

Heuer is a 30-year-old, 6’6” righty who was just traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee on August 1st, so hopefully he didn’t unpack his travel bag yet. He’s made 8 relief appearances this season, posting a 4.66 ERA with 6 K/5 BB across 9.2 IP. Heuer is a journeyman reliever who missed 2022-2024 due to TJ surgery and a broken elbow. He has one minor league option left and was likely brought in as depth for the rest of this season.

As for Hinds, he’s a 25-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder who was formerly a 2nd round pick of the Reds out of IMG Academy, but has struggled mightily in the big leagues over three seasons. In 52 major league games, he’s hit .169 with 7 home runs, 8 doubles, and 56 K/6 BB. Like Heuer, he’s likely depth for the rest of this season or the next few weeks as the roster shakes out and the rest of the dominos from this year’s deadline activity fall.

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