Baltimore Orioles First Baseman Could Be Potential Trade Chip This Offseason

Should the Baltimore Orioles trade Ryan Mountcastle?

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) tries to tag out Baltimore Orioles first base Ryan Mountcastle (6) on a strike out in the fourth inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are heading into the offseason looking to try and improve and continue to build upon some of their success in recent years. 

After a long rebuild, the Orioles have a lot of exciting young players on the team that have started to become All-Star caliber players in the Majors. For the last two seasons, Baltimore has now been a contender in the American League East. 

However, while they have made the playoffs the last two seasons, those playoff runs have been short-lived. Even though there is a lot of talent on the team, the Orioles still have some work to do to become a World Series contender. 

This offseason, their No.1 priority should be trying to bring back Corbin Burnes in free agency. Burnes was the ace of the staff in 2024, and losing him would be a crippling blow. 

While bringing back their ace will be top of mind, they also will have some other important decisions to make to try and improve the team. 

Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report spoke about potential trade chips this offseason, and named first baseman Ryan Mountcastle as an appealing one for the Orioles. 

“Mountcastle has a 114 OPS+ over five seasons in the majors, and he has averaged 31 doubles, 26 home runs and 94 RBI per 162 games over the course of his time in the big leagues. He has a 33-homer season on his resume, and could be a cheap power source for teams looking to add some pop. The Orioles were willing to entertain offers for him at the trade deadline, and moving him would clear a path for top prospect Coby Mayo.”

Even though Mountcastle has been a good player the last few seasons, moving him now could help Baltimore in a few different ways. Firstly, it would clear room for another star prospect in Coby Mayo to come up to the Majors. 

The Orioles farm system has been filled with talented hitters, and Mayo looks like he could be the next star on the way. As a good player, trading the right-hander could help them bring back a pitcher or some bullpen help, which are two areas of need. 

At just 27 years old and arbitration eligible through 2026, the slugger would be an appealing target for a lot of teams in need of some power in the lineup, as he has totaled 91 home runs and 107 doubles in his career. 

Even though he has been a very good player, moving Mountcastle this winter for the right return could benefit the team.