Baltimore Orioles Have Increasing List of Needs Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Baltimore Orioles have the chance to change the landscape of MLB at the trade deadline.

Jun 15, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have the chance to shake up the league at the MLB trade deadline.

Baltimore is keeping pace with the New York Yankees, who hold the best record in baseball, but still have plenty of holes to fill on the roster.

Doing nothing at deadline just seems to be a recipe for failure and selling isn't even remotely an option.

That left one option for Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter as he made his predictions for the next month and some changes: the Orioles will be buyers.

Baltimore has more than one major hole to address. For most teams, that would be a set back as they need to figure out what to prioritize. But their vast farm system allows them to play around in the trade market while still being set for the future.

The longest standing hole has been adding to the outfield, but center field especially.

Cedric Mullins' struggles have gone from just being attributed to a slump to unavoidable.

Anthony Santander has been much improved over the last month and the rookie Colton Cowser has at least been hitting home runs at a nice clip. Mullins, however, is still slashing just .188/.239/.322 on the year.

Reuter provided two intriguing replacement options for Baltimore in Chicago White Sox star Luis Robert Jr. and Miami Marlins slugger Jazz Chisholm.

Robert has been the talk of the deadline, and for good reason, but he might be an odd player to pick to supplement for Mullins.

He hits home runs at a very high rate, but that's about all he's done with a bat in his hand. He had 13 hits in 20 games during this campaign and seven of them have left the yard.

Chisholm, on the other hand, has played some of his best baseball during 2024 and would be notably cheaper than the option out of Chicago.

The other big need has become the starting rotation. Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells have all gone down with season-ending injuries.

Luckily for them, they've had some pitchers step up. Albery Suarez came out of nowhere and has shined as a starter. Grayson Rodriguez has improved in his sophomore campaign. Cade Povich is just a rookie but looks solid through his first three starts.

Still, it would be hard to go into the playoffs fully trusting the group behind Corbin Burnes.

The Orioles are simply too good to not be major players at the trade deadline and give themselves the best chance to win a ring.