Baltimore Orioles Linked To Trade for NL Central Pitcher

The Baltimore Orioles have been linked to a big trade for a starting pitcher in the NL Central.

Apr 27, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Baltimore Orioles hats and glove sits in dugout in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2024 MLB trade deadline coming up quickly and under a week away, the Baltimore Orioles have been one of the most mentioned teams in the rumor mill.

Clearly, they are looking to improve their World Series odds. They are already one of the top contenders in baseball, but they aren't satisfied with the group of talent they have put together.

Right now, the biggest needs for the Orioles are starting pitching and relief pitching. They could use more talented arms in either area.

Plenty of names have been throwing out as potential Baltimore trade targets when it comes to starting pitching. Among those names are Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal, both ace superstar pitchers who would move the needle in a big way.

Another name could be one to watch for the Orioles, although he's not quite as big of a name.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has been having a quality season in 2024. He is also being mentioned in a lot of trade rumors with the Cubs expected to be open to selling talent.

CBS Sports has named Baltimore as one of the teams that could look to acquire Taillon from Chicago.

During the 2024 MLB season thus far, Taillon has made 17 starts for the Cubs. He has compiled a 7-5 record to go along with a 2.96 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, a 3.7 K/BB ratio, and 100.1 innings pitched.

Those numbers would look great in the middle of the Orioles' rotation.

Add in the fact that Taillon still has another season left on his deal after the 2024 campaign and he looks like an even more intriguing target. Baltimore would have another good starting pitcher for its rotation for the 2025 season, which is a major need.

Taillon is starting to look like a top-end starter this season. After a rough 2023 season with Chicago, he has turned things around this year and has looked dominant doing it.

It will be very interesting to see what the Orioles choose to do ahead of the deadline next week. They have all of the young talent in the world to make a blockbuster trade.

However, if they choose not to trade a lot of their young pieces, pulling off a deal for Taillon would the Cubs would make a ton of sense.