Baltimore Orioles Still Have Top Farm System Despite Deadline Deals

Despite trading away several of their top-rated prospects, the Baltimore Orioles have one of the best farm systems in baseball.

Shorebirds' Samuel Basallo (21) swings in the game against the Cannon Ballers Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. The Shorebirds defeated the Cannon Ballers 7-2. Bbm Delmarva Shorebirds Kannapolis Cannon Ballers / Lauren Roberts/Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Baltimore Orioles were one of the most active teams in baseball ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. They wanted to shore up some areas for the stretch run of the season, with a focus on pitching.

Improving the depth behind American League Cy Young award contender Corbin Burnes was a must. The Orioles didn’t add another ace but acquired one solid contributor in Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Their biggest splash was landing former top prospect, left-handed starting pitcher Trevor Rogers from the Miami Marlins. Rogers has immense upside, which he flashed but has been unable to recapture when he made the All-Star team in 2021.

In their second trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. He was discussed in their original trade proposals, but in the first completed deal, they acquired Seranthony Dominguez instead.

To acquire that kind of talent, you need to also surrender some assets. The Orioles certainly did that, parting ways with Tier 1 prospect Connor Norby as the centerpiece of the Rogers trade. They also traded Seth Johnson, their No. 10 overall prospect who was a Tier 3 player, to land Soto.

More depth was used to acquire Eflin, as two top 20 players, Mac Horvavth and Jackson Baumeister, now play for the Rays. Despite all of those moving parts, Baltimore still has one of the highest-rated farm systems in baseball.

Over at Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter highlighted the biggest risers and fallers in the farm system rankings after the deadline. The Orioles were the No. 3 faller, falling from the No. 6 spot. But, they remain in the top 10, barely, holding down the No. 10 spot.

A top-10 player was added to the mix with the addition of Patrick Reilly, who was acquired in a prospect swap with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fifth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Reilly was acquired in exchange for outfielder Billy Cook.

However, their hold on a spot inside the top 10 is tenuous. It is only a matter of time until Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in the game, graduates from prospect status. The same could be true for Coby Mayo, who was called up following an injury to Jordan Westburg.

But, they are far from the only top-tier prospects Baltimore has. Catcher Samuel Basallo and left-handed pitcher Cade Povich are Tier 1 players along with Holliday and Mayo. Remaining in the top 10 with Heston Kjerstad also graduating this season speaks volumes to how good this system was coming into 2024.