Baltimore Orioles Target and Familiar Face Will ‘Definitely’ Be Traded

A Baltimore Orioles trade target is expected to be moved and could be an interesting arm to land amid their injuries.

May 18, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Despite three starting pitchers getting injured, the Baltimore Orioles are in first place in the American League East. After dominating the division last season, the Orioles are now back in front and look poised to continue finding success.

With those injuries, however, they need to make a move or two to better the roster. The issue is it's tough to figure out the perfect trade for them to take.

If someone like Tarik Skubal becomes available, should they go all out to land him? Is it better to add two starting pitchers for a cheaper price who are mid-tier arms?

That's all what the front office will have to figure out in the coming weeks.

The Athletic's MLB Staff reported last week that Baltimore plans to wait to see how the next few weeks go before they make any decisions on who they're going to trade for.

"After losing Bradish, the Orioles still plan to let the next handful of weeks further inform their decision-making, and, for now, they may be able to afford to wait."

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com questioned if they could get the starter they need on Saturday but pointed to their elite farm system as the reason why they could get a deal done.

"If any club has the goods to make a big deal, it’s the Orioles, who were ranked No. 1 in MLB Pipeline’s organizational rankings entering the season.

"Even after graduating Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg in the past year (not to mention trading both DL Hall and Joey Ortiz for Burnes), Baltimore still has four of the top 20 prospects in baseball (No. 1 Jackson Holliday, No. 12 Samuel Basallo, No. 18 Coby Mayo and No. 20 Heston Kjerstad)."

With that in mind, the Orioles could decide to consider a reunion with former right-hander Jack Flaherty.

He's "definitely" on the move, according to Evan Petzold.

"Jack Flaherty is definitely gonna be on the move, that's happening"@Tigers Beat Writer @EvanPetzold says the team is preparing to sell at the deadline pic.twitter.com/LCwKeFq0iV

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 20, 2024

Flaherty wasn't exactly great in Baltimore, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. However, it was the worst year of his career. Still, the worries from the fan base are warranted when it comes to landing him again.

Ideally, they'd be able to land Flaherty for a decent package. That, however, doesn't seem likely. There will be multiple teams ready to offer an enticing haul as he'll be one of the top pitchers on the market.

In the 2024 campaign, Flaherty has shown off what everyone knows he can do. He currently has a 3.24 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and has struck out 129 in 89.0 innings pitched.