Insider Says Baltimore Orioles Boss Won't Give Up Many Top Prospects

Despite having some clear needs, there might not be too many aggressive moves made by the Baltimore Orioles at the upcoming deadline.

Nov 7, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager's Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are 1.5 games back of the AL East lead after getting swept over the weekend following their massive series win against their rival New York Yankees.

It was a disappointing way to follow up their continued dominance over division opponents, but over the course of a long year, those things are bound to happen.

Despite the tough result against the Houston Astros, it's clear that the Orioles are a World Series contender, but there are also major questions about if they will have a pitching staff good enough to get them there by the time the playoffs roll around.

That's more than fair.

Baltimore is dealing with three season-ending surgeries to their starting unit that drastically hurts their chances of making a deep playoff run. This will continue to be the case unless general manager Mike Elias becomes a major buyer at the trade deadline to boost this rotation.

Cade Povich looks like he might be for real at this level, which would be a huge help for the front office as they wouldn't have to acquire multiple arms, and instead, could focus on just landing another starter.

Who that might be is unclear.

The Orioles could go for some veteran-type of pitchers like they have targeted in the past, or they could really swing for the fences and land one of the best starters available.

Because this team is so good, Elias has been urged to become aggressive and focus on giving this current group the best possible chance of winning a championship instead of continuing to stockpile future talent.

Doing that would go against the philosophy of the GM who has completely turned around this franchise through strong scouting, drafting, and development.

That's why insider Roch Kubatko of MASN doesn't think Elias is going to ship out many of his top minor leaguers, saying, "Having so many prospects in the system makes it possible to swing deals at the deadline that could strengthen the push toward a championship. But Mike Elias won't go crazy and surrender a bunch of top 10s."

This will continue to be a storyline until July 30 arrives, and maybe even beyond.