It's 'Probable' Baltimore Orioles Trade Their Versatile Infielder
General manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Mike Elias, will have an interesting offseason to navigate heading into 2024.
They clearly are able to compete for a World Series championship after winning an American League best 101 games last season. It feels like they are just a few pieces away from being perennial contenders for years to come.
That might suggest the Orioles would aggressively pursue those pieces this offseason, however, this front office does not make rash decisions and they methodically plan out decisions for the future.
Baltimore knows they have star prospects in their minor league system and are planning how to get them involved at the Major League level going forward.
In order to do that, they'll need to make room on their roster.
According to Jake Rill of MLB.com, one Orioles player that could find himself on the move this offseason is versatile infielder Ramon Urias.
"Baltimore could use Urias in a utility role next season. Or that spot could belong to Joey Ortiz, the club’s No. 6 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 50 overall prospect. The 25-year-old is a strong defender who has shown quite a bit of offensive improvement in the Minors ... If the Orioles believe Ortiz can overtake Urias, then the latter could be expendable. And if that’s the case, he could potentially be moved as part of a trade to acquire pitching this offseason," he writes.
Based on how Baltimore has prioritized getting their star prospects into the fold at the MLB level, it seems likely they'll do the same with Ortiz.
Urias should be a sought after player in the trade market. He's an elite defender, having won a Gold Glove award in 2022. Defensive needy teams could see him as a valuable addition to their roster.
Rill thinks it's "probable" that the Orioles move their infielder this offseason as they try to upgrade other areas on the roster.
