MLB Insider Says Baltimore Orioles Could Trade Their Superstar Prospect

For the Baltimore Orioles to land one of the top available players on the market before the trade deadline, they might be willing to move one of their superstar prospects.

A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles hat and glove in the dugout / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have developed the best farm system in baseball, giving them plenty of options for the present and future.

As a team who has the opportunity to win a World Series this season, they have the ability to control the deadline since they have the best trade chips possible to land virtually anyone they want.

There's some question about who the Orioles might be willing to trade as general manager Mike Elias doesn't like to ship out top prospects on a whim, especially with a cash-strapped franchise like this one.

However, Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY shed some light on one of their star prospects and if he will be made available by Baltimore in discussions.

"The Orioles' best trade chip they may be willing to part with at the trade deadline is prized catching prospect Samuel Basallo, who is blocked by All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman," he writes.

That is very interesting.

For a long time, the 20-year-old was seen as someone who was "untouchable" like Jackson Holliday as he catapulted up their pipeline rankings to the second overall spot and No. 13 in all of minor league baseball.

Because of their superstar Adley Rutschman holding down the catcher spot for the foreseeable future, they started giving Samuel Basallo some work at first base to see if he might be able to take over that position going forward.

That could still be the case, but with the chance the Orioles could compete for a World Series title this year, it seems like Elias might finally decide to be aggressive and ship out a potential future star to get someone back who can impact winning right now.

If that is the case, then Baltimore could land anyone they want.

Whether that's Jesus Luzardo, Garrett Crochet, or any other top starting arms who could become available and have more years of club control remaining, the inclusion of Basallo in trade packages might make any team bite.