This Baltimore Orioles Trade Would Send Team's Star Slugger to NL Squad

A latest trade idea would see the Baltimore Orioles move on from a player who's been with them since 2015.

Sep 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) warms up before his at bat during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The talk of the offseason for the Baltimore Orioles will be centered around how they can improve their roster.

However, there are scenarios where they could trade some of their existing Big League players for marginal upgrades. Most of the time, big trades involve prospects, as other clubs want to get a potential young and up-and-coming player in return.

The Orioles certainly have many of those in their farm system, but Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report suggested an interesting trade on Monday that wouldn't involve any.

Kelly broke down eight "realistic" trades this offseason, pitching a deal that'd send Ryan Mountcastle to the Cincinnati Reds.

"Mountcastle still has two remaining year of arbitration eligibility, so if the Orioles are willing to trade the first baseman, his .766 OPS will likely be of interest to contending teams. Among those could be the Cincinnati Reds, who are trying to rebound after a disappointing 77-85 season in 2024. Between Ty France and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, the Reds got extremely underwhelming production at first base this season. If the Reds got the version of Mountcastle that hit 18 home runs and drove in 68 runs in 2023, that would be an upgrade. It's possible that they could get closer to the 2021 iteration of Mountcastle—who hit 33 home runs and drove in 89."

It's tough to get a feel for what the return would be, as Kelly didn't outline that. However, the Reds don't necessarily have anybody on their roster who they'd likely be willing to move to help Baltimore win.

If they don't get a player in return who could help them win a World Series next season, there doesn't seem to be much reason to make any deals.

Sure, they might make some marginal moves here and there, but even those marginal moves could be why they win a World Series. This type of deal would make sense if they could get a legitimate bullpen arm from the Reds back in return for the right-handed hitting 27-year-old.

However, Cincinnati likely wants to compete in a below-average National League Central, so finding a trade that works for both sides is tough.

It'd be up to the Orioles front office to figure out something that'd make sense for both sides.

Every move they make this offseason has to be a calculated one, as they made a brutal one at the deadline for Trevor Rogers, which was simply inexcusable.