Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias explained why he decided to make a surprise trade and send Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox.
Just before the August 3 trade deadline, the Orioles traded catchers Rutschman and Jake Rogers, along with cash, to the Red Sox for RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, OF Enddy Azocar, C Carlos Narvaez, and a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Thus, ends Rutschman’s time in Baltimore after the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Mike Elias Explains Adley Rutschman Trade
Speaking to reporters after finalizing the deal sending Rutschman to Boston, Elias explained why he decided to pull the trigger on the trade sending the two-time All-Star catcher to a division rival.
“I think Adley and I both wish some of these seasons hadn’t gone the way that they had,” Elias said (via MLB.com).
“He did a great job for us. He’s a great Oriole and I wish him the best, and I continue to root for him going forward. Certainly one of the weightier decisions that I’ve been a part of, and my personal affection, admiration and respect for Adley Rutschman and his connection to the organization, to the city, to everything, weighed very heavily. But it was the right thing to do for us to make this trade.”
With just 1.5 seasons remaining under team control, the Orioles ultimately felt that what they were getting back from Boston for their long-time catcher was worth making the trade with Boston for, and thus, Elias pulled the trigger on the deal.
“It wasn’t going to be any trade. It had to be something that we were overwhelmed by. And we were,” Elias said.
Orioles Excited by New Prospects
In exchange for Rutschman, the Orioles acquired several highly-regarded prospects, and Elias said that he’s excited to bring these new players into the fold, even though it cost them one of the franchise’s top stars in Rutschman.
“We got really great players back. We’re going to have to make moves that are uncomfortable and require some short-term heartache at times. So this was tough. It was a big trade. I think that our organization is better off for it,” Elias said.
The other part of this trade was that Samuel Basallo, who is just 21 years old, can be the Orioles’ catcher of the future, and he is already locked into a long-term contract, something that Baltimore did not have with Rutschman. So, since they already had an in-house option to replace Rutschman long-term, it made sense to trade the former No. 1 overall pick.
Still, it’s never easy to trade someone as universally loved in the Orioles’ clubhouse and by fans as Rutschman was, so this trade is going to sting for a while. But if the prospects end up panning out and turning into the top-end players that Baltimore hopes they can be, it will surely ease the sting of trading away Rutschman to a division rival in Boston.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Adley Rutschman Surprise Trade Explained by Orioles GM appeared first on HEAVY.