Despite a 30-18 start, good for MLB’s sixth-best record, the Baltimore Orioles‘ pitching rotation could use some fine tuning, particularly in the bullpen. Will they look to the trade market?
Senior MLB writer Jim Bowden seems to think so. In a mailbag article for The Athletic, he reported that three teams are expected to be in play for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.
And the Orioles sit prime among them.
“They’ll be able to get a young, everyday position player prospect,” Bowden wrote on May 24. “Or rookie major-league position player who could start now or a middle-of-the-rotation pitching prospect, along with two mid- or lower-level type prospects. Expect the Orioles, Yankees and Dodgers to all be in play here.”
Helsley is a talent worth the sweepstakes. He’s pitched in 22 games, earning saves in 15 of them, and has a 1.23 ERA in 2024.
“I think the Cardinals will be sellers at the trade deadline,” Bowden continued. “Don’t be surprised if Paul Goldschmidt, offseason signings Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, and the team’s elite closer, Ryan Helsley, are all dealt at the deadline in a dramatic restructuring of the roster for 2025 and beyond.”
St. Louis is 23-26 on the year. If things continue trending downward, Bowden’s prediction will turn to reality. Will the Orioles take advantage?
Baltimore Willing to Trade Young Talent for Win-Now Help
General manager Mike Elias is willing to put prospects in the middle for win-now help. He displayed that much in the Corbin Burnes blockbuster in February.
Armed with four prospects in MLB’s Top-100, arguably no team can outbid a determined Baltimore front office.
What it would take to land Helsley remains unclear. The 29-year old closer is on a one-year, $3.8-million deal he signed to avoid arbitration.
For the Orioles, pitching has been the need from the start in 2024. And with three starters down with injury, there’s no doubt acquiring players like Helsley is a talking point ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
Orioles’ Pitching Rotation in a Shuffle
Helsley is not a starting pitcher. He’s been in a relief or closing role since he landed with the Cardinals in 2019.
But no player is tied to any one role in the Baltimore bullpen, with a number of players subject to positional changes.
Albert Suarez, who the team optioned to the majors midseason, has started and filled a relief role in 2024.
The same can be said for Cole Irvin. And both could be back in the starting rotation after the team’s latest injury.
Right-handed starter Dean Kremer is being placed on the 15-Day Injured List with a right triceps strain.
Dillon Tate and Nick Vespi will be filling relief roles, with Irvin and Suarez likely rejoining the starting rotation.
Any absence in the pitching staff affects almost every other pitcher on the roster.
Craig Kimbrel, who’s closed most games for the Orioles in 2024, could be tasked with more relief roles moving forward.
Baltimore’s yet to put pen to paper and make Kimbrel the full-time closer after some struggles in the month of April.
That would open the door for another closer to make their case. Helsley, it seems, would be in play for the full-time role he performs well in with the Cardinals.
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