Today’s 6-4 loss to the Nationals dropped the Orioles to 39-46, but Baltimore remains only three games out of a wild card spot in the underwhelming American League. Ten of the 15 AL clubs have losing records, leaving the Orioles still in striking distance of the playoffs if they can finally get on any kind of extended hot streak.
“I wish we were arriving at that at a much different way, and the context around that’s unusual. But we’re right there,” president of baseball operations Mike Elias said about his team’s presence in the playoff chase when speaking with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer, and other reporters on Saturday. This is why the O’s still have an eye towards buying rather than selling at the August 3 trade deadline, even though Elias acknowledged that a lot can happen in the next five-plus weeks.
“We’re planning that way [towards buying] in case it’s the case,” Elias said. “I’m going to have to look at the circumstances and what happens. I will be doing the right thing for the franchise, regardless of everything else. We’re going to have to see what the standings are and what our team is looking like at that time. But we’re certainly making those preparations and everybody in this building is in the mindset of going for it in 2026.“
It has now been close to two full years of mediocre baseball for the Orioles since they began the 2024 season with a 57-33 record. The O’s were 34-38 in the final 72 games of the 2024 campaign and still reached the postseason but were swept by the Royals over two games in the wild card series. Baltimore then struggled through an injury-plagued 2025 season that saw the club drop to a 75-87 mark, ending a string of three straight winning seasons.
Within this broader context, it is fair to wonder if the Orioles can reach another gear. Injuries have again played a big role in the 2026 season, but several players expected to be roster cornerstones (i.e. Gunnar Henderson, Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers) have also ranged from inconsistent to outright disappointing. Simply being “inconsistent” might be enough to get the O’s over the playoff line in a weak American League, but the Orioles have to do some work just to get to the .500 mark.
Elias declined to specify what the Orioles would hypothetically look to add at the deadline, though bolstering either the rotation or the bullpen seems like the most obvious target. The O’s could also stand to add at least one bat to the infield or outfield mix, yet the extent of the team’s lineup shopping will hinge on how many (or any) of Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Tyler O’Neill, Colton Cowser, or Coby Mayo can get on track in July.
As one might expect, Elias didn’t really address the possibility that the Orioles could be sellers at the deadline, since the club is still focused on returning to contention. What Elias did so, however, was downplay the possibility that Adley Rutschman was any sort of a trade chip.
“He’s been the cornerstone, basically, since I’ve been here, so he’s an enormous part of it,” Elias said. “I wish our commitment was greater than it is. We want him here forever. That’s not something that’s crossed the desk or the agenda. Our focus, first of all, we want to get it back, but we want to win with him here.”
Rutschman has one more year of arbitration eligibility before entering free agency following the 2027 season. Selected first overall in the 2019 draft, Rutschman’s MLB career has seen some peaks and valleys that have largely reflected the Orioles’ own results over the last five seasons. This year, Rutschman has hit a solid .255/.332/.456 with eight homers over 232 plate appearances, while missing some time due to two minimal IL stints (the catcher was just activated from the concussion-related IL today).
While Rutschman looks to be back in good form, it remains to be seen if an extension is really in the cards. Speculation about Rutschman’s future in Baltimore hit a new level when fellow catcher Samuel Basallo was signed to an eight-year extension last August, suddenly entrenching Basallo as part of the Orioles’ long-term plans.
Even if the Orioles do become deadline sellers, a Rutschman trade is probably unlikely to happen until the offseason at the earliest. Teams generally prefer to not acquire a starting catcher in midseason, as catchers need time to fully adjust to a new pitching staff. That said, catching is always in short supply around baseball, and having Rutschman for two postseason runs instead of just one might inspire some contenders to at least check in with Elias about Rutschman’s availability. Elias’ statements on Saturday could be viewed as gamemanship in the context of upping Rutschman’s price tag for any potential suitors, yet it is also fair to assume Elias was being genuine in wanting to keep a former 1-1 pick in the fold.
Elias provided Kubatko and company with some other updates on the injury front. Dean Kremer has missed over two months due to a quad strain, but Elias said Kremer is “really close” to being activated from the 60-day injured list after making two Triple-A rehab starts. Yaramil Hiraldo is also nearing a minor league rehab assignment, as the right-hander is looking to get back to game action since shoulder inflammation sidelined him in the first week of the season.
Ryan Mountcastle is also on the 60-day IL and hasn’t played since suffering a broken bone in his left foot in mid-April. Elias didn’t get have any details on when Mountcastle will be able to return, as “he just started running and we’re getting to the point where we can see if we can like weave that into his baseball activities.” Righty Colin Selby has yet to pitch this season due to shoulder problems that Elias said were still ongoing, and it “doesn’t seem like he’s close to getting back up and running.”
Chris Bassitt‘s timeline also remains unclear, as Elias shared the detail that the right-hander recently had a bone spur removed from his ailing back. Elias described the surgery as “a pretty minor procedure and we’ll see where he’s at in a couple weeks and see like if and when he can start throwing….I think there’s still a very strong possibility we get him back and we get him back in better condition before the end of the season.”
As much as Elias downplayed the severity of the situation, obviously any kind of a back procedure is a little troubling. Even if Bassitt is ready to start throwing in two weeks’ time, a standard throwing progression and at least a couple of minor league rehab starts will probably keep him from returning to the rotation until some point in August. If Bassitt won’t be an option until after the trade deadline, that will be another factor in the Orioles’ approach to potentially adding pitching before August 3.
Bassitt signed a one-year, $18.5MM free agent contract last offseason and he posted a 5.27 ERA over his first 56 1/3 innings in a Baltimore uniform before lower back discomfort sent him to the 15-day IL on June 5. It seems likely that he’ll be shifted to the 60-day IL whenever the O’s need another 40-man roster spot.
Elias also provided an update on outfield prospect Nate George, who is dealing with “a medical condition that’s nothing to do with athletics or baseball. We’re still totally confident that he’s gonna be fine, but this is the type of thing that takes a long time to come back out of and play professional sports from, so it’s gonna be a while. I don’t have much more beyond that, but he’s in good shape.”
George last played for A-level Frederick on May 3 and has since been sidelined by this non-specified illness. A 16th-round pick for the Orioles in the 2024 draft, the O’s went well above slot with a $445K bonus to keep George from attending college, and the outfielder already emerged on most top-100 lists prior to the 2026 season.
