The Orioles acted as sellers at the deadline. They didn’t totally punt their season but they were clearly leaning to one side of the buy/sell line. Impending free Taylor Ward was traded to the Mariners. Adley Rutschman and Tyler Wells, both under club control through 2027, were traded to the Red Sox and Rays, respectively. A couple of the players they got in return were big league-ready but they were mostly prospects.
Despite doing that selling, they held Trevor Rogers, who is now just a few weeks from free agency. Presumably, the Orioles could have netted something of value if they traded Rogers at the deadline but they decided to hold.
Perhaps that’s because they didn’t get blown away by any of the offers, as they apparently did on Rutschman. Rogers is a candidate for a qualifying offer at season’s end. MLBTR estimates this year’s QO will be valued at $23.1MM. If he rejects a QO and signs elsewhere for at least $50MM, the O’s would get an extra draft pick just after the first round in 2027. If he signs for less than $50MM, the compensation pick would be just before the third round. F0r any offers the O’s received on Rogers this summer, they had to weigh the value of that return against the value of keeping Rogers for the 2026 stretch run and also potentially netting a pick.
The trade option is now gone, so the O’s are committed to Rogers for the rest of this season. They could ride out the campaign and make him a QO. At that point, they could try to re-sign him as a free agent. If they fail, hey, at least he nets them a draft pick on his way out the door. There’s an argument for locking him up before it comes to that point, however, for a few different reasons.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
