Pondering trade chatter about Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias returned from the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas with more than the usual buzz surrounding the team’s upcoming moves.

The Orioles will be seeking a front-line starter, closer and an outfielder in either the trade or free-agent market. That isn’t new, but some trade speculation is.

According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, teams are showing interest in Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman.

That’s something that shouldn’t be surprising since catching is always at a premium, but this time the chatter is more intriguing.

There are a couple of good reasons to consider a trade.

Rutschman is eligible for free agency after the 2027 season, so any team that would trade for him gets two seasons, maximizing the price the Orioles could demand.

Maybe Rutschman could help bring the Orioles that top-tier starter they badly need. Perhaps they’d have to package another player or two in the deal for a starter. Is that worth it?

While there are some good reasons to ponder a Rutschman trade, there are more reasons not to move him.

If there’s interest in him, that probably means teams think he could be had at a discount after 1 ½ seasons of underperformance and substantial time lost in 2025 because of two strained oblique muscles.

The thinking is that a healthy Rutschman could return to the form that earned him two All-Star Game appearances, a Silver Slugger and a second-place finish for Rookie of the Year in his first three seasons.

If that’s the case, the Orioles must be convinced that the starter he’d bring would be the difference between the postseason in 2023 and 2024 and an 85-loss team in 2025.

Last year, there was no thought to trading Rutschman, but because of a full subpar season with just 90 games played, a .220 average, a .673 OPS, nine home runs and 29 RBIs, maybe it’s time to make a move.

Elias is an aggressive trader. Just look at his July moves when he dealt nine players and received 16 prospects in return.

He doesn’t trade emotionally. If the deal is right for the Orioles, he’ll do it.

Elias traded Trey Mancini the year after he was baseball’s feel-good story for his courageous fight against cancer, because Mancini was nearing free agency.

Rutschman is different. He was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft. Elias wanted Rutschman because a switch-hitting catcher who plays solid defense is hard to find. Others in the organization favored the Orioles selecting shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. instead.

The Orioles spent nearly three years preparing Rutschman, not calling him up to the big leagues until May 2022.

Even though Elias and Rutschman are linked, Elias wouldn’t make a deal unless he was sure it was the right one.

If the Orioles dealt the 27-year-old Rutschman, they would rely on 21-year-old Samuel Basallo as the team’s catcher. Even though the Orioles awarded him an eight-year, $67 million extension after five days in the major leagues, Basallo has played in only 31 games.

Although they played on the same team for just a few days because of Rutschman’s second oblique strain, they can co-exist.

Basallo can play first base. Rutschman can be the designated hitter. If they trade Rutschman, they’ll be depending on Basallo and would need to acquire another catcher unless they’re convinced Alex Jackson can be the backup.

With Rutschman as the primary catcher, the left-handed hitting Basallo can platoon at first base with the right-handed hitting Coby Mayo—or Ryan Mountcastle—if he returns.

Despite Rutschman’s offensive woes since the All-Star break in 2024, he remains a superior defensive catcher. A productive Rutschman, like the one the Orioles saw until July 2024, would be a huge asset and could help lead the team back to the postseason.

Offseason moves are just beginning. There’ll be dozens of trades contemplated and just a few consummated. A Rutschman trade would be one of the biggest and most talked about in team history.

Notes: The Orioles agreed on a 2026 minor league contract with right-handed pitcher Richard Guasch. The 27-year-old Cuban has played in the minor league organizations of the Athletics, Nationals and Tigers minor league in a career that began in 2018. … Enrique Bradfield Jr. was named the Arizona Fall League’s Defensive Player of the Year. Bradfield had one outfield assist for the Peoria Javelinas. He hit .221 with a .341 on-base percentage, nine RBIs in 20 games and stole 17 bases in 18 attempts. … The Orioles’ annual Birdland Caravan will be held January 23^rd-24^th.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.