With deadline drawing nearer, trade talk surrounds Orioles

With Monday’s trade deadline rapidly approaching, there’s more and more chatter involving the Orioles.

On Tuesday, before the Orioles’ awful 14-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said that the team had engaged in trade talks discussing catcher Adley Rutschman, second baseman Jackson Holliday and centerfielder Colton Cowser.

Rutschman, who’s on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation, isn’t going to play before the trade deadline, and there’s no timeline for his return.

It seems unlikely that Rutschman would be traded by Monday because of his injury woes. This is the third time this season and the fifth time since June 2025 that Rutschman had been on the injured list.

He avoided the IL in his first three years in the majors.

This year, he’s been out with left ankle inflammation, a concussion, and now the wrist injury. Last year, Rutschman had two oblique strains and played in 90 games. This year, when he was named to his third All-Star team, he’s been in 67.

Holliday seems even more unlikely to be traded than Rutschman, who has another season left before he’s eligible for free agency.

The 22-year-old Holliday, the overall No. 1 pick in 2022, has begun in recent weeks to show his full potential. Holliday, who missed spring training after surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist, had two hits on Tuesday to raise his average to .252.

Holliday, who was hitting .183 on July 7^th, has four more seasons before his free-agent time and seems like a player the Orioles would build around rather than trade away just when he appears to becoming a star.

As for Cowser, that’s quite different.

In 2024, Cowser finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, and in 2025, he missed time with a broken thumb he sustained diving into first base in the season’s fourth game. He was also out with a concussion and played through broken ribs.

In all, Cowser hit just .196 with a .655 OPS last year, striking out 128 times in 92 games.

This year, Cowser is hitting just .205 with a .638 OPS. He is playing an excellent center field. On Sunday, he committed his third error of the season, which led to a run in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Atlanta Braves.

It also led to some rare public criticism by manager Craig Albernaz, who usually doesn’t call out players publicly.

Like Holliday and Rutschman, Cowser was a first-round draft pick, but unlike those two who were the top picks in the draft, he was the fifth overall choice in 2021.

Cowser has three more years before he’s eligible for free agency and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he was dealt in the coming days.

Another player who could be dealt is starting pitcher Dean Kremer, who like Rutschman, has just one more year before free agency.

Kremer allowed a career-high eight earned runs in four innings, and he watched his ERA rise to 6.50. He gave up two home runs, and opposing batters have hit 12 homers in seven starts.

The Orioles (52-56) have four more games before the trade deadline.

Two pitchers who potentially could be traded, Trevor Rogers and Tarik Skubal, are Wednesday’s starters.

Notes from Tuesday’s game: For the first time in franchise history, the Orioles allowed an opponent to score in each inning. … The Orioles were shut out for the second time this season, and for the eighth  time this season had just three hits, a season-low. … Holliday had two hits and Yohel Pozo, making his Orioles debut, had the other. Pozo is the 49^th player used this season. … Chadwick Tromp pitched for the first time in the major leagues and allowed two runs in the eighth.

Bassitt begins rehab: Chris Bassitt, who had back surgery and is on the 60-day injured list, allowed one run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk.

Bassitt threw 46 pitches, struck out three and walked one.

What’s going on in the minor leagues? Juaron Watts-Brown, who was just promoted to Norfolk, was the winner in the Tides’ 4-3 win over Worcester. Watts-Brown gave up two runs on two hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Aron Estrada hit a grand slam and drove in six runs as Double-A Chesapeake beat Altoona, 12-3. Dom Keegan homered, and in his first game for the Baysox, Victor Figueroa had three hits and two RBIs.

High-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva were both rained out.

Norfolk released right-handed pitcher Hans Crouse.

Injury updates: First baseman/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Norfolk. However,  Mountcastle’s, who’s on the 60-day IL with a fractured left foot, is being reevaluated.

Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, who are both on the 10-day injured list, will be reassessed during the homestand that begins on Friday.

Right-handed pitcher Colin Selby, who hasn’t pitched this season due to right shoulder inflammation, had a second opinion with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

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