Is there any scenario where the Orioles will be buyers at the trade deadline? | MAILBAG

Question: Do you see any scenario where the Orioles would become buyers at the trade deadline? What would it take? A t10-game winning streak? What would they seek? From: Mitch

Answer: Mitch, there are 14 games before the July 31^st trade deadline, and the first 10 are against Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Colorado. I’d say unless the Orioles win eight of those 10 and creep, to say, three games below .500, theyll be sellers. Even though there are four games with Toronto after those 10 games, I’d think they’d make a final decision with four or five days to go before the deadline.

I actually think they’ve already made the decision, but an excellent 10-game run after the All-Star break could change their thinking.

As for being buyers, I think they’ll seek players who can help the Orioles in 2026 and beyond in any deal. For example, when they sold off Jorge López and Trey Mancini in 2022, they received Yennier Cano, who was able to help the team the next year. I don’t know if Mike Elias is interested in younger prospects at this year’s deadline, but I’d think he would want ones who are major league-ready or close to it.

Question: I was struck by some Manny Machado quotes about his time as an Oriole. He credited the older players as really helping him grow and mature. Do you think Mike Elias’ focus on young new players isn’t providing the mentoring by older players that seems to be needed to mature younger players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson into steady performers? From: Sallye Perrin

Answer: Sallye, that’s an interesting point. The difference between those clubs is that Machado was by far the youngest player on clubs that featured steady veterans such as J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, and in 2014, Nelson Cruz, who was critical in Machado’s growth.

This club’s core is much younger and while there have been occasional veterans, including Adam Frazier, Kyle Gibson and James McCann, the club has been dominated by the young players. It’s key to get the right veterans around those players, and this year that’s been missing. Not only do you need veterans, you need veterans who are still skillful enough to help the team win and show younger players how it’s done.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.