Mike Elias sat for a 28-minute video conference call after the Orioles president of baseball operations made a series of trades that will change the face of the team on and off the field.
Elias, his voice uncharacteristically scratchy, completed the most difficult deal of his nearly eight years with the Orioles, trading three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox for four players — three top prospects and catcher Carlos Narváez, who’ll need to play an important role on the team.
Narváez will take the place of backup catcher Jake Rogers, who went to the Red Sox along with Rutschman.
“It’s an incredibly emotional moment to have Adley depart the organization in this way,” Elias said. He declined to answer whether the absence of an extension forced him to make the move.
“He wasn’t signed to a contract and when that becomes clear that that’s the case and our team fades out of direct contention that season to that degree, we have to start looking at opportunities.
“It wasn’t going to be any trade. It had to be something that we were overwhelmed by, and we were. This was a very difficult decision to make. We brought in some very impactful talent from the Red Sox organization.”
Rutschman was Elias’ choice with the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, and developed an attachment.
“His tenure with our organization was very successful,” he said. “It did not go to script. He’s had injuries. He’s had ups and downs, and the team has, too … Adley and I both wish some of these seasons hadn’t gone the way they had, but he did a great job for us, and I wish him the best.”
Elias began the trading weekend by dealing starter Dean Kremer to Minnesota for an 18-year-old outfield prospect and resumed Monday by sending outfielder Taylor Ward to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed reliever Alex Hoppe and two right-handed relief prospects.
While Ward had an expiring contract, Rutschman still has a year before he’s eligible for free agency. So does reliever Tyler Wells, who was the senior active Oriole. Wells was sent to Tampa Bay for right-hander Michael Forret, whom the Orioles sent to the Rays last December as part of the deal that brought starter Shane Baz to Baltimore.
Last Friday, just before the Orioles lost two of three games to Philadelphia, Elias wouldn’t characterize the team as either a buyer or seller, but the team, with its 54-58 record and 2 ½-games deficit for the final wild-card spot, emerged as a seller.
“We are at the point where game-by-game results kind of gyrate the odds a little bit,” he said. “This was not a major factor, but our play over the weekend was not helpful. Sometimes in my position, I have to hold my cards close to my vest and I can’t come out and declare my intentions because my competitors hear them, too.”
Despite the subtraction of Rutschman, who’s on the 10-day injured list with inflammation of his left wrist, Ward, an everyday outfielder, and Wells, who saved four games and had a 1.10 ERA in July, Elias thinks the Orioles can still qualify for the postseason.
“Yes, I do. We’re going to be playing for the postseason the rest of the way,” he said. “I think that our activity today in a lot of ways put us in a position to continue that quest.
“Our record and the odds that come with that record were not strong enough for me to go into the deadline with 2026 as the sole focus. We had to start looking at future years and take them into account as we assessed moves, but we did not dismantle the team. We still have a very good team, very good rotation.”
The Orioles didn’t trade left-hander starter Trevor Rogers, who like Ward, will become a free agent after this season, and he mentioned that 37-year-old Chris Bassitt, who had back surgery last month and made his second rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk, will be rejoining the rotation shortly.
Last year at the trade deadline, the Orioles acquired 16 minor league players while subtracting eight major leaguers. This year, there was much of the same.
“The proof is going to be in what happens in the results,” Elias said. “We make moves like this. We want these players to come in, do well and bring our team to where we want to go, which is in the playoffs.”
With Rutschman, the Orioles played five postseason games and didn’t win any.
“We’re got really good players back, and we’re going to have to make moves that are uncomfortable and require some short-term heartache at times,” he said. “This was tough. It was a big trade, and I think our organization is better off for it. I wish we were able to do more this season with Adley on the team, but that’s not what came to pass.”
The Orioles will play against the Los Angeles Angels, who have the worst record in baseball, for three games beginning on Tuesday night.
“Our record’s below .500 right now, so we’ve got some work to do to catch up,” Elias said. “We have a chance. We have the talent. We’ve had the talent all year.
“We’ve put ourselves in a bad position record-wise, and we’ve got ground to make up. Our odds are stacked against us a little bit, but we have a good shot.”
Late moves
In the final minutes before the 6 p.m. deadline, the Orioles made three more deals to help fill roster spots that were vacated.
They acquired outfielder Rece Hinds from Miami for cash considerations, outfielder Christian Franklin from Washington in exchange for right-hander Joe Glassey, and right-hander Codi Heuer from Milwaukee for cash considerations.
Hinds, a right-handed hitter, has hit .169 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 52 games over the last three seasons. Fifty-one of those games were with Cincinnati, and one was with the Marlins this season. He’s hitting a combined .114 this season with five RBIs in 13 games.
Franklin has yet to play in the majors, but was on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, hit .249 with six home runs and 39 RBIs and .735 OPS and 17 steals in 21 attempts for Triple-A Rochester.
Heuer is 10-5 with a 3.76 ERA and three saves in four seasons with the White Sox, Cubs, Detroit, Texas and Cleveland. This season, he’s 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in eight games with the Guardians.
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